By Bret Strelow. BOONE, N.C. — The first fumble recovery of the fourth quarter produced the go-ahead points. The second recovery sealed an emotional, dramatic rivalry win at The Rock.App State defenders Caleb Sandstrom and Colton Phares made critical plays in the final six minutes, both recovering fumbles they also forced, and those takeaways were sandwiched around Dominic De Freitas’ go-ahead field goal from 23 yards out with 2:02 remaining in a 26-24 win against Marshall, Nov. 22 in Kidd Brewer Stadium.
It was Black Saturday and Heroes Day in Boone, with a crowd of 31,322 on hand to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the 2005 national title team and cheer on a 2025 squad that overcame a double-digit deficit against the Thundering Herd (5-6, 3-4). App State (5-6, 2-5) closes the regular season next Saturday against Arkansas State with a chance to clinch bowl eligibility at The Rock.
True freshman Jaquari Lewis rushed for a season-best 175 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries Saturday, and JJ Kohl threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to David Larkins late in the first half, after Marshall had moved ahead 21-9.
That touchdown with 53 seconds left before the break, coupled with Lewis’ 5-yard touchdown run to cap a 75-yard drive that lasted more than five minutes at the start of the third quarter, pushed App State ahead 23-21.
Marshall went back in front on a 25-yard field goal with 5:29 remaining in the third quarter, but it wasn’t able to add to the lead thanks to DeNigel Cooper’s block of a 28-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. The next three drives ended with punts, but App State punter Ian Ratliff’s 70-yarder to the 1-yard line forced the Thundering Herd to start a drive from the shadow of its own end zone with about nine minutes remaining.
Marshall picked up two first downs, but Sandstrom wrestled the ball away from backup quarterback Zion Turner on a rush to the Thundering Herd 40, setting up App State’s go-ahead possession that began with 5:33 remaining. Sam Mbake’s 13-yard reception to the 22 on a third-and-5 throw from Kohl and Lewis’ 13-yard run to the 9 put the Mountaineers in scoring range.
After De Freitas’ kick, Marshall started its last drive at the 25-yard line and advanced past midfield, but Phares punched the ball out on a carry by Michael Allen and then won the race to the loose ball at the App State 39 with 55 seconds remaining.
The Mountaineers ended a four-game skid, including two straight home losses in league play, while totaling 276 yards of offense. They did account for all three takeaways in the game, with Emory Floyd intercepting a first-half pass to go along with the pair of forced fumbles.
The teams traded the lead frequently in the early going, with Marshall posting its first touchdown after De Freitas opened the scoring with a 32-yard field goal and the Thundering Herd taking a 14-9 lead on starting quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson’s 16-yard touchdown run to cap a four-play, 75-yard drive just 90 seconds after Lewis scored on a 18-yard rush in relief of a banged-up Rashod Dubinion.
Marshall quickly regained possession after a three-and-out punt covered 25 yards, then increased the margin to 21-9 on Del Rio-Wilson’s 4-yard touchdown run.
App State was forced into another three-and-out punt, but its defense forced a punt with less than five minutes remaining before halftime, and Larkins’ touchdown started a 17-3 run to end the game.
The Mountaineers, who trailed at the end of the first, second and third quarters, had been 0-5 when facing a halftime deficit and 0-5 when facing a deficit entering the fourth quarter.
MORE POST-GAME NOTES
- App State snapped a four-game losing streak and moved to within a win of bowl eligibility at 5-6 on the season.
- App State improved its lead against Marshall in the all-time series to 17-11, including 11-3 in Boone. The home team has won each of the last six years.
- The Mountaineers forced three turnovers and allowed no takeaways. They are now 4-0 when winning the turnover battle, 1-4 when losing and 0-2 when turnovers are tied.
Attendance at a sold-out Kidd Brewer Stadium was 31,322. It was the 15th sellout in the last 16 home games and the 23rd straight crowd above 30,000.
DEFENSE
- Defensive coordinator DJ Smith‘s unit allowed only three points and created two takeaways after halftime.
- Two of the game’s most impactful plays were fourth-quarter takeaways in which Caleb Sandstrom forced and recovered a fumble at the 5:33 mark and then Colton Phares did the same with 0:55 left to seal the App State victory.
- Emory Floyd recorded his first collegiate interception after a pass deflected off a Marshall receiver’s hands.
App State sacked Marshall quarterbacks twice in the game – by Dylan Manuel and Aiden Benton. It was Benton’s team-leading fourth of the season.
OFFENSE
- True freshman Jaquari Lewis rushed 33 times for a career-high 175 yards and two touchdowns. The touchdown runs of 18 and 5 yards were his fifth and sixth scores of the season. He also had five catches for 39 yards to total 214 all-purpose yards.
- Lewis ran for the second-most yards by an App State freshman. Jalin Moore holds the freshman record of 244, which he set against Idaho on Nov. 14, 2015.
- Lewis’ 20-yard gain on a fourth-and-1 late in the second quarter set up a touchdown on the next play to cut the Mountaineers’ deficit to five points.
- David Larkins caught four passes for 27 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown catch that pulled the Mountaineers to within one score at 21-16 in the first half’s final minute.
- JJ Kohl returned to the starting lineup and completed 19 of 27 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown, with no turnovers.
Sam Mbake had a career-high seven catches (for 39 yards), including a key third-down conversion during what proved to be the game-winning drive with less than five minutes remaining in the game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
- Dominic De Freitas made field goals of 32 and 23 yards. His 23-yarder with 2:02 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the game winner. The true freshman has made 15 of 18 field-goal attempts, including each of his last eight. He has made all 10 attempts from inside 40 yards.
- DeNigel Cooper blocked a field goal for the second time this season when he got a hand on Marshall’s 28-yard attempt early in the fourth quarter that would have given the Herd a four-point advantage.
- Ian Ratliff punted six times for a 47.7-yard average, including a career-long 70-yarder that came to rest at Marshall’s 1-yard line.
