Shaun Jolly has it covered for Appalachian State football this season
Only nine Football Bowl Subdivision teams have scored more points this season than Appalachian State, but it’s the Mountaineers’ defense that has saved them in big games.
Defense led the way in App State’s 17-7 victory last month over Louisiana, and it kept the team alive several more times this year until the offense awakened. Those performances were spurred by guys such as Shaun Jolly, a sophomore cornerback for the Mountaineers, who finish their regular season Friday night at Troy (6 p.m., ESPN+).
“Going into this season, we were worried about the corner position,” Appalachian State coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “But Shaun has taken his game to another level.”
Jolley, from Stone Mountain, Ga., had perhaps his best game of the season two weeks ago in the Mountaineers’ 56-27 victory at Georgia State. He intercepted two passes and broke up three more, earning Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.
His five interceptions this season put him in the top 10 nationally and he is among six FBS players to return two interceptions for touchdowns.
Pass defense will be important Friday night, as Troy (5-6, 3-4 Sun Belt) is averaging 314 passing yards per game. That’s almost twice what Appalachian State (10-1, 7-0) usually allows. Drinkwitz said Troy’s Caleb Barker “might be the toughest quarterback we’ve faced.”
“He reminds me of Sam Howell,” Drinkwitz says, referring to North Carolina’s freshman quarterback. “He throws the ball hard and accurate.”
Which means pass defense will be vital.
Jolly credits the Mountaineer coaches for his development.
“The coaches put me in the right positions to make plays, so I had to take advantage of it,” he says of the two-interception game at Georgia State.
With about two minutes left in the first half of that game, Jolly broke a 21-21 tie by picking off a Panther pass and returning it 30 yards for a touchdown. His team outscored Georgia State 28-7 the rest of the way.
“The previous play, they ran the same route — a 5-yard out, and the coaches got on me on the sideline that I had to make a play this time,” he says. “They ran it to the field (side), same alignment. I knew that was coming, and I just had to make the play.”
What’s at stake
Friday’s game carries big implications for the Mountaineers. They already have clinched the East Division’s berth in the Dec. 7 Sun Belt championship game, but a victory at Troy gives them home-field advantage. The Mountaineers also clinch home-field edge if the West champion, Louisiana, loses its regular-season finale Saturday against UL-Monroe.
No Corey
App State will finish the season without standout junior wide receiver Corey Sutton, of Mallard Creek High. Sutton needed knee surgery after an ACL tear in last week’s victory over Texas State. “This is a very significant loss,” Drinkwitz says. “We will really miss Corey, but we’re excited that he’ll be back next year.”
“It means our other receivers have to step up.”
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle