How many of you are Surprised by former App State LB DJ Smith?

[Niner National]

back in the powerhouse days i might have agreed with the notion that they could pull something like that, but app's program is in something of a precarious position right now. jerry moore isn't going to be around forever and they've yet to settle on a clear successor to armanti edwards. app state's era as a socon power is starting to wane and they're losing ground to programs like georgia southern and wofford.

moving forward they'd be looking at a new head coach and possibly a new system. deep sixing a bunch of rivalries including one that goes back 80 years in favor of probably losing a whole lot of games to a whole lot of mid-majors nobody cares about would probably start to drive fans away and you'd be looking at a troy or a marshall instead of a nationally relevant program like boise state or uconn.

I agree.

I think App fans would get up for a Marshall game though. Marshall used to be an old SoCon rival and they hated each other.

[Iceberg Slim]

ECU is going to be a borderline bowl team this year and lost one of the best quarterbacks they've ever had this year.

They'll still beat App by at least 2 tds.

I went to ECU but I'm a heels fan first. I pull for the heels over ECU.

^^this....really :unsure: ? Lived on the hill in Scott then moved to Ulmstead first year it was built. Yeah, I am an old head, I remember playing on the baskeball court on the hill at all hours of the night, when christenbury didn't have any AC in you felt like you were playing ball in the desert and how great it felt when they finally built the rec center. I remember getting my car towed all the time on the square because I was too busy sitting on the wall with my frat drinking beer or some other adult beverage to remember I didn't have the correct parking sticker for that area.......and the having to go to parking services and pay for a stupid ticket when they towed my POO, point is how in the hell do you pull for our biggest in state rival, especially in football....man you woulda got your ass beat if you pulled that poo back in the day......smh

[4Corners]

^^this....really :unsure: ? Lived on the hill in Scott then moved to Ulmstead first year it was built. Yeah, I am an old head, I remember playing on the baskeball court on the hill at all hours of the night, when christenbury didn't have any AC in you felt like you were playing ball in the desert and how great it felt when they finally built the rec center. I remember getting my car towed all the time on the square because I was too busy sitting on the wall with my frat drinking beer or some other adult beverage to remember I didn't have the correct parking sticker for that area.......and the having to go to parking services and pay for a stupid ticket when they towed my POO, point is how in the hell do you pull for our biggest in state rival, especially in football....man you woulda got your ass beat if you pulled that poo back in the day......smh

Lived in Fletcher, Wilson Acres, and a house off Lewis street.

I pull for the heels because I was a heels fan first. Ecu is my team too just not when they play the tar heels.

Also, UNC may be the pirates rival, but the tar heels don't care about ECU.

[Iceberg Slim]

Maybe not now, but they used to...in the 90's ECU was the dominant football powerhouse in NC. I might remind you at one point we finished at #9 in the country. All that changed however when we got rid of Logan...just saying....

[4Corners]

Yeah they won the orange bowl like 25 years ago right? Those days are longggg gone my friend.

I was there when they had Chris Johnson, Aundrae Allison, and the first Pinkney.

fugers were winning like 2 games a year but the tailgates were out of this world.

[Iceberg Slim]

Can't argue with reality...we are now firmly in the cellar....but the glory days lasted until about 95/96 ish...let's say 15 years ago and call it even....

Tailgating has always been ridiculous, or maybe a better description is over the top......especially on homecoming......when they come to Charlotte, meh not so much

[4Corners]

Also, when ecu and unc play this season the beauty of it is personally I can't lose.

[Panthro]

I see it as lose lose

[cbarrier90]

I agree w/ a lot of this. Just driving to Boone is a pain in the ass.

Meh, 77 to 421 works for me. Only real issue is when you're climbing 421 crossing Wilkes into Watauga County and you have a car like mine that doesn't quite have the power to maintain its speed up the hill.

Travel isn't the issue, IMO. It's the lack of available money to be made in the market. Boone is a nice tourist town in the mountains and there's nothing that can be done about that. I wouldn't have it any other way.

As far as the FBS aspirations are concerned, the main issue is that ASU has reached its ceiling in the Southern Conference, and the opportunity to renew rivalries with teams like Marshall, ECU, etc. is much more attractive than playing Furmans, Elons of the world.

[Panthercougar68]

Meh, 77 to 421 works for me. Only real issue is when you're climbing 421 crossing Wilkes into Watauga County and you have a car like mine that doesn't quite have the power to maintain its speed up the hill.

Travel isn't the issue, IMO. It's the lack of available money to be made in the market. Boone is a nice tourist town in the mountains and there's nothing that can be done about that. I wouldn't have it any other way.

As far as the FBS aspirations are concerned, the main issue is that ASU has reached its ceiling in the Southern Conference, and the opportunity to renew rivalries with teams like Marshall, ECU, etc. is much more attractive than playing Furmans, Elons of the world.

My car gave out on the truck pull off one time going up 421, I call it the half way point...only time I ever had car trouble...and of course it was cold that day :(