Plucky.
Gritty.
Spunky.
These are the words I heard in college football circles talking about the top teams in the Sun Belt during the 2018 season.
On face value, yes, those words are nice.
But as the penultimate description of quality teams like Appalachian State, who earned a national ranking, nearly took out Penn State in overtime and won a third straight conference title despite losing their best offensive player, it’s an underhanded compliment.
“Plucky” is the way you should describe the walk-on linebacker who fills his lane on special teams.