How Appalachian State blew its ranking with second-half giveaways versus Marshall
.JPG "New Appalachian State coach Shawn Clark, pictured here in the season-opener against Charlotte, is now 1-1, following Saturday’s 17-7 road loss to Marshall.")
You can’t throw away 10 points on the road and expect to beat a good team.
Appalachian State, ranked 23rd, did just that in the second half Saturday at Marshall. A fumble into the end zone and a missed field goal later pretty much eliminated the Mountaineers’ chances in a 17-7 road loss.
Five takeaways from this game:
Great hands
Important as the quarterback is to any team, it’s still a dependent position: You’re only as good as your receivers’ ability to make tough catches. Zac Thomas’s receivers made two exceptional catches in the first half Saturday.
Jalen Virgil with the over-the-shoulder reception and foot drag in the end zone for a touchdown. Then, Thomas Hennigan’s one-handed grab, reaching back. The Mountaineers are compensating well for the loss of Mallard Creek’s Corey Sutton, who opted out of the season.
Ground up first half
You think of Appalachian State’s defensive front seven as having superior physicality most games the past few seasons. That wasn’t the case against Marshall in the first half, particularly the first quarter, when the Thundering Herd outgained the Mountaineers in rushing yards 88 to nine. Marshall averaged nearly six yards per rushing attempt in the first half.
Well scouted
The Mountaineers kept running wide, either off true rushes or shuttle passes, in the third quarter and Marshall kept stringing out those plays for minimal gain. Appalachian State’s offensive tendencies looked well scouted.
Too much time
It was no secret that Marshall freshman quarterback Grant Wells has big-time arm talent. He looked super in the season opener against Eastern Kentucky. He made a terrific throw for a 67-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter Saturday. The issue for Appalachian State was getting real pressure on the pocket. By the way, Charlotte was one of Wells’ handful of FBS scholarship offers.
Bold call, but...
Thomas play-faking on 4th-and-inches, and finding tight end Mike Evans over the middle, was a fine call. Then, Evans didn’t secure the ball on the catch-and-run. It got punched out of his grip by a Marshall defensive back for a touchback in the end zone.
First job on that play isn’t scoring, it’s securing the ball with two hands. That was a huge loss of possession in the red zone.
