Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Missteps, figurative or literal, can serve as a painful reminder within App State’s football program.
The hallway floors in Kidd Brewer Stadium’s north end zone facility have contained small, wooden mousetraps this week. The Mountaineers have been riding high after a win at No. 6 Texas A&M, with that result triggering a trip to the High Country from ESPN’s College GameDay show, but App State’s pursuit of a Sun Belt Conference title hinges on quickly turning its attention to the upcoming league opener against Troy.
College GameDay wraps up on Sanford Mall at noon, and kickoff for the ESPN+ game between the Mountaineers and Trojans is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
The message from head coach Shawn Clark has been clear since App State returned home — many hours later than expected due to a flat tire on the airplane — from its attention-grabbing outcome.
“When you do well, it’s human nature to think you’ve arrived, but don’t take the cheese,” Clark said. “Be careful out there when people want to tell you how good you are. This is a friendly reminder to be locked in.”
App State (1-1) has won four straight games against Troy (1-1) and seven straight Sun Belt openers. In the last 100 games overall, dating back to their 2014 FBS debut, the Mountaineers are 80-20.
It’s a no-brainer that ESPN guest picker and country music star Luke Combs will pick his alma mater to win. When ESPN’s Lee Corso puts on the headgear of a Sun Belt mascot to close Saturday’s pregame festivities, it will be the 66th different school headgear he has worn since the show’s inception in 1993.
Across campus, the Mountaineers will be in game mode.
Troy has a new head coach in former Kentucky co-defensive coordinator Jon Sumrall, who has joined familiar names such as Carlton Martial, Kimani Vidal and Gunnar Watson. The Trojans opened the season with a 28-10 loss at Ole Miss and a 38-17 win against Alabama A&M.
A sixth-year senior linebacker, Martial has 457 career tackles and needs just three more to become the Sun Belt’s all-time leader. He’s made 52 stops against App State in his career.
Martial leads a defense that limited the Rebels to 167 passing yards, and Troy has intercepted multiple passes in a game 28 times since the start of the 2016 season. That total ranks second nationally to App State’s 29 instances.
“They’re very aggressive on defense,” Clark said. “They’re a 3-4 defense that’s very similar with what we do, and there’s some connections there with coach Eric McDaniel, who I coached at Purdue and brought to App State (in 2016) and is their defensive line coach. Shiel Woods, who was at Wofford with Nate Woody, he’s there as their defensive coordinator.”
The Mountaineers are still seeking their first interception of 2022, but cornerback Dexter Lawson Jr. came up with a huge play by forcing a fumble that teammate Nick Hampton recovered during the win at Texas A&M. Strong safety Nick Ross delivered a key stop behind the line of scrimmage on a third-down screen pass en route to making a team-best seven tackles, and the Mountaineers scored touchdowns after both of their forced turnovers.
App State’s defense will face a Troy offense with Watson in his third year as a starting quarterback and Vidal in his third year as a feature back. Vidal has rushed for 1,303 yards in 22 career games, and Watson has thrown for 626 yards through two games in 2022, including 351 with four touchdowns in the win against Alabama A&M.
“The quarterback is outstanding,” Clark said. “He has a 70-percent completion rate, and their receivers do not drop footballs. They have a very good offensive line, and they’re very aggressive on special teams.”
A key to App State’s success in College Station was complementary football. After scoring 40 fourth-quarter points in a 63-61 loss to North Carolina, the Mountaineers used a methodical, clock-consuming offense and stingy defense to shut down the Aggies, who managed one offensive touchdown.
With the likes of Cooper Hodges, Anderson Hardy, Isaiah Helms, Bucky Williams, Damion Daley and Troy Everett up front, App State’s offensive line has an average height of 6-foot-4 and weight of 292 pounds, and the Mountaineers have run well while also protecting quarterback Chase Brice against bigger defensive lines with highly recruited prospects.
Grinding out tough yards at Texas A&M, App State went 9-for-20 on third down and 3-for-5 on fourth down while finishing with big advantages in plays run (82 to 38) and possession time (41:29 to 18:31).
That kind of mistake-free ball control could be important against a Troy defense that has recorded four sacks and forced five turnovers through two games.
“You watch the tape, they get better and better as you watch them,” Clark said. “As the season goes on, they’re going to be a very good football team, so we have our work cut out for us. We have to be very sound and execute on Saturday to have a chance to win.”
BOONE, N.C. Freshman Ethan Lipham clinched first in the men’s 8K and led the App State men’s cross country team to a first place finish with 20 points at the Firetower Project Run on Friday. Five Mountaineer men landed in the top-10. The women’s squad secured second in the team standings with a score of 71 and four runners finished in the top-20.
Photo by David Rogers
Garnering gold in the men’s race, Lipham clocked a personal-best 8K time of 25:19.13. Following close behind was junior Oliver Wilson-Cook, who secured silver with a time of 25:24.45. Junior Dwayne Lillie took fourth (25:37.51), and sophomores Calbert Guest and Chase Burrell placed sixtr.h (25:46.47) and seventh (25:47.14), respectively.
Molly Jones of Coastal Carolina captured the collegiate women’s title in the Firetower Project cross country race on Sept. 16. Photo by David Rogers
TOP 10 MEN’S RESULTS, INDIVIDUAL
Ethan Lipham, App State (Fr.), 25:19.13
Oliver Wilson-Cook, App State (Jr.), 25:24.45
Maddon Muhammad, Charlotte (Fr.), 25:32.30
Dwayne Lillie, App State (Jr.), 25:37.51
Austin Mathews, East Carolina (Soph.), 25:40.82
h.Calbert Gues, App State (Soph.), 25:46.47
Chase Burrell, App State (Soph.), 25:47.14
Daniel Vo, Charlotte (Jr.), 25:50.33
Bryce Anderson, Charlotte (Fr.), 25:51.03
Chase Osborne, East Carolina (Jr.), 25:55.21
MEN’S TEAM RESULTS
Appalachian State (20)
Charlotte (50)
East Carolina (73)
Montreat (104)
UNC Greensboro (129)
USC-Upstate (172)
Charleston (232)
Bob Jones (265)
King (266)
Coastal Carolina (272)
The App State men’s harriers dominated the collegiate men’s division of the Firetower Project on Sept. 16. Photo by David Rogers
Women’s Race
In the women’s race, sophomore Linnea Maynard was the first Mountaineer to cross the finish line, clocking a personal best 5K time of 17:58.58 to place eighth. Fellow sophomore Karsyn Kane was next across the line, stopping the clock at 18:18.45 to place 13th. Senior Lila Peters followed close behind, placing 14th with a time of 18:19.72. Sophomore Annie Amundsen rounded out the top-20 for the Mountaineers, placing 17th overall (18:28.47, PR).
TOP 10 WOMEN’S RESULTS, INDIVIDUAL
Molly Jones, Coastal Carolina (Jr.), 17:26.82
Alina Rovnak, Charlotte (Jr.), 17:42.79
Lauren Johnston, Charlotte (Soph.), 17:42.87
Jessie Connick, Charlotte Soph.), 17:54.15
Alyssa Zack, East Carolina (Jr.), 17:57.27
Emma Fredericks, Charlotte (Soph.), 17:57.92
Jade Martin, Charlotte (Jr.), 17:58.43
Linnea Maynard, App State (Soph.), 17:58.58
Jenna Newman, Charlotte (Jr.), 18:00.27
Sophia Brown, Charleston (Soph.), 18:00.63
WOMEN’S TEAM RESULTS
Charlotte (22)
Appalachian State (71)
Charleston (115)
Coastal Carolina (130)
Montreat (145)
East Carolina (150)
UNC Greensboro (170)
King (184)
USC Upstate (247)
Bob Jones (274)
The Mountaineers will head to Louisville, Ky. for the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic on Oct. 1.
Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Junior forward Izzi Wood scored twice in the opening half for the Mountaineers, but Radford responded with a pair of goals in the second half and App State settled for a 2-2 draw, Sept. 15, at The Valley.
Wood’s first goal came from nearly 30-yards out off a free kick that she curled over the Radford goalkeeper and tucked inside the far post to give App State (1-3-4) a 1-0 advantage before eight minutes had ticked off the game clock.
Less than four minutes later, Gabby Tremonti took a free kick from close to mid-field. She served a ball into the box which pin balled around, ending up on Wood’s left foot, as she quickly turned and fired it into the back of the net for her fourth goal of the year.
Radford (4-1-3) trimmed the lead iin the 53rd minute when the Highlanders drew a penalty kick, and Alexeis Kirnos was able to convert on the shot to make it 2-1.
Kirnos finished with a three-point night, adding an assist on Lilly Short’s game-tying goal in the 63rd minute. Short headed home a cross to knot the score at 2-2.
App State finished with 15 shots including six on net, Wood accounting for six shots and three on goal. Breckyn Monteith, Shannon Studer, and Emma McGibany each finished with a shot on net, and Kerry Eagleston finished her night in goal with eight saves.
App State continues its three-match homestand by opening conference play against ULM, Sunday at 11 a.m. at Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex. It’s Alumni Day, and all former Mountaineer soccer players are invited to The Valley for a pregame breakfast and will be recognized at halftime. It’s also National Cheeseburger Day, and all App State students will get free cheeseburgers, while supplies last.
Special Report. HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — As first impressions go, good luck topping this one.
Opening its fall schedule this week, App State Men’s Golf was dominant at the start and resilient at the finish in winning the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational. The Mountaineers completed the 15-team, 54-hole event with a 7-under team score of 845, giving them four shots of separation from second-place Marshall. The tourney was hosted by Guyan Golf and Country Club in Huntington, W. Va.
On Monday, in the first round under the direction of first-year head coach Alan Cress, App State set a program record for lowest team round by recording a 14-under 270, highlighted by a 6-under 65 by true freshman Herman Huus in his first collegiate round.
The work of Huus, Addison Beam, Sverrir Haraldsson, Lukas Jönsson and Colin Browning enabled App State to claim its first team title since it began the 2018 fall season with a victory over six other teams at the Wildcat Fall Invitational hosted by Villanova. A year earlier, the Mountaineers prevailed in a 16-team field at the Patriot Intercollegiate hosted by George Mason.
The Mountaineers took a 13-stroke lead into the final round and endured some struggles that dropped them several spots out of the lead before they recovered in time to regain control.
Huus tied for third place overall with a 4-under total of 209 (65-73-71), and Beam tied for seventh at 3 under (68-71-71—210). Haraldsson (70-69-74—213 for an even-par total) tied for 13th, and Jönsson tied for 25th with a 216 total. Browning opened the tournament with a 69, and App State had two young players compete as individuals.
Redshirt freshman Josh Buxbaum shot a 1-under 70 in his first official collegiate round, and true freshman Aidan Browning shot a 72 with four birdies in Round 2 before closing with a 71.
Huus’ opening-round 65, which left him tied for the lead through 18 holes, included seven birdies and one bogey. That’s tied for the second-lowest tournament round in program history, behind just the 63 that Haraldsson carded during the Bash at the Beach event in the 2022 spring.
Jönsson’s first-round 68 included an eagle, Beam had a bogey-free 68, Browning carded his 69 and Haraldsson also broke par with a 70.
In Round 2, Haraldsson and Jönsson led the team with a pair of 69s, while Browning and Beam had 71s. Remarkably, App State didn’t even need to count the score from Huus, who had the fifth-best second round in the lineup with a 73 but was still tied for fourth place overall through 36 holes.
App State resumes its schedule Monday with the River Run Collegiate at Davidson.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a day that included upset wins and nail biter losses for the Sun Belt Conference on Sept. 10, the athletic conference that defied recent national trends. Instead of broadening its geographic scope to create cross-country footprints like the SEC and Big 10, the Sun Belt opted to strengthen regional rivalries. Arguably the strongest “non-autonomous” athletic conference now, the Sun Belt registered significant football successes over the weekend. Some highlights:
Appalachian State plowed through No. 6 Texas A&M on Saturday, winning 17-14 with a coaching game plan that was executed by the players to perfection. Keeping the powerful. SEC-member Aggies’ offense off the field for all but 18 minutes and 30 seconds, the Mountaineers controlled the ball for more than 41 minutes with long drive after long drive and featured a defense that proved worthy of any Power 5 program.
Marshall surprised No. 8-ranked Notre Dame, 26-21. The Thundering Herd poached three INTs from the Fighting Irish passers while RB Khalan Laborn carried the ball 31 times for 163 yards and a TD for Marshall.
Georgia Southern was a three TD underdog going into its Saturday tilt at Nebraska, but the Eagles turned that betting line upside down with a 45-42 upset. New head coach Clay Helton, formerly the head coach at the University of Southern California, now has an unblemished, 2-0 early record in his first year leading a Sun Belt program.
Only a week after App State nearly pulled off an upset vs. Mack Brown’s North Carolina team, an ACC member, the Tar Heels escaped Atlanta with a narrow, 35-28 win over Georgia State. The Panthers’ QB, Darren Grainger, passed for 186 yards and three TDs, but Georgia State also featured a balanced attack with 235 yards rushing among five runners.
A resurgent South Alabama defeated Mid-American Conference power Central Michigan, 38-24. A week earlier, the Chippewas had scared No. 12 Oklahoma State in a 58-44 shootout loss while South Alabama dominated Nicholls, 48-7.
New Sun Belt member James Madison, moving up from the FCS level, all but destroyed Norfolk State, 63-7.
Last year’s Sun Belt champion, Louisiana, rallied to defeat Eastern Michigan, 49-21. Trailing 14-0 at halftime, the Ragin’ Cajuns outscored the Eagles in the second half, 49-7.
Another up and coming Sun Belt program, Texas State roasted Conference USA member, Florida International, 41-12. QB Layne Hatcher, a transfer to the Lonestar State from Arkansas State, riddled FIU’s secondary for 226 yards and three TDs, while the Bobcats’ rushing attack matched their aerials with 226 yards on the ground, led by RB Calvin Hill’s 195 yards on 28 carries and a TD.
Special Report. BOONE, N.C. — A top-10 road win Saturday afternoon helped facilitate more big news Saturday night.
ESPN’s College GameDay is coming to Boone.
Appearing in the High Country for the first time, the popular college football pregame show will be on campus next weekend, on Saturday, Sept. 17, for App State’s Sun Belt Conference opener against Troy. Kickoff, subject to change, is currently scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Stay tuned to appstatesports.com and App State’s social media platforms for more details on the exact location and other info.
The Mountaineers will head into their league opener fresh off a 17-14 win at No. 6 Texas A&M. It was the program’s first win against a top-10 opponent since the 34-32 victory against No. 5 Michigan in 2007, when App State was an FCS power, and that nationally televised victory followed a home opener in which Kidd Brewer Stadium had a record 40,168 fans for a high-scoring thriller between the Mountaineers and North Carolina.
Now in its eighth season at the FBS level, App State has won four Sun Belt titles and six bowl games. The Mountaineers are 80-20 in their last 100 games.
Rece Davis leads the show in his eighth season as host. He is joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and David Pollack and reporters Jen Lada, Gene Wojciechowski and newcomer Jess Sims. Senior research producer Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica and college football insider Pete Thamel round out the GameDay crew for the season.
Pat McAfee joined GameDay for the first time this past weekend in Austin, site of the Texas-Alabama game.
By David Rogers. COLLEGE STATION, Texas — With the kind of time management that would make a Swiss watchmaker proud, Appalachian State rolled into the Longhorn State and took down nationally No. 6-ranked Texas A&M, 17-14, on Sept. 10. It was the second time in the Mountaineers’ program history that they upset a “top 10” ranked team, the first coming in 2007, against then No. 5 ranked Michigan.
Saturday’s upset occurred in front of 92,664 mostly Aggie fans at Kyle Stadium. At one point in the first half, the heat index was recorded at 107 degrees Fahrenheit. During his post-game press conference, App State head coach Shawn Clark underlined the weather conditions by noting that earlier in the week the Mountaineers had practiced in 58-degree weather, back in Boone.
With an estimated 3,000 Mountaineer fans among the more than 92,000 in College Station, Texas’ Kyle Stadium, the High Country was well represented on Sept. 10 to witness App State’s 17-14 upset of No. 6 ranked Texas A&M. Photo courtesy of the Sun Belt Conference
Controlling the clock was part of the Mountaineer game plan, said Clark, and they achieved that objective by having possession of the football for 41:29, keeping A&M’s highly touted offense off the field for all but 18:31. Appalachian produced 315 yards of total offense while holding Texas A&M in check.
The Mountaineer defense, which was torched for 567 yards of total offense by North Carolina a week ago, effectively stuffed Texas A&M, limiting the Aggies to just 186 yards of total offense and forcing two turnovers.
The Mountaineers’ scoring included a 4-yard TD run by Wake Forest transfer Ahmani Marshall on the first play of the second quarter to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.
App State’s Daetrich Harrington darts through a hole in the line of scrimmage on Sept. 10, 2022, during the Mountaineers’ 17-14 upset of the No. 6 ranked Texas A&M Aggies. Photo courtesy of the Sun Belt Conference
Running back Devon Achane accounted for both of the Aggies’ touchdowns, the first coming on a 26-yard run on the drive after Marshall’s TD. Then, after Mountaineer QB Chase Brice had flipped a short pass to tight end Henry Pearson on the right side that saw the 6-3, 245-lb. senior from New Jersey run around the perimeter and sneak one foot inside the goal line pylon, Achane responded with a 95-yard kickoff return, covering the distance virtually untouched.
App State featured a balanced offensive attack on the day: 181 yards rushing by five runners, led by junior running Camerun Peoples (19 carries, 112 yards) and 134 yards passing to nine different receivers.
App State’s defense sparkled against No. 6 ranked Texas A&M on Sept. 10, 2022, like this tackle behind the line of scrimmage by defensive back Nick Ross (4) of Aggie QB Haynes King. Photo courtesy of the Sun Belt Conference
Appalachian State returns to Kidd Brewer Stadium on Sept. 17 for a first Sun Belt Conference tilt against Troy, with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. Texas A&M hopes to rebound against No. 15 Miami, at home, in a 9:00 p.m. game featured on ESPN.
COMPLETED GAMES FROM AROUND THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE (SBC teams in bold)
Appalachian State 17, No. 6 Texas A&M 14
No. 3 Ohio State 45, Arkansas State 12
Marshall 26, No. 8 Notre Dame 21
No. 15 Miami 30, Southern Miss 7
North Carolina 35, Georgia State 28
South Alabama 38, Central Michigan 24
James Madison 63, Norfolk State 7
East Carolina 39, Old Dominion 21
Coastal Carolina 31, Gardner-Webb 27
SUN BELT GAMES IN PROGRESS AT THIS WRITING:
3rd Qtr. – Eastern Michigan 14, Louisiana 0
3rd Qtr. – Troy 21. Alabama A&M 3
3rd Qtr. – Texas State 20, Florida International 6
NEW ORLEANS, La. — Appalachian State freshman Ethan Lipham was named the 2022 season’s first Sun Belt Cross Country Men’s Runner of the Week, the league announced Wednesday.
In his debut for App State, Lipham was the first Mountaineer to cross the finish line at the Covered Bridge Open (Sept. 2), recording an 8K time of 25:49.43 to finish ninth overall. The Largo, Fla. native’s time helped the Mountaineers to a second-place team finish with 69 points.
The Mountaineers will be back in action on Sept. 16, hosting the Firetower Project Run at the Don Kennedy Trails at State Farm in Boone.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The App State field hockey team (3-1) fell short for the first time this season against Drexel (1-2), in a game that ended with a 1-1 tie in regulation. The Dragons gained the upperhand in a 3-2 penalty shootout.
The Mountaineers held Drexel to just one goal in 80 minutes of play. Goalkeeper Addie Clark tallied eight saves, four of which were in the 20 minutes of two overtime periods that saw 11 combined shots between the two teams.
The senior saved two more in the opening plays of the shootout. Clark leads the Mid-American Conference with 20 saves this season. She also leads the conference in shutouts (2) and goals against average with a percentage of .361, having given up just two goals in four games.
Just after a scoreless first half, Friederike Stegen scored the first goal of Sunday’s game on a corner play that was inserted by Pauline Mangold and set by Carli Ciocco.
Stegen has scored a goal in all of App State’s games so far, leading the MAC in goals with four. Ciocco’s assist gave her five on the season, making her the conference leader in the assists category.
App State finished with 12 shots (five on goal) and seven corners. Allison Corey paced the squad with four shots, two of which were on target. Corey also had the team’s first defensive save of the season to force overtime.
The Mountaineers will return to the state of North Carolina to visit Duke on Friday at 6 p.m. Streaming options and live stats will be available at appstatesports.com.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Let it be known that Appalachian State and North Carolina were not playing basketball on this picture perfect, early autumn weekend, even if a 63-61 score in favor of the Tar Heels suggested it. No, they were playing football on Sept. 3, a brilliant Saturday afternoon — and many in attendance at Kidd Brewer Stadium left at the end believing they had just witnessed the greatest show on turf.
Even the folks who paid $700 to “scalpers” the day before arguably got their money’s worth, along with the rest of the 40,168 fans making up the record crowd. And then there were the other onlookers atop every vantage point behind the fences and walls, wishing they had gotten a ticket even for the grassy knoll below the scoreboard. Estimated to be as many as 10,000, even they got a bonus’ worth of excitement for their efforts.
That is, unless you valued defense. Sure, there were moments on the “D” side of the ball for both adversaries, but when the winning team rolls up 567 yards of total offense only to have the losing team one-up them with 664 yards, a grand total of 1,231 yards, you have to figure this game was thrill-a-minute, offensively.
Tight end Miller Gibbs dives for a fourth quarter App State TD. Photo by David Rogers
And it was. There were momentum shifts and comeback rallies aplenty, including a final 31 seconds for the ages.
App State led by 21-7 with barely 45 seconds gone in the second quarter. The Tar Heels rallied back, reeling off three consecutive TDs (along with defensive stops) to take a 28-21 lead as they were heading into the locker room at halftime (the last TD of the half came with one second on the clock). Then, in the third quarter, the visitors from Chapel Hill added another touchdown and two field goals to seemingly put the Mountaineers on their heels (to coin a phrase), 41-21, the last FG coming off the foot of placekicker Noah Burnette from 44 yards out with just 11 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
And then there was the fourth quarter. It was an entire football game unto itself — and the Mountaineers got to start with a 20-point handicap. App State scored not one, not two, not three, but SIX touchdowns in the final period alone. And the Tar Heels tallied three of their own. In fact, three TDs (two by APP and one by UNC) came in the final 31 seconds.
After the Mountaineers’ CameRUN Peoples scored on a 38-yard TD scamper around the left side and placekicker Mike Hughes was good on the PAT to tie the score at 49-49, with just four minutes remaining, many along the sidelines and in the grandstands started thinking, “overtime.”
Mountaineer running back Nate Noel escapes a tackler for a big gain in the second half. Photo by David Rogers
But in front of a re-energized, record-setting crowd, App State was smelling the proverbial “blood.” Then, on 3rd-and-9 from the Mountaineers’ 42-yard line, UNC’s redshirt freshman QB Drake Maye spotted junior running back D.J. Jones releasing into open space on the right side as the Mountaineers sent everything but the kitchen sink and two defensive backs on an all-out blitz. His wide receivers lured the two DBs toward either sideline, so Jones found nothing but daylight between him and the goal line upon catching the ball at the 36-yardline. Neither of the defensive backs could recover fast enough to catch him and the visitors were back in front, 56-49, following a successful PAT kick.
Armchair quarterbacks all over the stadium were asking themselves, “What more can the Mountaineers do?”
It turns out there was plenty in the hands of the Mountaineer QB, Chase Brice.
Taking command at his own 25, Brice & Co. ripped of chunks of gridiron real estate through the air and on the ground in a 10-play drive that was complete when the veteran QB found wide receiver Deshaun Davis for a 28-yard TD aerial, with just 31 seconds to go, pulling the Mountaineers to within a single point, 56-55. The App State braintrust faced a critical deicision: kick the PAT and likely send the game into overtime with a tie. Go for the 2-point conversion, and probably win if successful.
“At Appalachian State, we come here to win football games,” said an emotional App State head coach Shawn Clark when asked about the decision to go for the first 2-point conversion with 31 seconds remaining, an attempt that was ultimately unsuccessful.
“We aren’t playing for ties,” added Clark. “We aren’t playing for overtime. When we were down 14, I said we were going to score, get the ball back, score again, and go for two… It was a great play call. You can say it was a bad throw or it’s a bad catch, but it is on the head coach for going for two. I made my mind up early that we were going for two, for the win. You don’t go for second place at Appalachian State.”
Ironically, that decision was far from the end of it, even with only 31 seconds remaining in regulation. As anticipated by just about everyone in the stadium, the Mountaineers attempted to quickly get the ball back with an onside kick. Had Chapel Hill smothered it, the Tar Heels could have simply run out the clock and secure a 56-55 victory.
Wide receiver Kaedin Robinson hauls in the late TD pass that pulled the Mountaineers to within two points, 63-61. Unfortunately for App State, the 2-point conversion attempt to tie with 9 seconds left in the game was stopped just inches short. Photo by David Rogers
It may seem incongruous, but if App State’s onside kick was going to be unsuccessful in recovering possession of the football, the next best outcome was what happened: UNC’s sophomore tight end Bryson Nesbit fielded the ball cleanly along the sideline, taking it in stride and sprinting untouched for another Tar Heel TD. But that gave the ball back to App State with just under 28 seconds remaining on the clock. An unsportsmanlike penalty against UNC put their kickoff back at the 20-yard-line instead of the 35, making a return attempt all the more probable.
APP’s kick return specialist, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Milan Tucker did his job, with a 47-yard return that put the ball past midfield, on the UNC48, and that was where the Mountaineer offense took over for a desperation drive with just 19 seconds left on the clock.
No problem, said the Mountaineers’ veteran QB, Brice. On consecutive no-huddle plays from the shotgun formation, Brice hit a big, speedy target: 6-2, 210 lb., Asheville native and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Kaedin Robinson for a 22-yard gain, then again for the remaining 26 yards across the middle for yet another fourth quarter TD. It pulled the Mountaineers to within two points, 63-61, so with only 9 seconds on the clock the only decision to make was to go for another 2-point conversion, for the tie. Brice faked a handoff to Peoples, sprinted right and cut hard toward the goal line, but was stopped just inches short of the goal line by UNC junior defensemen Noah Taylor and Kalmon Rucker.
Another App State onside kick attempt this time was smothered by the Tar Heels and Maye had only to kneel down with 8 seconds remaining to preserve the visitors’ win.
App State WR Deshaun Davis grabs a pass from QB Chase Brice for a 20-yard gain in the 4th quarter of the Sept. 3 game against in-state rival, North Carolina. Photo by David Rogers
Although disappointed by the nail biter loss, Clark understood the significance of what the game meant beyond the X’s and O’s in his opening statement to the press.
“I want to say thank you to App Nation — what an incredible atmosphere we had out there today with 40,000 fans to set an all-time attendance record,” said Clark. “A great football game. A great football game. Why we don’t play these in-state football games every single year blows my mind, but I’m very proud of our football team to score 61 points and (produce) 664 yards of total offense. Our guys never quit, (even) being down 20 in the fourth quarter. We’re going to have a helluva football team. We’ll get some things fixed on defense. We have to, to give us a chance to win. Our goal was to win the opener today, but that didn’t happen. Our next goal is the Sun Belt Conference championship.
“We’ll go to Texas A&M next week. Our guys are hurt and we are disappointed, but not discouraged. The future is bright at Appalachian State.”
UNC wide receiver Gavin Blackwell shrugs off two Mountaineer defenders in the second half for a large gain. Photo by David Rogers
With the win, North Carolina is 2-0 on the young season while App State begins its 2022 campaign at 0-1. Mere inches separated these two teams from different early season records.
Key Game Notes
The App State running back room joined Brice to collectively produce 288 yards rushing on the ground against a Power 5 defensive line that Clark described as an outstanding unit, “… filled with five-star recruits.” Led by Nate Noel’s116 yards on 14 carries (2 TDs) and Peoples’ 65 yards on 13 carries (1 TD), all six RBs contributed.
Watauga native Anderson Castle, a sophomore RB, had a key role at a critical juncture in the first quarter to extend a drive that would ultimately give the Mountaineers a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. On 3rd-and-1 from the wildcat formation, the former Watauga HS quarterback gained 2 tough yards to get a first down near midfield.
The attendance of 40,168 exceeded the previous record of 35,126 when Wake Forest came to Kidd Brewer Stadium, also setting a Sun Belt Conference attendance record.
According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenburg, the Mountaineers are the first team in 15 years to score 40 points in the fourth quarter and the 62 points combined (with UNC’s) in Q4 is one shy of the FBS record.
According to a report by CBS Sports before the game, Caesars Sportsbook had the over/under for combined total points set at 56 points. BOTH teams exceeded that total, combining for a remarkable 124 points.
According to App State’s sports information team, the 124 combined points is the most in the school’s history and the first time two teams both scored 60+ points since 2019 (UCLA-Washington State).
App State’s 61 points were the most ever in a losing effort, according to the school’s sports information team.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, App State’s 61 points are tied for 6th-most in a regulation loss since 1936 (the AP poll era)
App State’s last six games against Power 5 teams have all been decided by seven points or less, including two wins (@ North Carolina and @ South Carolina in 2019) and four losses (vs. UNC, @ Miami, @ Penn State, and vs. Wake Forest)
