App State football left nothing to chance, taking down Arkansas State on the road to remain atop the Sun Belt race. What else did we learn from the Mountaineers win?
Appalachian State took care of business in their Tuesday night showdown against Arkansas State, giving the Mountaineers their second Sun Belt victory of the season. App State moved to 4-1 on the year with a runaway 35-9 victory over their hosts in Jonesboro.
Scott Satterfield’s crew ground down the Red Wolves defense with their ground game, punching in three touchdowns and grinding out 246 rushing yards on 38 carries. Darrynton Evans went off for 115 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, singlehandedly posting nearly half the Mountaineers rushing effort on the night. Evans stepped up big when he was needed most, as backfield starter Jalin Moore went down with an ankle injury in the first half.
In the process, the ground game overcame adversity and kept things going on a night where quarterback Zac Thomas posted a sub-50 percent completion percentage for the second straight game. Against Arkansas State, Thomas was held to 144 passing yards. Thomas, however, threw two touchdowns on 12-of-27 passing. When he connected, he connected for big yardage, but Thomas struggled with pressure throughout the night.
Just as important as anything that App State did on offense was the standout performance of their defense. The Mountaineers held Justice Hansen to 209 passing yards on 25-of-40 passing and snatched three big interceptions along the way. Hansen, entering the game accounting for 13 total touchdowns, was unable to guide the Red Wolves over the goal line.
Entering the game, App State boasted one of the top five defenses in the country. Holding Arkansas State to just three field goals, the Mountaineers limited Hansen’s effectiveness and shut down the Red Wolves ground game. Arkansas State managed only 117 yards on 37 carries to average half the yards per carry as the visitors.
Appalachian State set themselves up as the logical challenger to Troy for the Sun Belt title with their takedown of Arkansas State on the road. That eliminated one challenger that has traditionally been a contender for the league crown, and elevated the Mountaineers into position to make a concerted threat to climb up into the AP Top 25 by the end of the month if they keep the winning streak going.