Bring your running game.

The Appalachian box office sold out of tickets to the Championship game at 1:45 yesterday. I would have been devastated if I wasn't able to get tickets after waiting in that line that occupied over two hours of many students' day this morning. Though I've heard of many left ticket-less for the athletic event of the year (at least for those living around here). Chattanooga's box office has been sold out for days.

But I am not one of them. I'll be watching the men's basketball game on Thursday evening before packing up and heading to Chattanooga in the morning with some friends.

If you weren't wearing your heavy liquor coat this past Saturday at the game, you might remember the fact that Kevin Richardson basically carried the team on his back the first half of the game, rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns. You might also remember him lying on the field in the third quarter, to remain absent for the rest of the game with what ASU Sports Information director Mike Flynn referred to as an "injured trapezoid,"

Perhaps I was in the wrong biology class in high school, but I always thought "trapezoid" was a type of parallelogram. My search of the term in webmd.com found no results as well. My guess is that the sports information director was actually told "trapezius" (a shoulder muscle).

In any case, all of the geometric components of the running back seem to be back in working order, as Sports Information reported that today he practiced "without limitations."
Yes, wipe your brow. It does appear that the integral Kevin Richardson will be good to go on Friday against the UMass Minutemen.
Without him, the Mountaineer offense would suffer.

Kevin Richardson is the Steve Smith of Appalachian; the go-to guy of the offense. He opens up the option of a passing game, just like extra defensive coverage of Smith makes it that much easier for the Panthers' running game.

Given, freshman QB Armanti Edwards cannot be overlooked in terms of App's running game (he rushed for 110 yards Saturday). And it's not often that a true freshman, like Edwards, can lead a team through such a successful season. He works well outside of the pocket, scrambling after the offensive line can't hold anymore while continuing to eye receivers down the field. When he can't find any, he dodges oncoming sacks, often running for the first down himself.

Though without Richardson on the field, you can bet that Edwards wouldn't be racking up as many rushing yards either, with one less threat for the defense to worry about, they'd be expecting Edwards to charge down the field, waiting on it like a fat guy waits on a new bin of macaroni and cheese at the Golden Corral.

So, Richardson, be sure to pack your running game along with your cleats for the game on Friday. Maybe an extra trapezoid or two, too.