Just a couple of weeks ago, I discussed Old Dominion stunning Virginia Tech. One of the Monarchs’ conference rivals is about to crack the Top 25, with a massive upset, a Hail Mary and the most entertaining game of the season so far.
Currently sitting at #28 in both the AP and Coaches Polls, the Mountaineers will certainly see their name moved out of the “Others Receiving Votes” section of your favorite print or online publication this weekend. App State was just nine votes shy of making the Top 25 in the AP poll this week.
We all remember the myriad of upsets last week involving Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Tennessee. The Mountaineers held sixth-ranked Texas A&M to just 180 yards of total offense and 18:17 worth of possession in a 17-14 stunner in College Station just eight days ago. One of the two Aggie touchdowns was a 95-yard kickoff return after the Mountaineers went up 14-7 in the waning moments of the third quarter. The Mountaineers however had to remain in Texas overnight after the win, due to a mechanical issue with the team flight back to Boone, North Carolina.
Opening at home against North Carolina, the Tar Heels and the Mountaineers combined for 1,216 yards of offense, just one turnover each and 62 points in the fourth quarter. Appalachian State led 21-7 just 48 seconds into the second quarter, then proceeded to give up 31 unanswered points to trail 41-21 going into the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers actually outscored North Carolina 40-22 in the final frame, but needed two more points to send the game to overtime. This was foiled when a two-point conversion with under two minutes left failed, giving the Tar Heels a 63-61 win.
Keep in mind that 124 points were scored in regulation. Remember that LSU and Texas A&M went to a 74-72 win in 2018, but this game went to seven overtimes.
This weekend opened Sun Belt Conference play, as the Mountaineers welcomed the Troy Trojans to Kidd Brewer Stadium. We had 915 yard of combined offense, with Appalachian State not turning the ball over for the second consecutive week. For the third time in as many weeks, the Mountaineers also won the time of possession battle, which is what you want in any close game. With Troy leading 28-26 and just two seconds remaining, the Mountaineers lined up for a 4th-and-10 from their own 47. Quarterback Chase Brice stepped up after the pocket collapsed--where Troy only rushed four defenders and dropped seven into coverage--and put a ton of air under the ball. The ESPN camera crew even had a hard time picking up the flight trajectory as the ball approached the endzone.
A Trojan defender seemed to have a beat on the ball to either intercept or knock it down, but the ball was tipped free by 6’4” Mountaineer receiver Dalton Stroman. Waiting right there was teammate Chase Horn to catch. The problem was that Horn was at about the Troy eight yard line. Horn doubled-back to just past the 10, then used his receivers as a screen to get into the corner of the endzone.
Several Mountaineer fans were reported to have been injured as the stands emptied onto the field in the calamity of what just took place. With ESPN College Gameday coming live from outside of Kidd Brewer Stadium just hours before, legendary analyst Lee Corso put on Yosef’s mascot head, claiming the Trojans had “no chance” in Boone.
Tickets for next week’s Mountaineer home game against James Madison are already going for $134 on resale sites, where Appalachian State is already a 9.5 point favorite.
With the Mountaineers scheduled to be on ESPN2 on Wednesday October 19 against Georgia State and Thursday November 3 against Coastal Carolina, the rest of the country will get a deserved eyeful of what many of us already know…
The "World Killers" in Boone, North Carolina are back.
-JC24