Following another devastating fourth-quarter loss Saturday night against Old Dominion, the Mountaineers will turn their attention towards their homecoming game against Southern Miss.
“We look forward to getting back on the field at home in front of our fans versus Southern Miss this weekend,” said head coach Shawn Clark. “Our players are hurting after another close loss to Old Dominion. We put that to bed yesterday, and our players are 100% committed to preparing for Southern Miss this weekend.”
Saturday’s game will be App State’s first conference matchup with the Golden Eagles since their entry into the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 2022 season. It is not the first time the two teams have met, as the Mountaineers lost a tight 21-20 contest in Hattiesburg in 2014.
Following the loss to ODU, App State sits at 1-2 in conference play, tied for sixth in the east division alongside Marshall. With undefeated James Madison’s postseason ineligibility, the Mountaineers sit two games behind Georgia State and Old Dominion in the race for the division title.
Additionally, the Black and Gold need three victories in their last five games to qualify for a bowl game, meaning there are still several targets for the team to work toward in the remainder of the season.
“We’re not satisfied with where we are,” Clark said. “In our team meeting, our players were locked in and wanted to improve. We lost four close games that came down to one possession, and we have to find a way to win those games. We have the right people in this building, the right people on the team right now to give us a chance to win on Saturday.”
The Mountaineers were not able to rely on junior running back Nate Noel in the ODU game due to an ankle injury. While redshirt freshman running back Kanye Roberts put forth a strong 109-yard performance in the substitute role, Clark believes Noel will return to the field Saturday.
“He dressed, he wanted to go, but we felt like his ankle wasn’t 100%,” Clark said. “We evaluated him again yesterday and he is improving. We expect him to be in practice on Tuesday, and to be playing on Saturday.”
Junior quarterback Joey Aguilar continued his first season with the Mountaineers with a 22-for-31 performance against Old Dominion, putting up 270 total yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Aguilar struggled with turning the ball over through the first half of the season, but improvements have been made as Saturday was his second straight game without an interception.
Southern Miss has struggled through their second season in the Sun Belt, with their lone victory coming Sept. 2 against Alcorn State. Conference losses to Arkansas State, Texas State, Old Dominion and South Alabama have put the team at the bottom of the SBC West, along with ULM at 0-4. In their Oct. 17 contest, the Golden Eagles suffered a nationally-televised 55-3 blowout loss to the South Alabama Jaguars, and will enter The Rock looking to rebound.
Quarterback Billy Wiles is in the midst of his first season with Southern Miss after transferring from Clemson. Through seven games, Wiles has averaged 180 passing yards per game, along with eight total touchdowns and a 53% completion percentage.
Kickoff at Kidd-Brewer Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and the game can be live streamed on ESPN+.
