football
Oct 3, 2024 1:45 p.m

By Bret Strelow | App State Athletics

BOONE, N.C. – They’ve completed practice and have another game day ahead, but neither the schedule nor the circumstances surrounding the upcoming matchup between App State football and Marshall are routine.


Days of heavy rainfall, followed by the catastrophic arrival of Hurricane Helene’s rains and winds last Friday, have caused unimaginable destruction and tragedy across much of western North Carolina, including Watauga County and Boone.


For many, recovery time is measured in months or years, not days or weeks.


Understanding that football is secondary to the real-world challenges facing residents of the High Country and beyond, the Mountaineers (2-2, 0-1) returned to the practice field at relatively unscathed Kidd Brewer Stadium and began with preparations for their Sun Belt game at Marshall (2-2, 0-0) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m


“We are very fortunate to be able to play the game of football that we love,” said App State head coach Shawn Clark said. “Football is important, but at the moment it is not the most important thing. The most important thing is our community, our district. Our district takes a lot of pride in App State Football and App State Athletics, so we want to make sure we stand out and represent the best we can.


Saturday will be App State’s first game in 16 days.


After playing a Thursday night game against South Alabama on September 19th, Helene’s influence led to the cancellation of a home game against Liberty on September 28th.


Clark and his staff have been working this week to find the right balance between their role as caregivers – the well-being of their student-athletes and colleagues is a top priority – and supporting these student-athletes in a way that best prepares them for the face test thundering herd on the road.


App State is coming off a 48-14 loss to South Alabama, where strong back Fluff Bothwell and elusive quarterback Gio Lopez caused major problems for the Mountaineers. Still boasting a strong defense built on a formidable line, Marshall has changed its offensive identity with the arrival of new offensive coordinator Seth Doege, a former Texas Tech quarterback who utilizes parts of the Air Raid offense he inherited from the late Mike Leach learned.


However, the numbers tell a different story than you might think, as quarterback Stone Earle leads an offense that averages more rushing yards per game (193.5) than passing yards per game (184.3). Earle, who started two games for North Texas last season, leads the team with 45 rushing attempts this season, while AJ Turner has gained 378 yards on just 30 rushing attempts.


Turner has 100-yard games on single-digit carries against Stony Brook (eight for 119 with an 80-yard run), Virginia Tech (six for 103 with a 69-yard run) and Western Michigan (9 for 124 with a 67 -yard run) yard run).


Missed tackles plagued the Mountaineers during their week-long loss to a fully rested South Alabama team. Marshall will play its first Sun Belt game following a non-conference schedule that includes a lopsided win over FCS-level Stony Brook, a 31-14 loss to Virginia Tech, a 49-14 loss to Ohio State and a 27th-place loss :20 win over Stony Brook included Western Michigan.


Defensive back JJ Roberts was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week after finishing the Western Michigan game with 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Defensive end Mike Green leads the way this season with 4.5 sacks among his 6.0 tackles for loss, and PFF credits him with 17 quarterback pressures.


The job of protecting the quarterback Joey Aguilar and creating running space for App State’s defenders is thanks to an evolving offensive line, and achieving run-pass balance is a key to starting games better. The opponent received the kickoff and scored a touchdown on its first drive in three straight games, helping App State beat Clemson (35-0), East Carolina (16-0) and South Alabama (14) after one quarter. was faced with significant deficits -0).


Marshall has won seven of its 13 home games in the series against App State, which will look to advance to Huntington, W.Va., for the first time since 1995, when Clark was the Mountaineers’ starting left guard in a 10-3 record. to enforce victory. The last three meetings at Joan C. Edwards Stadium were Marshall victories in 2002, 2020 and, in their first game against Sun Belt opponents, 2022.