App State faced off with the East Tennessee State Buccaneers at Kidd Brewer Stadium to open their 2024 season, winning 38-10 in a solid first outing of the year.
The Mountaineers’ offense came out onto the field after a quick Buccaneers punt and got off to a fast start, with senior quarterback Joey Aguilar finding senior wide receiver Christan Horn for an 83-yard touchdown on their second offensive play of the season. It was the longest touchdown of both Aguilar and Horn’s careers.
Aguilar referred to redshirt senior wide receiver Kaedin Robinson as K-Rob, and Horn as C-Horn.
“Safety jumped on K-Rob, tried to take K-Rob out and left the middle field open for C-Horn so I just threw it out there and C-Horn made a play,” Aguilar said.
After forcing the Buccaneers to punt on their next drive, the Mountaineers drove down the field, settling for a 32-yard field goal by senior kicker Michael Hughes to extend their lead to 10.
After another Buccaneers punt, the Mountaineers embarked on a 13-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, punctuated by a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Aguilar.
Aguilar explained that the ETSU defense was crashing down on the running back when the Mountaineers were running the read option so he pulled the ball and danced into the endzone.
Both teams then had their offenses stall out on their next drives, with neither team able to cross into the other’s territory.
The Buccaneers managed to break off their first big play of the game with running back Devontae Houston bursting through a hole and into open space for an 80-yard touchdown.
Both the Mountaineers and Buccaneers’ offenses were halted on their last few drives to end the half, with the Black and Gold holding a 17-7 lead.
App State received the ball on the opening kickoff of the second half. They moved the ball downfield into Buccaneers territory, before senior running back Maquel Haywood was stopped in the backfield on fourth down, turning the ball back over to ETSU.
The Buccaneers then drove the ball down the field, gaining significant yardage as they went. The Mountaineer defense stiffened up inside the 10-yard line, forcing ETSU to settle for a field goal to cut the lead to 1 touchdown.
App State answered back with a nine-play 75-yard touchdown drive, scoring on fourth down with a 34-yard pass to senior tight end Eli Wilson to extend the lead to 24-10.
“We didn’t use him enough today,” said head coach Shawn Clark. “Anytime we have a big fourth down, he’s one of our first progressions as it goes on.”
The Mountaineers’ defense stifled the Buccaneers after a holding call on first down. Buccaneers quarterback Jaylen King was sacked twice, barely avoiding a safety on the second one, ending with the Buccaneers punting from their own 1-yard line.
The Mountaineers continued their momentum into the fourth quarter, with junior wide receiver Makai Jackson taking the ball on an end around and rushing for a 47-yard touchdown to give the Mountaineers a three-score lead.
ETSU started the next drive off strong, driving the ball into Mountaineer territory. However, the Mountaineers’ defense responded, forcing the Buccaneers to turn the ball over on downs.
To start the next drive, Aguilar dialed up a deep pass to Robinson, who leaped into the air and made a spectacular 47-yard catch at the ETSU 21-yard line.
The Mountaineers drove the rest of the way down the field, with Aguilar ending the drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak to extend the Black and Gold’s lead to 38-10.
The next few drives resulted in no scoring, with the Mountaineers’ backup quarterback, redshirt junior Billy Wiles, coming in for the last drive at the end of the game.
Both Aguilar and Robinson had standout games for the offense, with Aguilar accumulating 326 passing yards and two touchdown passes while Robinson caught the ball eight times for 103 yards.
“We told Joey anytime you have the football you have the program in your hands and you’re responsible for it and he handled it very well today,” Clark said.
The Mountaineers’ defense played well on the day, allowing only 10 points, sacking the opposing quarterback three times, tackling opposing ball carriers for a loss six times and only 305 yards of offense.
“On defense we played very well in the first half, all except for one play,” Clark said. “Anytime you misfit a gap and it goes to a 70-yard run, that doesn’t look good for us. That’s not what we wanted. Overall we played sound.”
The Mountaineers will travel to Clemson, South Carolina next weekend to take on the Clemson Tigers in Death Valley. The game will kickoff at 8 p.m on the ACC Network.
