By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A slow start it might have been, but Appalachian State picked up momentum quickly after the first quarter on Homecoming Night against Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Robert Morris University, an FCS-level competitor in the Big South Conference. The Mountaineers nearly cleared the bench in what evolved as a lopsided, 42-3 win.
According to App State Athletics’ Strategic Communications, unofficially, 83 players saw action in the game, including 11 true freshmen among the 20 players who made their Mountaineer debuts.
With a packed Kidd Brewer Stadium of Homecoming alums (attendance: 32,501), Appalachian State deployed six running backs, eight wide receivers, five tight ends, and three quarterbacks to score six touchdowns on the day, two rushing and four passing.
Before leaving the game in the third quarter, graduate transfer QB Chase Brice threw four touchdown passes vs. one interception in leading the Mountaineer attack. He completed 17 of 23 attempts for 185 yards.
Running back Nate Noel was the most productive rusher, carrying the ball just five times for 88 yards, while local product Anderson Castle carried the ball 9 times for 67 yards, including a 19-yard TD run around the right side, bouncing off and outsprinting would-be tacklers before burrowing across the goal line just inside the sideline pylon.
Top freshman recruit Kanye Roberts showed off what may well be the long-term future of Appalachian’s ground game in the second half, with11 carries for 58 yards and the second rushing TD.
Through the air, Brice found wide receivers Tyler Page, Dashaun Davis, and Dalton Stroman, as well as tight end Miller Gibbs on trips into the end zone.
Now 5-3 overall and 2-2 in Sun Belt Conference play, App State moves to within one win of becoming bowl eligible but with four Sun Belt Conference games remaining, all in the highly competitive East Division, the Mountaineers still have a shot at becoming the East representative in the Sun Belt championship game, Dec. 3, at the home field of the team with the league’s best record. To have any chance, the App State needs to win all of its remaining games, beginning with @Coastal Carolina (Nov. 3), @Marshall (Nov. 12), vs. Old Dominion (Nov. 19), and @ Georgia Southern (Nov. 26).
Sun Belt Conference Scores for the Week
- Appalachian State 42, Robert Morris 3 (Oct. 29)
- Georgia State 31, Old Dominion 17 (Oct. 29)
- South Alabama 31, Arkansas State 3 (Oct. 29)
- Coastal Carolina 24, Marshall 13 (Oct. 29)
- Southern Miss 39, Louisiana 24 (Oct. 27)
