App State football traveled to Conway, South Carolina, to take on the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. They lost the game 38-24.
Coastal Carolina started with the ball, and the Chanticleers got right after it offensively. A 24-yard pass from Ethan Vasko to Braydon Bennett set up a 12-yard run from Bennett to open up the scoring. The Black and Gold were down by 7 points after just seven plays.
The first Mountaineer possession had promise, getting to the Coastal Carolina 4-yard line, but the drive crumbled from there. Junior quarterback Joey Aguilar was stripped by Clev Lubin and it was recovered by the Chanticleers, who ran it back all the way to their 32-yard line.
The Coastal Carolina attack continued, with Bennett capping off a 68-yard drive with a 37-yard run, his second touchdown of the first quarter.
The Black and Gold failed to get going offensively on the next drive, with Aguilar throwing an interception on a deflection. It was intercepted by Courtney Eubanks and was returned for no gain.
The Chanticleers kept firing, with Vasko completing a pass to Cane Berrong for 24 yards as the first quarter expired. The possession stalled there, and Coastal Carolina settled for a 29-yard field goal.
App State finally got something going on the offensive side of the ball in their third drive of the game. Aguilar connected with junior wide receiver Makai Jackson for a gain of 39. The Mountaineers got on the board with redshirt freshman kicker Jackson Moore hitting a 38-yard field goal.
Halfway through the second quarter, App State trailed 17-3.
The Mountaineers got the ball right back, and Aguilar got the drive started with a 49-yard run on 3rd and 2. Senior running back Ahmani Marshall punched a run in on fourth-and-goal to give the Mountaineers their first touchdown of the game, cutting the lead to 7.
After another Coastal Carolina punt, App State was able to get their third 35+ yard play of the first half, with Aguilar completing a 36-yard pass to senior wide receiver Kaedin Robinson, but the Black and Gold failed to connect on a 4th and 10, and the half ended.
At halftime, Coastal Carolina led App State, 17-10. Aguilar was 5 for 14 for 116 yards and an interception. Marshall led the Mountaineers in rushing with 90 yards and a touchdown.
The Black and Gold started out the half with a three-and-out, and the Chanticleers followed it up with a 17-play, 87-yard touchdown drive that took up 8:42 of game time. Bennett ran it in for his third score of the game, a career-high for him.
On the first play of the next App State possession, Aguilar threw his second interception of the game, this time to AJ Williams, who returned it 32 yards to the one-yard line. Vasko ran it in two plays later for the Chanticleers’ fourth rushing touchdown of the game.
The Mountaineers were able to respond after the end of the third quarter with a touchdown of their own, Marshall’s second of the game capped off a 12 play, 75-yard drive to cut the lead to 14.
After a punt from the Chanticleers, App State was driving into Coastal Carolina territory, but an intentional grounding penalty and 2 sacks ended the possession.
Coastal Carolina was able to add on after a 6-yard touchdown pass from Vasko to Jameson Tucker to get the lead back to 21.
App State was also able to respond with a touchdown, with Aguilar finding Robinson for a 25-yard score for Aguilar’s first and only passing touchdown of the game.
The Mountaineers failed to recover an onside kick, and a couple of kneel-downs later the game was over.
Aguilar finished the game with 226 yards passing, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Marshall led the team in rushing yards with 124 and 2 touchdowns on 28 carries. Robinson led the team in receiving with 5 catches and 76 yards, with only four Mountaineers catching passes in the game.
“Just disappointed in the loss,” said head coach Shawn Clark said. We didn’t come here to lose, we came here to win the football game.”
App State has 16 days off and won’t play again until Nov. 23 against James Madison in Boone. The game against the Dukes last season in Harrisonburg, Virginia, was one of the most anticipated games of the season, with College GameDay being on JMU’s campus.
App State spoiled the Dukes’ undefeated season last year, and look to knock them off again, this time in the High Country. The kickoff time and streaming service for the game have yet to be announced.