App State football took the field at Kidd Brewer Stadium Saturday for a homecoming rivalry matchup against the Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers. The Mountaineers, unable to win, lost 45-37 after allowing 246 rushing yards on the special weekend.
The loss extends App State’s losing streak against Coastal Carolina. The Mountaineers have not defeated the Chanticleers since October 20, 2021 — 1,461 days ago, a stretch that includes 4 straight losses.
Similar to the 2 recent home games, Lindenwood and Oregon State, the Mountaineers got off to a hot start. They took a 21-10 lead with just under nine minutes left in the second quarter before taking a 31-17 lead early in the third quarter. Unlike the 2 previously mentioned games, they were unable to get the job done.
“Disappointing way to lose a game,” head coach Dowell Loggains said in a postgame press conference. “Got to find a way for the offense to score one more time. Defense, we’ve got to be better.”
The Black and Gold’s offense started hot. Redshirt sophomore quarterback JJ Kohl and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Davion Dozier linked up for a 15-yard score. Dozier would finish the game with 4 receptions on 8 targets for 70 yards.
Senior running back Rashod Dubinion also got in on the fun with a score of his own, as a huge push from the Mountaineers’ offensive line got him the score. Dubinion’s early touchdown would be the team’s lone score on the ground.
A passing touchdown from one of the many Chanticleer quarterbacks, MJ Morris, saw them find the endzone for the first time of the afternoon. Kohl answered that score with another touchdown through the air, this time finding junior wide receiver Jaden Barnes to take that 21-10 lead.
Barnes’ score marked the third-straight drive with a touchdown. Those three Mountaineer drives accumulated 225 yards on 35 plays.
A wild final eight and a half minutes of the first half saw Coastal Carolina cut the lead to 21-17 as they went 75 yards behind quarterback Samari Collier.
The teams traded punts before the Chanticleers got the ball back with 16 seconds left when Collier dropped back and threw it straight to the App State defense. Redshirt junior defensive back Elijah Mc-Cantos came up with the interception that set up a field goal from freshman kicker Dominic De Freitas to extend the lead 24-17 at the end of the half.
“It was a two-minute situation to end the half, so I knew the quarterback was going to try to double-dip in a way,” Mc-Cantos said. “I wasn’t surprised at all.”
Mc-Cantos and App State’s defense looked to have Collier figured out heading into halftime. He had 47 yards on the ground and only 18 through the air after the first half, but the second half would see the Chanticleers turn their game up a notch.
The first couple of plays coming out of halftime were some of the highlights of the day. The defense caused a three-and-out while Barnes fielded a punt at the App State 23-yard line that he brought back 77 yards to the house for his first punt return of the season. The stadium and the App State sideline went berserk with excitement as he made his way past the 30-yard line before finding the endzone.
The Chanticleers wasted little time in answering Barnes’ big play, getting 2 touchdowns on their next 2 drives with De Freitas notching a field goal in the middle of the Coastal Carolina scores for a 34-31 App State lead.
The Mountaineers had led the whole game to this point, but Coastal Carolina was creeping in. They ate 9:44 off the clock in the third quarter, accelerating their offense with 18 plays for 145 yards in that time frame.
“We were focused on stopping the run. Then, you have to worry about the pass,” Mc-Cantos said. “That was kind of difficult for us to do.”
As the fourth quarter started, it became clear that freshman running back Jaquari Lewis would finish up the game as Dubinion had not been seen since there were five minutes left in the third quarter.
Loggains said Dubinion had been injured earlier in the game and that was the reason for Lewis being the lead back to end the game. Lewis finished with 15 carries for 43 yards.
A long first drive for the Mountaineers to open the quarter resulted in a field goal. Many fans booed the decision by Loggains to only take three points in a tight game at home.
“It’s the momentum of put points on the board versus stall out and have nothing to show for it,” Loggains said.
Coastal Carolina responded with another touchdown, going 13 plays for 75 yards and taking nearly six minutes off the clock to go up 38-37 late in the game.
Kohl then led the Mountaineers back out on the field, where they proceeded to turn the ball over on downs as Kohl found Dozier 2 yards shy of the first down marker. Coastal regained possession at App State’s own 20-yard line, and the Chanticleers only needed 20 seconds to score and push the lead to eight.
The Mountaineer offense attempted to come back out after Coastal Carolina’s score, only to lose the ball on a Kohl fumble. The Chanticleers entered victory formation and won the game 45-37.
“They did start to bring more pressure,” Kohl said. “That starts with me making good decisions. There’s a couple plays that I really want back. It’s unfortunate that the game ended the way it did. I take full responsibility for how this game ended.”
App State looks to get back on track as they travel to Norfolk, Virginia to face off against the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Kickoff is slated for noon, and it will be streamed live on ESPN+.
