By Peyton Ash. BOONE, N.C. — A slow-start reminiscent of a week earlier at East Carolina, the Appalachian State Mountaineers sparred with the South Alabama Jaguars on Sept. 19, trading blows for Sun Belt Conference supremacy – but not landing anything and certainly not forging a come-from-behind win. USA prevailed, 48-14.
In front of another sellout crowd at Kidd Brewer Stadium, the Jaguars wasted no time in finding the end zone. Quarterback Gio Lopez torched the Mountaineers for a 50-yard run, then a play-action pass from Lopez to tight end DJ Thomas-Jones gave South Alabama an early lead, 7-0, (after the Laith Marjan PAT kick).
The Mountaineers’ first offensive possession could not hold up against an unrelenting Jaguar defense, forcing a punt back toward what proved to be an explosive South Alabama offense. Driving down the field, the Jaguars again wasted no time finding the end zone as running back Fluff Bothwell ran it in for a 22-yard touchdown.
You can’t sugarcoat it. That was an old-fashioned butt whooping.
“We have to make plays,” said head coach Clark. “ Go out and set the tone of the game… We have to make plays and that falls directly on the coaches.”
Forced to punt again, the Mountaineers found themselves down, 14-0, with 3:16 left in the first quarter. From inside the 10-yard line, the Jaguars put together a well-executed run game before a monster hit on USA quarterback Gio Lopez by Santana Hopper, forced a fumble that was recovered by App State’s Shawn Collins.
The Mountaineer optimism slowly faded as the South Alabama defense forced another punt. Punter Conner Maynard put the ball within the ten-yard line once again, providing a measure of Mountaineer hope for a defensive stop.
With 5:30 remaining in the first half, Lopez brushed off a handful of App State defenders, found an open lane down the Mountaineer hash and sprinted into the endzone from 31 yards out.
Upon getting the ball back, a promising Mountaineer march down to the South Alabama seven-yard line was abruptly halted when App State quarterback Joey Aguilar threw a critical interception, the Jaguars’ cornerback Jordan Scruggs stepping in front of the receiver and cracking a 96-yard INT return. App State wide receiver Christan Horn stopped Scruggs short of the goal line, but was flagged for a horse collar tackle that put the ball at the Mountaineer 2-yard line. A play later, it was punched into the end zone by South Alabama running back Kentrel Bullock.
The home field energy advantage had dissipated at Kidd Brewer by this point, but returned at least momentarily when App State QB Joey Aguilar launched a 47-yard miracle pass downfield to Dalton Stroman for a Mountaineer touchdown, as time struck zero before halftime. The fog-ridden score of 28-7 wrapped up a South Alabama offensive masterclass for the first half.
Punt-after-punt for App State to begin the second half resulted in another pair of Jaguar touchdowns. One came on a cleanly executed “wheel route” caught by wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett in the front corner of the endzone. The second came from the efforts of running back Fluff Bothwell who ran 14 yards behind his tackles and through the Mountaineer defense for the TD.
A high snap from App State center Jack Hollifield resulted in a costly turnover, but this time the Jaguars could not capitalize. The score going into the fourth quarter remained at 41-7.
Running down the clock throughout each possession, the Jaguars’ smothering offense drove down the field and punched in another touchdown, this time by running back Iverson Celestine, who ran it in untouched from 16 yards out.
In the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, Mountaineer running back Maquel Haywood got into the end zone, resulting in a final score of 48-14, South Alabama.
“You can’t sugar-coat it. That was an old-fashioned butt whooping,” Clark said, addressing reporters after the loss.
The Mountaineers are set to face Liberty University (3-0) for another home game on Sept. 28. Prepping for the undefeated Flames includes taking time for players to heal, Clark said..
“We have to get healthy, we’re banged up a little bit right now but that’s not an excuse,” Clark said. “We have enough players to go out there and be competitive and win football games.”
