[2024] Week 4 Recap: GASO 24 - 27 APST

[dearden]

Statesboro, Georgia - In a hard-fought battle against rivals Georgia Southern, Appalachian State came out 27-24 victors away from home in their second-consecutive rivalry victory.  Bookending the Mountaineers three touchdowns were two pivotal chip-shot field goals by Senior Placekicker Ronnie Paul, whose first field goal capped off App State’s opening drive and whose second effort sealed the win with just 1:13 left on the game clock.  Although both 20 yard efforts could be seen as “routine,” they are exemplary of the Mountaineers efforts to “play complementary football.”

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“It’s a great win,” said Paul, after the game.  “To come into town and leave with a rivalry win is special, especially when it’s what we’ve worked hard for - from film sessions to practice and everything in between.  Speaking personally, both [field goals] felt great; they came off of my foot feeling good and were near dead-center of the uprights both times.  I know that’s gonna come across a little superfluous, since both kicks are routine, but at the end of the day we’re putting ourselves in the position to execute the routine scenarios we go over in practice.  Shoutout to the guys on offense for putting me into the position to make those kicks, and to the guys on defense for making sure those points would be the positive difference.  The coaches have hammered home that ‘we gotta play complementary football’ - we’re going that both on and off the field to make sure that we’re playing to the best of our abilities.  I mean, I handwrite words-of-affirmation to each of my teammates every day and put ‘em in their lockers - it’s the most complementary that football could be and it feels good to see other guys smile, you know?  Does that help us on the field?  I’d like to think so, but my hand hurts from writing so often, so I’m real glad that I kick the ball.  But it certainly explains why we’re a close bunch, we help each other out and put each other in the best spots to succeed.”

The Appalachian State victory marks the fourth-straight defeat for Georgia Southern, a disappointing start to the season for a squad considered contenders for the Sun Belt East title.  The Eagles previously fell at home to Middle Tennessee and #24 Notre Dame, before travelling to Ohio and suffering a similar fate.  Despite this downturn in form when compared to expectations, there are a number of signs which suggest that it’s only a matter of time before Georgia Southern “rebound” and put up a fight for the divisional title.

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“Coach @Miller has a talented squad behind him,” remarked Coach @dearden, “[Georgia Southern] were considered preseason contenders for a reason and that hasn’t changed.  With the exception of their loss to Notre Dame - my alma mater, who’re now #8 with the potential to go even higher - their losses have all been within a score.  To me, that suggests that they’ve been nothing more than a little unlucky with the shake they’ve gotten - I’ve got no doubts that they’ll rebound and contend; in fact, with how that could help us moving forward, I’m hopeful that they do.  That said, we’ve still got our own work to do - we’re not gonna rely on things out of our own control.  We’ve got a short week ahead of Old Dominion back at home on Thursday night - they’ve been able to spend the past week resting and preparing, but I trust my guys to keep the momentum rolling after four, increasingly strong performances to open the season.  We’re ready to get right back to work - film, practice, recruiting, the whole nine yards and then some.  We’re hungry to keep rising to the challenge and we’re gonna spend the next few days to ensure that, despite their bye week, that we’ve got the edge in preparation and mentality ahead of Thursday.”

The Mountaineers host the Monarchs of Old Dominion on Thursday night - with heavy rain in the forecast, the Appalachian State University Student Union will be handing out gold logo ponchos to attendees in lieu of the scheduled spirit night.