The App State Mountaineers football team looks to get their second conference win of the season Saturday when they take on the Old Dominion Monarchs.
The Mountaineers are coming off their first win since Sept. 14, as they took down the Georgia State Panthers last weekend 33-26.
“Great to be back at The Rock with our students and fans this past Saturday, very proud of our football team to find a way to win,” said head coach Shawn Clark.
Old Dominion is 4-4, leading the Sun Belt East Division and coming into Boone with a three-game winning streak, including a 47-19 victory over Georgia Southern.
Clark said tackling has been a priority.
“We can’t tackle up high, we have to make sure they go below the belt,” Clark said. “They can’t run if they don’t have any legs.”
The Monarchs come into this game ranked third in the Sun Belt in rushing, averaging 185.6 yards per game on the ground. Old Dominion’s offense is also averaging 26.1 points per game, which is good for ninth in the conference, just behind the Mountaineers.
This game will most likely be decided on the ground. The Mountaineers’ offense is averaging 148.3 yards per game on the ground, but they have struggled stopping the run game on defense, allowing 207.0 yards per game.
“They play like a four-safety defense. That kind of gives you problems with angles when running the football, so we’re going to be creative how we do things,” Clark said. “There won’t be a lot of explosive runs because of the way they fit their runs.”
Three Mountaineers left the game early with injuries last week, freshman cornerback Nick Taylor, redshirt junior tight end David Larkins and fifth-year redshirt junior running back Anderson Castle. Clark described all three as being probable for Saturday.
Saturday will also mark App State’s annual Heroes Day. The university will recognize veterans, military personnel and first responders during the game. Through the Seats for Soldiers program, 200 tickets have been purchased for active duty or veteran and retired military members and their families.
The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
