App. State stunned the #6 Texas A&M Aggies 17-14 on Saturday, leaving the hometown crowd, and the college football world, in disbelief. A black and gold aura hung over the green turf of Kyle Field from the opening kickoff until the final horn sounded.
App. State Stuns #6 Texas A&M
How Do You Silence the Voices of 100,000 Faithful? You Pound the Rock and Control the Clock
It’s no secret to even the casual fan of college football that App. State loves to run the football, between the tackles or otherwise. And run it they did against Texas A&M, to the tune of 181 yards on a whopping 52 carries.
RB Nate Noel was a game-time scratch from the depth chart due to an injury, so RB Cameron Peoples stepped up to pick up the slack. He rushed 19 times for 112 yards. RB Ahmani Marshall rushed 10 times for 33 yards and a touchdown.
With their success running the ball, the Mountaineers controlled the clock and kept the Aggies’ offense off the field, and kept their gassed defense on the field.
The game was tied 7-7 at halftime. To start the 3rd quarter, both teams traded punts. Then on the next Texas A&M possession, freshman WR Evan Stewart fumbled the ball after making a clean catch. The Mountaineers recovered.
App. State went on an 11-play drive that took over six minutes off the clock, culminating in a touchdown pass from QB Chase Brice to TE Henry Pearson. The extra point was good and the Mountaineers led 14-7.
On the ensuing kick-off, the Aggies’ Devon Achane fielded the ball, ran down the right sideline, and eluded tacklers on his way to a 95-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14-14. In addition, Achane added 66 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown for the Aggies.
App. State then engineered an 18-play, 63-yard drive that carried over into the final period and took 9:15 off the clock. Brice found an open receiver inside the 5-yard line that would have been a sure touchdown, but the pass was dropped. The Mountaineers had to settle for a field goal and they converted for a 17-14 lead.
App. State Stuns #6 Texas A&M-The Final Drive
In the 4th quarter, Texas A&M went on a 9-play drive to try to tie the game or take the lead. Prior to that, the Aggies hadn’t run a play since the 9:03 mark of the 3rd quarter.
The App. State defense, playing tough as nails all game long, made stops when they needed to and forced the Aggies to attempt a 47-yard game-tying field goal. The snap looked good, and the hold looked good, but the kick was not. It was shanked left and fell to the turf just past the line of scrimmage.
App. State took over on downs. They executed an 8-play drive to run out the clock and secure the victory. It was a stunning victory over a Top Ten team on their home field. In addition, the Aggies were a -19 point favorite heading into the game.
Key Stats of the Game
Appalachian State
- 82 plays
- 22 first downs
- 3 of 5 on 4th down
- Forced two turnovers
- Time of Possession: 41:30
#6 Texas A&M
- 186 total yards: 97 passing, 89 rushing
- 9 first downs
- 18 rushing attempts
- Time of Possession: 18:30
Next Up for App. State and Texas A&M
App. State hosts Troy next Saturday. Texas A&M hosts the Hurricanes of Miami next Saturday.
It’s clear that the Aggies still have question marks, especially at quarterback going into Week 3, and the schedule only gets harder from here on out for Texas A&M.
By contrast, it was the Mountaineers’ 74th victory since 2015. Their record over that stretch is 74-20 and counting.
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