App State Football Drops Sun Belt Opener on Highway

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — App State Football hit the street for its Sun Belt Conference opener and suffered a 38-22 loss at Southern Miss on Saturday night time.

App State (2-1, 0-1) has a bye subsequent weekend earlier than taking part in two consecutive nonconference video games, beginning with a Sept. 27 go to to Boise State. Hosting the Sun Belt’s first league recreation of the season and taking part in at house for the third straight week, Southern Miss improved to 2-1 general.

Despite falling behind 24-7, with three first-half interceptions on performs contained in the Southern Miss 10 together with a 99-yard return for a landing, the Mountaineers pulled inside 24-14 when true freshman working again Jaquari Lewis took a handoff from true freshman quarterback Noah Gillon and scored his first landing on a 10-yard run late within the third quarter.

Elijah Mc-Cantos recovered a shock onside kick at midfield, and Gillon adopted a sack with a completion to Izayah Cummings to push App State into scoring vary, however a 49-yard field-goal try geared toward making it a one-score recreation sailed large. Southern Miss then broke the sport again open by scoring touchdowns on every of its subsequent two possessions, transferring 69 yards on 5 performs and 61 yards on simply three performs.

AJ Swann accomplished 15 of 23 passes for 217 yards however was helped off the sphere after his third interception and did not return. Gillon, a Mississippi native who attended Tupelo High School about 3.5 hours north of Hattiesburg, accomplished 11 of 24 passes for 109 yards in his first profession recreation look earlier than giving option to Billy Wiles, a former Southern Miss quarterback.

 

Wiles threw his first landing go in an App State uniform, hitting Jaden Barnes for a 3-yard rating within the last minute.

Barnes caught 10 passes for 132 yards and Cummings hauled in seven passes for 82 yards, whereas working again Rashod Dubinion scored App State’s first landing as a part of a 95-yard outing on the bottom.

 

The Golden Eagles’ three first-half interceptions occurred in or simply outdoors the tip zone, with App State turning the ball over on snaps from the Southern Miss 4, 4 and seven.

The first miscue — stopping a productive opening drive — was an end-zone choose that adopted a low snap from the 4 and a rushed, errant throw supposed as a fade towards the back-right nook.

The Mountaineers did shortly power a three-and-out punt and take the lead by way of a 62-yard drive that ended with Dubinion’s 2-yard landing run, however Southern Miss scored the ultimate 17 factors of the half.

The Golden Eagles answered App State’s rating with a 10-play, 75-yard landing drive, compelled a three-and-out punt and moved into scoring vary for a 39-yard discipline objective after Thomas Davis recorded a third-down sack to open the second quarter.

App State shortly marched again down the sphere to arrange a primary down from the ten, and Swann’s third-and-goal go from the 4 sailed towards an open Dubinion leaking out alongside the suitable sideline. A lunging Dubinion tried to corral the go, however as his momentum carried him all the way down to the bottom, the ball popped up into the air and into the arms of security Ian Foster, who had nobody close to him as he began his 99-yard dash down the sideline.

The play was upheld after a video assessment, enabling Southern Miss to say a 17-7 lead with 10:40 remaining within the second quarter.

The Mountaineers seemed poised to give you an enormous reply of their very own, as Barnes gained 26 yards to midfield on the second play of the subsequent collection, and App State moved inside the ten earlier than a first-down carry misplaced 6 yards. On a third-and-goal go from a 7, a pressured Swann compelled a go into visitors, and linebacker Mathis Haywood got here up with an interception in the long run zone.

To make issues worse, with Haywood returning the ball 19 yards, Swann and senior left deal with Jayden Ramsey needed to be helped off the sphere within the aftermath of Swann getting knocked into the again of his teammate. Gillon and true freshman left deal with Denell Nix Jr. began App State’s last offensive collection of the half and performed many of the second half.

With time to regroup on the break, App State kicked off to open the second half, and Southern Miss moved forward 24-7 with a nine-play, 75-yard landing drive earlier than forcing a three-and-out punt.

DJ Burks’ second interception of the season — off a go tipped by cornerback Emory Floyd — ended the subsequent Southern Miss drive, and the offense had one other three-and-out punt earlier than transferring the ball successfully late within the third quarter. A roughing-the-kicker penalty on a 37-yard field-goal try extended the drive, organising Lewis’ landing run on the subsequent play.

That was as shut the Mountaineers bought.