You’ve probably heard “rat poison” used as a metaphor for the effect that hype from the media can have on a college football team. It was popularized by Alabama coach Nick Saban, who has used it frequently.
After a program-defining upset win against No. 6 Texas A&M on Saturday, Appalachian State coach Shawn Clark is adopting that messaging, albeit with some tweaks of his own. Clark and the Mountaineers coaches reportedly placed mouse traps around the football building, telling players, “Don’t take the cheese.”
It’s easy to see how a win over a top-10 opponent could go to App’s head. It earned a host spot for ESPN’s College GameDay this weekend for its matchup against Troy, and the Mountaineers could be one of the prime contenders for the Group of Five’s auto-bid to the New Year’s Six.
App State football staff have placed small wooden mouse traps all over their football building this week to drive home a point to their players, “don’t take the cheese”. In other words: stay focused and don’t let the attention and the accolades bite you.
— the D (@DieselOnRadio) September 16, 2022
We’ll see if App State has the juice to keep up the momentum over the course of the season, but there’s one thing no one can deny: “Don’t take the cheese,” is one of the best football team mottos of all time.
