By David Rogers. CONWAY, S.C. — Two half-ending rallies came up short for the Mountaineers as Appalachian State’s slim hopes for another Sun Belt Conference championship were effectively extinguished on Nov. 3, losing to Coastal Carolina, 35-28.
Down 35-14 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers made a game of it with two touchdowns in the final period and stalwart defensive stops.
Two TDs by Coastal Carolina early in the 4th quarter seemed to all but seal the Mountaineers’ fate for this trip down the mountain to the coast. On the first play of the final period, Chanticleer quarterback Grayson McCall found tight end Jacob Jenkins for an 8-yard scoring aerial, to make it 28-14 (with the PAT kick good). Mountaineer QB Chase Brice was hit as he delivered a pass and the ball came down in the arms of Coastal defender Tavyn Jackson, who returned it 54 yards before being brought down just short of the goal line. CCU running back Reese White finished things off with a 2-yard plunge up the middle, and the Chanticleers had a commanding, 35-14 lead with the clock winding down.
With 11:02 remaining, App State’s Brice finished off a 6-play, 80 yard drive with a 42 yard TD pass to Tyler Page. A Michael Hughes PAT kick tightened the score to 35-21. Then, after a 9-play drive by Coastal that got the ball to the App State 45, running back C J Beasley fumbled at the 42-yardline. The Mountaineers’ Nick Hampton recovered it and App State was back in business.
If anything, the Mountaineers’ ensuing 11-play scoring drive that was completed when Brice maneuvered through the line of scrimmage from five yards out took too much time to move the 58 yards. It only took 1:56 for the drive with a series of no-huddle plays, but with only 3:01 on the clock when CCU took over, that almost two minutes were precious.
Behind a courageous effort by the Chanticleers’ McCall, who limped on and off the field in the final quarter between big plays, Coastal was able to run the final 3:01 off the clock and keep Appalachian State at bay.
Midway through the second quarter, Brice hit redshirt freshman Dalton Stroman for a 41-yard TD pass, the 6-4 receiver out of Richmond Senior High School in Rockingham, N.C. making a highlight reel-worthy catch with one arm. That was enough to pull the Mountaineers to within one score going into intermission, but that was as close as they got.
It was only the second win for Coastal Carolina in eight games against Appalachian State, dating back to 2005 when both programs were competing at the FCS level.
The win puts Coastal Carolina (5-1 SBC, 8-1 overall) in the driver’s seat for the East Division title and a likely berth in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game on Dec. 3. With the loss, App State drops to 2-3 in Sun Belt play (6th place in the East Division standings) and 5-4 overall. Three games remain on the schedule, at Marshall on Nov. 12, vs. Old Dominion on Nov. 19, then at Georgia Southern on Nov. 26 to close out the regular season.
The announced attendance of 21,224 was one of the largest crowds to watch a Coastal Carolina football game in Brooks Stadium, according to school officials.
Game Notes (Courtesy of App States Sports):
- App State’s lead in the all-time series against Coastal Carolina dropped to 7-2, with the Chanticleers’ two wins coming in the last two contests in Conway.
- The Mountaineers have lost four regular-season games for the first time since 2017, a year they claimed a Sun Belt title and beat Toledo 34-0 in the Dollar General Bowl.
- This is the first time App State has lost three Sun Belt games in a season.
- Since the Mountaineers’ 2014 FBS debut, App State has the sixth-most wins (85) in the FBS in that span behind just Alabama (111), Clemson (107), Ohio State (101), Georgia (94) and Oklahoma (91).
- App State’s road record since transitioning to the FBS ranks in 2014 fell to 32-18. The 32 wins are tied for fourth-most among FBS teams over that span.
- Both of App State’s Sun Belt road games have featured record crowds. Coastal Carolina set its attendance record with 21,224 fans, while Texas State set a record for its largest attendance in a Sun Belt Conference game (25,613).
Offense
- Chase Brice completed 19 of 28 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 22 yards and a score on the ground. It’s the eight time in nine games that Brice has accounted for two or more touchdowns.
- Dalton Stroman caught his fourth touchdown of the year, tied for most on the team. Four of his 15 catches this season have been in the end zone.
- Tyler Page had a 42-yard touchdown on his only catch of the game. It was his second straight game with a score.
- Daetrich Harrington scored his second touchdown of the season on a 2-yard run that tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter.
- App State completed a pass to nine different receivers, the eighth time in nine games this year that the Mountaineers have had at least nine different pass catchers.
Defense
- Nick Hampton posted his seventh sack of the year. His 26.5 career sacks are fourth-most among active full-time FBS players and tied for fourth in school history with Demetrius Taylor (2017-21). Hampton also recovered a fumble for the second time this year.
- Jalen McLeod got his fifth sack of the year among career-high six total tackles and 1.5 TFLs.
- Tyler Bird led all players with a career-high 11 tackles
- Ronald Clarke recorded a career-high seven tackles.
