The Battle Royal is almost single-digit days away! And just in time, NCAA.com (of all places) has a quick breakdown of App State posted.

The offense is, of course, powered by a WIZZ-ud. But what about the D?

Defensive Keys: The Mountaineers are loaded up front, with three returning starters at defensive linemen, including All-American tackle Anthony Williams, and three at linebacker. Their biggest question mark will be at defensive back, where they must replace four starters. The good news is that two returnees – Cortez Gilbert and Leonard Love – received significant playing time in big situations. Also, Appalachian State’s experienced front seven should ease the defensive backfield’s transition.

All In The Numbers: 380. That’s the number of yards per game Appalachian State’s defense allowed last year, which ranked 70th out of 116 FCS teams. The Mountaineers will have to play better defense due to their losses on offense.

Yeah, that D sounds good on paper, but man .. JMU haunts me.

/wipes tear … possibly just sweat

The “Deciding Game” for the season – Elon Nov. 15. As odd as that sounds, that’s not a bad bet.