App State football returned home with a win over Marshall University Saturday by a score of 26-24. With the first win since Oct. 11, this victory snapped a four game losing streak.
“Couldn’t be more proud of the team, it wasn’t pretty all the time, but all three phases showed up when they needed to show up,” head coach Dowell Loggains said in the post game press conference.
Marshall started with the ball, but the Mountaineers got an early stop, highlighted by a sack from redshirt senior defensive lineman Kevin Abrams-Verwayne. The Black and Gold couldn’t do anything with the early momentum and quickly punted.
Both offenses continued their struggles in the first quarter, with another punt from the Thundering Herd. App State had the first offensive possession that crossed into opponent territory; they were able to get on the board first with a 32-yard field goal from freshman kicker Dominic De Freitas.
Marshall began driving in their next possession, but a holding penalty and an interception on a deflection from redshirt junior defensive back Emory Floyd gave the ball right back to the Mountaineers.
Faced with a fourth down in Marshall territory, Loggains decided to go for it, but the pass was incomplete.
Marshall used the turnover on downs — and the great field position — to score the first touchdown of the game on a 5-yard run from running back Jo’Shon Barbie.
App State found their rhythm offensively behind freshman running back Jaquari Lewis, who capped off a strong drive with an 18-yard rushing touchdown. Loggains opted for a trick play on the two-point conversion attempt, but it was unsuccessful. The score remained 9-7.
Marshall responded quickly with a touchdown of their own, as quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson ran it in for a 16-yard score in just four plays. App State couldn’t get going on the following drive and punted.
Del Rio-Wilson scored a touchdown on the ground for the second consecutive drive, making the score 21-9. The Mountaineers failed to match it and went three-and-out.
App State forced a punt and drove into Marshall territory, but faced yet another fourth down when Lewis took the direct snap and carried it for 20 yards. The next play, redshirt sophomore quarterback JJ Kohl completed a pass over the middle to redshirt senior tight end David Larkins for a 19-yard touchdown.
Both teams went into the locker room with Marshall leading 21-16.
The Black and Gold got the ball to start the second half, and Lewis picked up right where he left off, catching a screen pass and running for 23 yards into Marshall territory. He then followed that up with a 5-yard rushing touchdown later in the drive for his second of the game.
Marshall quickly drove down the field on the ensuing series, but settled for a field goal, putting the Thundering Herd back in the lead. The following drive for the Mountaineers ended in a three-and-out.
Marshall got the ball right back and drove down the field, but the 28-yard field goal attempt was blocked by redshirt freshman defensive lineman DeNigel Cooper to keep the Thundering Herd lead at 1. It was his second blocked field goal of the season, blocking one against Georgia State University earlier in the season.
“For me, it’s really all about strength,” Cooper said. “I work all the time, like every day, on the off days, sometimes twice, three times a week, just in the weight room all the time.”
App State, once again, couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity given to them by the special teams and punted.
Marshall made a quarterback change on the next drive due to an injury, with Zion Turner getting the Thundering Herd past midfield, but the Mountaineers held strong and forced a punt.
The Black and Gold couldn’t figure it out offensively, but the punt pinned Marshall back on their own 1-yard line.
The Thundering Herd began driving, but redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Caleb Sandstrom forced and recovered a fumble to give App State an excellent field position.
Facing a third down, the Mountaineers were finally able to convert on a pass from Kohl to redshirt junior wide receiver Sam Mbake. Lewis took the ball inside the 10, but the drive stalled there. He ended the day with 175 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.
“Going into this game, I had the right mindset of ‘you gotta be a dog and help your team win,’ so I kept that mindset all week during practice,” Lewis said.
De Freitas drilled a 23-yard field goal to put the Mountaineers back in front.
Marshall took the field with 2 minutes left, needing a field goal to win the game. They faced a third down, but quickly converted with a short pass.
The Thundering Herd faced another third down on the next set of plays, and converted it again, but Marshall fumbled the ball again, and App State took over. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Colton Phares forced and recovered the loose ball.
From there, App State entered victory formation, and won 26-24.
The final game of the regular season will take place in Kidd Brewer Stadium when the Black and Gold take on Arkansas State University, with the Mountaineers needing a win for bowl eligibility. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
