App State football invited the Oregon State Beavers into Kidd Brewer Stadium for their second home game of the season and the Beavers’ first trip to Boone. After a back-and-forth game, the Mountaineers pulled off the win 27-23.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback JJ Kohl started for App State, playing his first full collegiate game.
“It was very emotional; it’s been a lot of seasons of waiting and times I have been praying to be right in this situation where I’m at,” Kohl said in a postgame press conference.
Kohl completed most of his passes in the first quarter, getting the Black and Gold down to their own end zone.
(Max Sanborn)
Freshman kicker, Dominic De Freitas, made his longest kick of the season from 49 yards, making the scoreboard shine 3-0.
Kohl ran into the end zone with six minutes left in the first quarter, leading 10-0.
The Mountaineer defense forced 3-straight incomplete passes from Beaver quarterback Maalik Murphy to get a 3 and out.
Senior running back Rashod Dubinion tallied his first touchdown of the game, charging into the end zone for a Mountaineer lead of 17-0.
After many defensive stops, Oregon State’s wide receiver David Wells Jr. ran right through the App State defense for 30 yards to put the Beavers on the scoreboard, tallying 17-7.
Within five minutes, Oregon State replicated the same play with Wells Jr. to give the Beavers another touchdown with four minutes until halftime.
Although the App State defense proved substantial in the first half, Oregon runners were finding wide-open gaps in the offensive line and pushing right through.
In the third quarter, with eight minutes left on the clock, Kohl threw a 28-yard pass right into the hands of redshirt sophomore wide receiver Davion Dozier, who was waiting in the end zone, putting the Black and Gold up 24-14.
De Freitas nailed his third field goal of the game from 45 yards, extending the lead to 27-14.
As Oregon State got possession of the ball with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Black and Gold defense knew they needed to finish their job.
A sack made by redshirt junior defensive lineman Rondo Porter seemed to silence Beaver fans with 24 seconds left in the game.
(Noah Williford)
Freshman defensive back Juan Berchal made a powerful tackle that electrified the stadium. Redshirt sophomore defensive back Zyeir Gamble caught the ball intended for the Oregon runner, and the entire sideline jumped with victory after his interception
As the last 12 seconds of the game clock ran out, students on the hill poured over the railing, covering the field in a sea of black and gold. As students cheered, App State football players were swallowed up in the celebration of their own student body.
“Today, we showed what this place is about and who these kids are,” head coach Dowell Loggains said in a postgame press conference.
Kohl ended his night with 218 passing yards, while Dozier had 140 receiving yards for the Mountaineers.
“All week, we’ve been working on our matchups. We take the matchup, and if we like it, we take it,” Dozier said postgame.
App State will travel to Atlanta, Georgia next week to play the Georgia State Panthers. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
