Antonio Appleby has 14 tackles in two games this season.

Antonio Appleby , often overshadowed by fellow linebackers Clint Sintim (led the nation’s linebackers in sacks in 2007) and Jon Copper (led the team in tackles for two straight years), is off to a strong start in 2008. Against Southern California, he logged eight tackles and his first career interception. This past weekend, a noticeably active Appleby produced six tackles, including one tackle for loss.

Those Richmond numbers don’t seem like eye-popping numbers at first glance, but they tell an important story if Appleby can keep it up this season. After all, he had just four games all of last season where he had six or more tackles (11 at Wyoming, and 6 against Georgia Tech, N.C. State, and Wake Forest). Through two 2008 games, he’s already half way there with six or more stops in both contests.

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