By David Rogers. HUNTINGTON, W.V. — Dominating time of possession in a football game is important — but not as important as keeping your time-deprived opponent out of the end zone.
App State had possession 10-plus minutes more than host Marshall in Joan C. Edwards Stadium but could not contain The Thundering Herd in a 52-37 Sun Belt Conference loss.
Kudos to Marshall University for a pre-game display of human compassion: proceeds from a student car-smashing fundraiser are earmarked for the App State Disaster Relief Fund.
Hard to Overcome
Two turnovers (both pass interceptions), four quarterback sacks, seven pass breakups, nine quarterback hurries and eight tackles for loss by the Marshall defense were problematic for the visiting Mountaineers, compounded by 15 penalties for 158 yards. Combined, they all but short-circuited App State scoring opportunities.
Without question, the App State offense led by QB Joey Aguilar was able to move the football, the senior signal caller completing 26-of-44 passes for 293 yards but two TDs offset by the two pass interceptions.
In 35:24 time of possession (compared to just 24:26 for Marshall), the Mountaineers rolled up 473 yards of total offense but had a hard time stopping The Thundering Herd’s quick-strike offense led by backup QB, Braylon Braxton, standing in for an injured Cole Pennington.
Braxton didn’t act like a fill-in, serving as Marshall’s leading rusher in carrying the ball 15 times for 140 yards and two TDs. Complimenting his day’s work: completing 8-of-14 pass for 129 yards, three TDs and no INTs.
The Mountaineers were playing for the first time in 16 days after Hurricane Helene struck the western North Carolina mountains a week earlier with massive flooding from torrential rainfall and high winds causing an unprecedented amount of destruction in the High Country and classes being canceled at least for the foreseeable future.
The home game on Sept. 28 vs. Liberty was also canceled and practices cobbled together as best they could under the circumstances as coaches, staff, and players dealt with the storm damage, including loss of power, internet capabilities and significant property damage. To play a college football game at any level while balancing personal needs in a natural disaster with game preparation is nothing short of courageous, even if it helped restore a sense of normalcy for the university and its supporters.
Among the highlights:
- App State kept the game close in the early going, even going ahead, 10-7, after reserve placekicker Jackson Moore’s 42-yard field goal midway through the first quarter got the Mountaineers on the board, then running back Kanye Roberts capped off a 14-play, 94-yard drive early in the second period with a 10-yard TD run around the left side.
- A swing pass by Aguilar to Roberts on the left side was, unfortunately, a little behind the running back. In reaching back, Roberts bobbled it in the air where it was gathered in by Marshall linebacker J’Coryan Anderson and returned 13 yards for a “Pick 6” TD. That was the first play from scrimmage after The Herd’s Jordan Houston converted a short pass from Braxton into a 75-yard TD sprint down the left sideline, the two plays not only putting Marshall back on top, but giving the home team a 21-10 lead they would never relinquish.
- Among the bright spots for the Mountaineers was converting 6-of-6 fourth downs, turning them into first downs and extending drives. One of those was a 4th-and-5 situation on the Marshall 21 yard line, an Aguilar pass to wide receiver Dalton Stroman cutting across the middle for a TD, the first of two TDs thrown to the junior WR. The second TD pass was a 27-yarder in which Stroman drug his right foot in the end zone just after securing the catch.
- Aguilar helped extend drives with his legs, too, serving as the Mountaineers’ top rusher on the day with 10 carries for 55 yards. Running back Ahmani Marshall also carried the ball 10 times for 48 yards and a pair of TDs, while Roberts toted the pigskin 13 times for 35 yards and the team’s first TD.
- By midway through the third quarter, Marshall led by three touchdowns, 38-17, but the Mountaineers effectively traded scoring opportunities with their hosts, scoring 20 more points in the last 19 minutes of play.
With reported uncertainty as to where App State will play its remaining home games given the hurricane-related damage to Boone and the surrounding area, the Mountaineers’ next scheduled contest is at Louisiana on Saturday, October 12, 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.
All game statistics compiled and distributed courtesy of StatBroadcast
TEAM STATS
INDIVIDUAL STATS
DEFENSE
