[2024] Week 1 Recap: APST 14 - 24 IND

[dearden]

Boone, North Carolina - Only fifty-eight seconds had run off the game clock when Samuel Johnson, Indiana’s Redshirt Freshman Quarterback, received the snap and began his three-step-drop.  One.  As Johnson dropped back, Mountaineer Cornerback Ben Shelton took one step forward, placing himself between Johnson and his intended receiver as the former flicked his wrist - interception, Appalachian State ball.  Two.  It would only take two sets of downs for the Mountaineer offense to capitalize; Austin Redding received the snap, dropped back, and flicked his wrist, as his counterpart had done a few minutes prior … and connected with Wide Receiver Geoff Lucas in the endzone - touchdown, Appalachian State.  Three.  As the First Quarter wound down, Fullback Ramon Brice powered through the Hoosier defense, crossing the goal-line as the clock hit zero - touchdown, Appalachian State, their second in three drives.

The capacity crowd at the Kidd Brewer celebrated with elation - players, coaches, students, alumni, and even attending recruits cheered, high-fived, and shouted early sentiments of hope for the long season ahead.  It was a dream start.  It would become a nightmare.

14-0; 14-3; 14-10; 14-17; 14-24: what began with fourteen unanswered points in Appalachian State’s favor would end with twenty-four unanswered points to their detriment - a “second-straight strong start squandered.”

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Speaking at his post-game press conference, Coach @dearden opined: “We played a good game, our game, but sometimes a good game just isn’t good enough.  For about 150-or-so plays - both offensively and defensively - our gameplan seemed to be paying off; however, this game ran for something like 153 plays, and it was in those three plays that we lost hold of this game.  It’s a shame, really, the guys fought hard against their opposition today.  Not only did we hold our own against a team that most talking heads consider to be leagues ahead of our own, but we went out there and we clawed out a two-touchdown lead with grit and determination - a strong start.  With how these past few games have gone, it seems like strong starts are our hallmark, even against ‘stronger’ opposition.  What we’ve got to add to our game is maintaining and adding-on to our early, well-fought leads.  This was our second-straight strong start squandered; while we were able to hold on a couple of weeks ago against SMU, we weren’t able to replicate that against a mentally-tough Hoosier squad.  At the end of the day, that comes down to us: we’ve got to be ruthless for every single play, every single down until the final whistle.”

How do the gritty and determined Mountaineers plan on building up their ruthlessness? According to Senior Linebacker Jose Thomas - who snagged the Mountaineers second interception - ruthlessness will “come naturally.”

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Thomas said, “It’s a frustrating loss for sure.  From the defensive side of the ball, we gotta keep our heads, you know?  However many stops, two interceptions, just to be undone with a handful of mistakes - the only word is frustrating.  We gotta be better and we will.  I spoke with Austin [Redding] and we guaranteed Coach - our ‘ruthlessness’ is gonna come naturally after this one.  How could it not?  We’ll watch the film back this week and be angry - with ourselves, our mistakes on both sides of the ball.  That sorta thing breeds hunger, to create sparks on offense and to kill drives on defense.  That hunger, that’s ruthlessness to me and it’s already there, we just gotta unleash it from next week on.”

While the Mountaineer locker room appears determined to move forward from their opening defeat and develop in a manner akin to a 1980s training montage, they also have to remember to simply play the game they love - to “play football.”

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“At the end of the day, it’s still the first game of the season,” Coach @dearden remarked.  “While we would’ve loved to start off with a win, that’s not how it shaked out.  I’m impressed by each and every one of my guys and their attitudes.  They’re taking this loss as a learning experience and have expressed their determination to play better football as a result.  That said, when the lessons have been learnt, I want them to go out there to play their game, to play football.  If we keep playing our game and learn from it along the way, I’m confident that we can, and will, compete with the best of them.

The Mountaineers travel to #21 Kentucky, who are looking to immediately bounce-back from an opening loss away at Western Kentucky.