BOONE, N.C. – App State Athletics, in partnership with INFLCR, is pleased to announce the launch of the App State Exchange, a platform that will complement the department’s NIL program and help Mountaineer student-athletes maximize their Name, Image and Likeness opportunities.
The App State Exchange is a custom-designed platform for local and national businesses to connect and engage directly with Mountaineer student-athletes for NIL opportunities. Companies can find out information and register for the App State Exchange at appstatesports.com/exchange.
“The new App State Exchange will greatly enhance and streamline the process of connecting businesses with student-athletes in the High Country,” App State Director of Athletics Doug Gillin said. “We are excited to continue to provide our student-athletes with excellent resources to maximize their NIL opportunities and build their personal brand while representing App State’s growing national brand.”
A free service for both student-athletes and businesses, a business can register on the App State Exchange and have access to a searchable database of student-athletes with the ability to filter that database through a variety of criteria. Each business that is compliant with App State’s NIL guidelines can message the student-athlete directly in the application or request contact information to begin discussions about any potential NIL transaction.
“We’re excited to provide the technology for Mountaineer student-athletes to grow their NIL business and maximize their wallet share while doing it,” said INFLCR Founder Jim Cavale. “With the App State Exchange, the Mountaineers and AD Doug Gillin are staying ahead of the curve as NIL continues to evolve.”
By adding this resource, App State student-athletes will be able to create business connections, streamline payments and reporting processes, consolidate tax information and create appropriate separation between the University and each student-athlete’s pursuit of NIL opportunities, all within the INFLCR app. The App State Exchange will also provide student-athletes with education on NIL issues, while also tracking social media engagement and growth.
About INFLCR & Local Exchange
INFLCR, a Teamworks product, is the leading athlete brand-building and NIL business management app for over 270 elite collegiate and professional sports organizations. The INFLCR athlete app educates student-athletes, coaches, and staff for the NIL era in a safe and compliant environment, all powered by best-in-class content delivery for student-athletes to access and share content to their social media channels. INFLCR technology also includes the impactful INFLCR Local Exchange, a school-customized NIL exchange where schools can direct businesses, individuals, or collectives seeking to find, communicate with, pay, and report NIL transactions with its student-athletes. The INFLCR Local Exchange maximizes the student-athlete wallet share while streamlining compliance and tax reporting responsibilities.
Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — In an evenly-fought defensive battle Thursday night in Boone, Georgia State was able to net the lone goal of the match in the closing moments, and defeated App State, 1-0.
The Mountaineers (3-6-4, 2-3-0) held the advantage in shots, 12-11, led by four from freshman Shannon Studer, and three from junior Izzi Wood.
Wood nearly connected on a goal early in the match, as goalkeeper Kerry Eagleston booted a ball from her own goal box, 70 yards the other way. Wood was able to gain control on one bounce and dribble it into the Georgia State goal box, but it was poked away by a Panther defender as she went to shoot.
Eagleston recorded five saves in the match giving her 319 in her career, which ties her with Caroline Clarke (2007-10) for third all-time.
App State will hit the road this weekend, as they travel to Statesboro, Ga. to face off with Georgia Southern at 1 p.m. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
By David Rogers. LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than 300 collegiate men’s cross country athletes took to the trails of E.P. Sawyer State Park in Louisville on Oct. 1, for the Live In Lou Cross Country Classic. Appalachian State’s men finished sixth in the field of 32 college teams, with three Mountaineers posting personal best times in the 8K race to finish among the top finishers.
Senior Ryan Brown was the first Mountaineer to cross the finish line in the men’s 8K gold race, clocking a personal best time of 24:07.4, to place 30th individually. Freshman Ethan Lipham bested his previous personal best by a full minute with a time of 24:10.0 to finish 35th and junior Oliver Wilson-Cook stopped the clock at 24:23.1, improving his personal best by 30 seconds, and landing 58th overall.
A senior at Grand Valley State, Tanner Chada’s first place finish (23:18.1) help propel the Allendale, Mich.-based Lakers to the team championship, while Lee University of Cleveland, Tenn. used its top five athletes placing in the top 38 to finish second in the team competition. Also placing ahead of the Mountaineers was Miami (OH), Cincinnati, and Eastern Michigan.
Women’s race dominated by Furman, West Virginia
The women’s 5K Gold race was even more competitive, with 378 runners representing 41 teams. Appalachian State finished 32nd in the team competition, just ahead of host Louisville in 33rd, while Furman, West Virginia and Grand Valley State went 1-2-3 among the competing teams.
The Mountaineers were led by sophomore Linnea Maynard, who stopped the clock at 18:21.0 to place 138th. Following close behind Maynard was junior Jasmine Donohue, who clocked a 5K time of 18:21.2, finishing 139th overall. Sophomore Karsyn Kane posted a time of 18:47.2 taking 203rd.
A West Virginia junior, Ceili McCabe, took top individual honors by crossing the line in 16:23.9.
Appalachian State’s next outing will be Oct. 15, in Spartanburg, S.C., for the Upstate Invite, hosted by USC-Upstate.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Whatever sense of rivalry lingered from the days long gone by when Appalachian State and The Citadel battled yearly for Southern Conference supremacy… well, that faded into the early autumn night on Oct. 1 with the Mountaineers’ 49-0 shellacking of the Bulldogs.
It was a balanced performance by App State, in all three phases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams. After last week’s embarrassing second half collapse vs. James Madison, this week’s performance was a necessary respite from the angst wrought just seven days ago against the Dukes.
Ahmani Marshall (3) picks up yardage around the left side on Oct. 1, against The Citadel. Photo by David Rogers
While Saturday’s victimization of the Bulldogs demonstrated the Mountaineers’ resilience, even suggesting that the prior week’s performance was a one-off sort of thing, it did more, too, than the nail biter games against North Carolina, Texas A&M, Troy, and JMU in the season’s first four weeks. The lopsided outcome allowed the banged-up front-liners to rest and gave App Nation a chance to see at least a little bit of the future.
And, judging by the 4th quarter performance of the mostly younger and reserve players, the future is bright.
AppFANtastic Slideshow
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More on that later. First, the Mountaineer offense looked like its same old self. Junior running back Camerun Peoples rushed for 102 yards on just four carries in the first half. A 73-yard trek around the left side was his longest TD run since facing North Texas in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Dec. 21, 2020, and was the second longest of his career.
Quarterback Chase Brice completed 12 of 18 passes for 265 yards and four TDs, with no interceptions. Wide receiver Christan Horn, who electrified App Nation with his 53-yard “Hail Mary” reception for the comeback win against Troy in Week 3, caught three Brice passes for 132 yards and 2 TDs against The Citadel.
FUMBLE! Photo by David Rogers
All totaled, the App State offense rolled up 545 yards of total offense, equally balanced with 298 passing and 247 yards rushing. The defense limited The Citadel to just 223 yards of total offense, a performance that featured two QB sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 1 interception, a quarterback hurry, and three forced fumbles.
The Mountaineers got on the board early, scoring a TD on the first offensive possession to start the game, and never let up. Just over two minutes into the game, Brice hit Deshaun Davis for a wide-open catch-and-run that covered 44 yards. Then Brice & Co. orchestrated the longest Mountaineer drive of the day, covering 75 yards in 8 plays, ending with a 1-yard QB keeper to the right side.
The second quarter was not even three minutes old when Brice hit tight end Eli Wilson for an 8-yard passing TD, followed by Peoples’ 73 yard scamper with still 9:31 remaining in the first half.
Kanye Roberts is tackled by his facemask (penalty not called) in the 4th quarter of App State’s Oct. 1 game vs. The Citadel at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Photo by David Rogers
Horn wowed the crowd with the next two TD pass receptions, together serving as bookends to the halftime intermission. The second quarter passing TD was 22 yards, the second an 80-yard catch near the right sideline in the third quarter, evading would be tacklers before sprinting the rest of the way down the sideline, to the end zone.
The final TD came in the 4th quarter, the offense filled with reserves marching 60 yards in 7 plays before freshman running back Kanye Roberts plowed across the goal line from four yards out.
In his post-game press conference, Peoples had rave reviews for both Castle, as well as Roberts.
After a big gain around the right side in the 4th quarter, App State’s Kanye Roberts finds himself with another eyeful of a tackler from The Citadel grabbing his facemask (penalty not called) on Oct. 1 at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Photo by David Rogers
“I love A.C.,” said Peoples, explaining that he had watched Castle, the former Watauga High School quarterback, grow into the position after first being recruited as a defensive back and outside linebacker. “He is one of my favorite people on the team.”
Of Roberts, Peoples reminded the media representatives in the room that the freshman RB came to App State as one of the most prolific rushers in the nation out of high school. “We’re lucky to have him. If you didn’t know his name before, you will.”
Now 3-2 overall, 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play, App State goes on the road for an Oct. 8 game in San Marcos, Texas, at Texas State before returning home for a Wednesday night encounter on Oct. 19, against Georgia State.
Special Report from App State Sports. HARRISONBURG, Va. — App State conceded a goal four minutes into play on Friday, and despite a flurry of chances in the closing minutes, the Mountaineers fell, 1-0, to JMU at Sentara Park.
Senior goalkeeper Kerry Eagleston made six saves, with the lone blemish on her line being the early-game finish from Lidia Nduka, who finished on a JMU (7-2-3, 3-0-1) counter-attack.
Stephanie Barbosa and Lela Stark each tallied a shot on goal for App State (3-5-4, 2-2-0), which upped their pressure offensively in the second half. Junior Breckyn Monteith had, perhaps, the team’s best scoring opportunity, blasting a shot from the top of the 18-yard box, but it ricocheted off a JMU defender.
Defenders Shannon Studer, Katie Schumacher, and Skyler Walk played all 90 minutes in the contest for the Mountaineers.
App State returns home Oct. 6 as they host the Georgia State Panthers at 6 p.m. The match is presented by Chick-fil-A, and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. – The App State volleyball team fell, 3-2, to Coastal Carolina on Friday, Sept. 30.
“Despite a tough loss, this team gets better every match we play,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “We played really hard and went toe-to-toe with a very talented Coastal Carolina team. I’m proud of our fight and our demeanor through the match.”
Three Mountaineers hit double digits in kills, led by sophomore Lulu Ambrose and freshman Maya Winterhoff, who both tallied 13. Senior McCall Denny posted 11 kills on the night. In her first collegiate start, freshman Alyssa McBean notched 18 digs and four aces, team-highs in both categories. Junior Sophie Cain and senior Sam Bickley both hit double digits in assists with 27 and 18, respectively. Senior Sarah Missroon led the team in blocks with a total of seven.
App State led the Chants in blocks, 13-10. As a team, the Mountaineers tallied 58 digs, 50 kills, 46 assists, and six aces on the night.
The Black and Gold came out strong in the first set, building off of a kill from junior Meghan Dombrowski and an ace from McBean. With App State leading 11-5, the Chants tried to catch up with a 4-0 scoring run, but the Mountaineers answered with a 4-0 run of their own to extend their lead to 16-10. The Mountaineers went on two three-point runs that included blocks from Dombrowski/Winterhoff and Winterhoff/Denny as well as kills from junior Madison Baldridge and Winterhoff. After kills from Ambrose and Missroon to push the score to 24-15, Ambrose secured the set in favor of the Mountaineers, 25-16.
Coastal Carolina came out strong in the second set with a 3-0 lead before App State got on the board, mirroring their first points of the first set with a kill from Dombrowski and an ace from McBean. The Chants extended their lead to 18-11 after a four-point scoring run. In response, App State went on a 6-0 run that included kills from Winterhoff and Denny as well as a block from Winterhoff/Baldridge, to come within one of the Chants, 18-17. Tied at 20, CCU posted three consecutive points to create enough of a deficit the Mountaineers couldn’t catch up to and took the second set, 25-21.
After two CCU errors to start the third set, Coastal Carolina went on two 4-0 runs to lead 8-4. The Mountaineers went on a 4-0 run of their own to cut the Chants’ lead to 13-9. App State managed to tie things up at 18 all after back-to-back kills from Ambrose and an ace from Winterhoff, but it wasn’t enough, as Coastal Carolina went on a late 4-0 run to take the third set, 25-20.
Entering the fourth set, App State posted an early 6-2 lead before the Chants caught up, tying things at 7-7. Going point-for-point, the Mountaineers managed to break away and post four consecutive points that included kills from Denny, Bickley, and an ace from McBean, to lead 14-11. Tying things up at 18 all with a kill from Winterhoff, the Mountaineers took the lead with a block from Ambrose and Missroon followed by a kill from Ambrose, to push the score to 20-18 in favor of the Mountaineers. App State and CCU went point-for-point again and tied at 23-23 before Denny posted back-to-back kills to take the set 25-23 and push for a fifth-set tie-break.
CCU posted the first point of the fifth set, which the Mountaineers answered with a block from Dombrowski and Missroon. Tied at 3-3, the Chants went on a four-point run to take a 7-3 lead. Down 9-6, App State managed to come within two after a kill from Ambrose before the Chants posted five unanswered points, taking a 14-7 lead. Denny managed to get in one final kill before CCU took the final set, 15-8, and the match, 3-2.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will travel to Atlanta, Ga. to challenge Georgia State to a pair of matches on Oct. 6 and 7. Thursday’s match is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN+. Friday’s match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — After three weeks of ‘miracle’ performances, App Nation might be forgiven in thinking their team walked on football water, that waltzing to another Sun Belt Conference championship was predetermined for the 2022 college football season.
Then along comes James Madison, the gridiron artist formerly known as FCS contender, to throw a monkey wrench in the wheels of App State’s parade train, 32-28, in front of 33,248 — and at Kidd Brewer Stadium, no less. After falling behind, 28-3, JMU scored 29 unanswered points, winning on every side of the ball.
Dalton Stroman (22) gets valuable yards after the catch and breaks tackles as he enters the end zone on Sept. 24 vs. James Madison at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Photo by David Rogers
As introductions to FBS-level football in a first Sun Belt Conference game goes, it doesn’t get much better for JMU than taking down, even embarrassing one of the league’s powers on their home turf.
And yet, as porous as the Mountaineer defense was in the second half, they gave App State’s offense a chance to win the game with just over two minutes to go.
After Centeio hit wide receiver Terrance Greene, Jr. for a 36-yard TD pass early in the 4th quarter and then made good on a 2-point conversion that pulled the Dukes to within a field goal deficit, 28-25, the Mountaineer faithful hoped for one of App State’s patented, time-consuming offensive drives that put the game out of reach with a TD.
Those hopes were dashed when, on the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Chase Brice’s pass intended for wide receiver Dashaun Davis was intercepted by JMU defensive back Jailin Walker and returned 22 yards to the Mountaineers’ 9-yard line. Two plays later, the Dukes’ redshirt freshman running back Kaelon Black punched the ball across the goal line for a TD and suddenly the Dukes had a 32-28 lead.
Michael Hetzel fights for extra yards after catching a Chase Brice pass vs. James Madison on Sept. 24. Photo by David Rogers
Upon receiving the kickoff, the Mountaineer offense sputtered, giving the ball back to JMU after a three-and-out, with 9:13 left in the game. With the ball again, JMU orchestrated a 15-play drive that took over 7 minutes off the play clock, getting the ball all the way down to the App State 9-yard line before the Mountaineer defense stopped the Dukes on 4th-and-1 to give the offense one more chance to pull out a win with another miracle finish. Could the Mountaineers’ “O” summon up enough of Weeks 1,2, and 3 to pull off another improbable win?
The drive started promising enough, Brice completing a 23-yard pass to last week’s hero, wide receiver Christan Horn. Then, with short pass completions to WR Kaedin Robinson and TE Henry Pearson, Brice manufactured another first down to near midfield, at the App State 41-yardline.
But that is where the drive stalled, with under a minute left in the game. Two incomplete passes, a Brice scramble under pressure that only netted a yard, then another incomplete pass on fourth down, and the ball was turned over to James Madison, Centeio & Co. to simply kneel down and run out the clock. The end wasn’t quite that clear cut. It remains a bit of a mystery that 42 seconds were put back on the clock with the Dukes facing 4th down, but dealing with it was only a formality. They let the play clock run down to zero and the game clock to two seconds, on 4th down. Centeio took the snap, ran backwards for a little more than two seconds, then slid to the ground, game over with time expired.
App State QB Chase Brice uncorks a pass downfield on Sept. 24 against James Madison at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Photo by David Rogers
What went wrong for the Mountaineers?
Appalachian State has a highly touted room of running backs performing behind a mostly veteran offensive line. They have put points on the board, controlled possession, deprived their opponents of opportunities by taking time off the clock… Camerun Peoples and Nate Noel have both run for 1,000 yards in the same season, Peoples leading the Sun Belt in TD runs and just two seasons removed from a record-setting performance in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Daetrich Harrington is an inspiring performer after an injury plagued college career. A third year sophomore transfer from Wake Forest, Ahmani Marshall shows promise after rushing for 2,204 yards and 30 TDs at East Forsyth, including back-to-back 4A state championships in 2018 and 2019. Former high school quarterback Anderson Castle, is now big, powerful, and sure-handed as both ball carrier and receiver.
James Madison’s Dukes were not intimidated. They held the Mountaineers to just 57 yards rushing in the first half, allowing only six more net yards in the second half. In short, they proved that limiting Middle Tennessee State and Norfolk State to just 21 net yards in the Dukes’ first two games was not a fluke.
Mountaineer WR Dashaun Davis gets loose for a big gain on Sept. 24 against James Madison. Photo by David Rogers
“This was a disappointing loss and a tough one to swallow,” said App State head coach Shawn Clark after the game. “The defense gave us a chance to win by forcing two turnovers and a turnover on downs we scored three touchdowns. Offense did not move the ball at all. We rushed the ball for 63 yards and that is embarrassing. Congratulations to James Madison but we did not do our jobs in all three phases. We can’t let this one loss turn into two. We have a tough opponent next week in The Citadel, but (today) I am very disappointed, very embarrassed. We have to come back, regroup, and get ready to go.”
Speaking to the defensive performance of the Dukes, Clark said, “It is a high pressure defense. They blitz 54 percent of the time. We knew that… They are always going to bring one more down into the box and we knew that. When that happens, you run to the outside. And (passing) we have to make sure we are running the right depth of routes and catch the football. It wasn’t one person or one group. It goes back to being a team game. All three phases need to improve. We have to get that squared away and squared away fast. We are in a tough conference and played against a tough divisional opponent.
“We have to play better and that starts with me. Execution, we have to get that squared away. This one loss is not going to define the season. We have a lot of football left in front of us, but we can’t let one loss turn into two,” Clark added.
The Mountaineers (2-2 overall, 1-1 in Sun Belt) host The Citadel (1-2, 1-1 SoCon) on Oct. 1, with a 3:30 scheduled kickoff.
Special Report from App State Sports. NEW ORLEANS, La. — Freshman Ethan Lipham earned his second career Sun Belt Cross Country Men’s Runner of the Week honor on Wednesday.
Lipham clocked a personal best 8K time of 25:19.13 to garner gold at the Firetower Project Run (Sept. 16), leading the Mountaineer men’s squad to a first-place team finish with a score of 20. His time was a 30-second improvement from his season debut on Sept. 2.
The Largo, Fla. native was tabbed the season’s first Men’s Runner of the Week honoree on Sept. 7 after posting a ninth-place finish and 8K time of 25:49.43 in his collegiate debut at the Covered Bridge Open (Sept. 2). His finish helped the Mountaineers to a second-place team finish with 69 points.
The Mountaineers will be back in action on Oct. 1 at the Live In Lou Cross Country Classic in Louisville, Ky.
Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. – Despite playing with 10 players for the final 41 minutes of regulation, the Mountaineers were able to strike for the only goal of the match, and defeated ULM, 1-0, to open Sun Belt play.
Freshman defender Shannon Studer scored that decisive goal for the Mountaineers, with a right-footed strike in the 64th minute, curling the ball from the far side of the 18-yard box into the top of the near corner of the net. Izzy Lusardi picked up her first assist on the play.
App State (2-3-4, 1-0-0) was able to overcome playing down a player, as midfielder Katie Fuller was whistled for two yellow cards in the match, with the second coming just over three minutes into the second half.
Goalkeeper Kerry Eagleston recorded her 16th career shutout and fourth of the season. She also registered her 300th career save in the opening half to become just the fourth player in program history to reach that milestone. Eagleston finished the match with nine saves, highlighted by a diving effort with 12 minutes to play to maintain App State’s one-goal lead.
Offensively, the Mountaineers finished with a season-high 19 shots and a season-best 13 shots on goal, led by Stephanie Barbosa who fired all three of her shots on target. Studer, Breckyn Monteith, and Izzi Wood added three shots on goal apiece.
App State opens conference play 1-0 for the first time since 2018 when they outlasted Troy on the road, 3-2, in double overtime.
The Mountaineers close out their three-match homestand by facing Coastal Carolina at 6 p.m. on Thursday for their Pack the Mack game. Fans 8th grade and younger can participate in a penalty kick shootout on the field following the game. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — College football games are comprised of 3,600 seconds’ playing time. In defeating Troy, 32-28, at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Sept. 17, Appalachian State used — and needed — every tick of the game clock.
The 53-yard “Hail Mary” pass from QB Chase Brice, tipped back by WR Dalton Stroman and fielded by WR Christan Horn as he scooted around the mass of humanity gathered at the 5-yard line was just what the playbook called for. And the improbable TD was only made possible by a key block from WR Kaedin Robinson as Horn sprinted around the right side into the end zone — and Brice’s deft maneuvering out of the pocket and into position to throw the bomb at the start of the play. In short, everything came together for the Mountaineers’ latest miracle finish.
Troy had good pass protection for most of the game on Sept. 17 at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Photo by David Rogers
Just the Latest Miracle
The most recent Mountaineer win was improbable, at best. It was magical. It was a fitting completion to what has arguably been the most exciting three weeks for one team in college football history. Call them the Cardiac Kids, if you will. The only question remaining: what could possibly be next for the 2022 football edition of the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
In Week 1, App State rallied from a 20-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to almost win a 63-61 offensive shootout against North Carolina. That game saw three TDs scored in the last 31 seconds. And that is just the start for explaining all the highs and lows in between the crossing of goal lines.
App State’s Tyler Bird sacks Troy QB Gunnar Watson in the first half, Sept. 17. Photo by David Rogers
In Week 2, App State dominated No. 6 ranked Texas A&M in carving out a 17-14 win, controlling offensive possession 41.5 minutes (2,490 seconds) and leaving just 18.5 minutes (1,110 seconds) for the Aggies. It may not have been the “prettiest” football, but it was a beautiful result for the AppNation faithful.
Week 2 had resounding implications, including a decision by ESPN to flip their College Gameday show scheduled for College Station, to Boone. As Mountaineer head coach Shawn Clark suggested in his post-game press conference, there isn’t enough money in all the North Carolina university system to pay for the Appalachian State, Boone and High Country brand promotional benefits garnered from ESPN Gameday coming to town.
App State running back Daetrich Harrington (4) sprints to a sizable gain in the second half vs. Troy. Photo by David Rogers
So then we have Week 3, even with all the weeklong distractions of what can only be described as a media invasion. It started promising enough for 34,406 mostly Mountaineer fans cramming the grandstands and on the grassy knoll below the scoreboard. Troy received the opening kickoff and on the first play from scrimmage, junior QB Gunnar Watson, a fifth year Troy veteran, slightly overthrew his downfield receiver, the ball snatched out of the air by App State senior defensive back Dexter Lawson, Jr. for his first career INT.
On App State’s third play from scrimmage, Brice handed off to WR Dashaun Davis, who lofted a pass to wide open Christian Wells in the right flat of the end zone for the game’s first score. The well-designed play had the Troy defensive backs coming forward in anticipation of a Davis run around the right side, leaving Wells in the end zone with nary a Trojan soul within 15 yards of him.
The turnover and quick score to capitalize on it had Kidd Brewer rockin’ with thoughts of a blowout win by the Mountaineers. Hardly a minute was gone off the game clock and App State already had a 7-0 lead.
App State QB Chase Brice passes against Troy on Sept. 17. Photo by David Rogers
First year Troy head coach Jon Sumrall, his assistant coaches, and the Trojan players had other ideas. They responded with a 13-play, 75-yard offensive possession reminiscent of what the Mountaineers did to the Aggies a week ago in College Station. The Trojans’ drive kept App State’s offense off the field for one second shy of 7 minutes. Although the Mountaineers’ Tyler Bird sacked Watson on the second play of the drive, the Troy QB recovered to methodically engineer a “move the chains” possession that knotted the score, 7-7.
The Trojan defense gave up a first down on App State’s next possession when running back Camerun Peoples gained 14 yards on the first play, but that was all the Mountaineers could muster, offensively, before having to punt.
Troy and the Mountaineers exchanged punts entering the second quarter, then Troy scored again on an 8-play, 81 yard drive that put the visitors ahead 14-7.
Camerun Peoples escapes a Troy tackler in the first half of App State’ electric, 32-28 win on Sept. 17. Photo by David Rogers
Local Mountaineer fans got to celebrate at the end of App State’s more than 7-minute drive that covered 75 yards in 14 plays, ending with Watauga High School alum Anderson Castle powering through three Troy defenders into the end zone, tying the game at 14-14 with just 1:22 left on the clock before halftime. Lining up in a two-back set, Castle slipped through the middle of the line of scrimmage and turned to receive Brice’s pass just inside the five yard line, then broke through the Trojan defenders for the TD. Castle, the former Pioneer QB, was converted to running back by the coaching staff his freshman year after being recruited to App State as a defensive back and outside linebacker. Now, as a junior, he has become a key role player in the running back room, with special scripted plays designed to take advantage of his size, speed and athleticism. Against North Carolina, we saw him in the wishbone formation to get a first down.
With only 1:22 remaining in the half, Watson didn’t have time to waste before halftime and engineered a fast-moving, 12-play drive that covered 75 yards before the QB pushed over the goal line from one-yard out as time expired in the opening half of play.
Troy’s Gunnar Watson gets a throw off under pressure from Mountaineer LB Kesean Brown on Sept. 17. Photo by David Rogers
Halftime Concern?
With the Trojans taking a 21-14 lead at intermission, the concern for the fate of App State was palpable. The Mountaineers tied the game at 21-21 early in the second half with a 19-yard run by senior Daetrich Harrington and followed that up by settling for a 23-yard Michael Hughes field goal to take a nervous, 24-21 lead.
Minutes later, Troy responded with another ball-controlling offensive possession by going 79 yards in 12 plays, taking 5:14 off the clock and taking a 28-24 lead when running back Kimani Vidal punched over left tackle from one yard out for the go-ahead score.
Taking over possession with 10:10 to go in the game, App State methodically marched downfield 73 yards in an astonishing 17 plays to take almost 9 minutes off the play clock. They got the ball down to the 2-yard line, but on 4th down could not get the ball into the end zone. With only 1:44 left, they had to go for the TD because a field goal would leave them with still a 1-point deficit.
So, with 98 yards in front of them, Troy took possession at the 2-yard line. They needed to burn as much time off the clock as possible to ensure victory and with only 1:13 left the Trojans knew that App State’s two timeouts would leave time on the clock and used as much of the play clock as possible.
Had Troy managed a first down, they would have been able to run down the clock and claim victory in this first Sun Belt league encounter in 2022. But in three plays, they were only able to get the ball out to their own 11, one yard short of that needed first down. On 4th-and-one with 25 seconds on the clock, the Trojans lined up as if to go for the needed first down, but surprised everyone when Watson took the snap and immediately sprinted backwards, into the end zone. The play took 10 seconds off the clock and resulted in a safety, shrinking the Trojan lead to 28-26 and punting the ball to the Mountaineers.
Troy’s Zach Long did his part, punting 46 yards to the App State 34 where it was fielded by Ahmani Marshall and returned 13 yards to the Mountaineers’ 47. And that is where Brice & Co., took over, the initial objective he told reporters later to get downfield and get within field goal range for placekicker Hughes. After three incomplete passes, there was only one option on 4th-and-10 and only 2 seconds left on the clock.
With good protection from the Mountaineer offensive line, QB Chase Brice (7) spots a receiver downfield on Sept. 17 against Troy at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Photo by David Rogers
Repeated perfect execution in practice (sometimes) results in perfect execution come game time. Head coach Clark and wide receiver Horn acknowledged in the post-game presser that they have practiced the ‘Hail Mary’ situational play time after time in practice. Without doubt, practice made perfect on this day.
In his press conference, Brice told reporters that more than any other team he has been associated with, the Mountaineers rehearse situational opportunities like the Hail Mary in practice.
“In the last three weeks,” said Brice, “I think we have had to use 95 percent of those situational plays.”
Next up for the Mountaineers is another game at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Sept. 24 against former FCS rival James Madison, now a new member of the Sun Belt Conference after choosing to make a quick transition to the FBS level during the latest round of conference realignment. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
The Dukes arrive in the High Country with a 2-0 record, including big wins over Middle Tennessee (44-7) and Norfolk State (63-7).
Troy (1-2 overall and 0-1 in SBC) returns home for an evening matchup against Marshall on Sept. 24.
