[2024] Week 5 Recap: APST 38 - 7 ODU

[dearden]

Boone, North Carolina - Appalachian State cruised to their third-straight victory on the season, defeating Old Dominion 38-7 in a rain-soaked Boone.  The explosive Mountaineer offense, which has averaged just over 30 points per game thus far, racked up a 24-7 lead over the Monarchs by the end of the First Quarter and kept their foot on the gas.  While the offense, led by signal-caller Austin Redding and the rushing triumvirate of Ramon Brice, Phil Turner, and Wenyen Clinton-Dix, continues to run up the score and has been the focus of media attention, the Appalachian State Defense - who have gone from allowing an average of 36 points per game in their first two matchups to allowing an average of 12.6 points per game since - have quietly been working to ensure victory.  Their hopes for the coming weeks?  “Let the good times roll.”

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“I’m so proud of the boys,” remarked Defensive Coordinator Steve Cotto.  “We’ve been making adjustments week in, week out to put ourselves in the best position to succeed and it’s great to see that hard work paying off.  It was less than ideal having such a short week to prepare for Old Dominion, but Coach @dearden and I had a chat about a few changes we were hoping to make based upon our previous four performances.  We took a look at our film on the way back from Statesboro, put it into practice on Monday, and our guys were ready to implement those changes come gameday.  Just like every other week, we’re gonna learn from our mistakes from this game and make the necessary adjustments going forward.  Recently, we’ve been going from strength-to-strength and honing our game - it feels good to make defensive stops and to keep our opponent’s score as low as possible, so that’s what we’re gonna keep doing to win football games.  We have faith in our brothers on offense to make the most of the opportunities we give them and vice versa when we’re on the field.  Importantly, we’re gonna keep looking ahead and make sure we keep this momentum going; let the good times roll if you will.”

The Mountaineers travel to Huntington, West Virginia next Friday to battle Marshall in the Old Mountain Feud.  Led by Redshirt Junior Halfback, Tremaine Craig, the Thundering Herd have lived up to their name - having thundered out to a 4-1 start to the season highlighted by a thrilling comeback victory away at Kent State and two-straight conference wins over Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern.  Despite Marshall’s recent successes and the inherent adversity that comes with visiting a rival, to Appalachian State “this is just another game of football.”

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“I believe Marshall were pre-season second-favorites to win the Sun Belt East,” observed Coach @dearden, “that said, Old Dominion were the Sun Belt East favorites and Georgia Southern were just-behind Marshall as top-contenders.  My point being that whatever way you look at it - whether you want to focus on pre-season rankings, where we’ve just decisively defeated the Sun Belt East favorites and beaten a contending team last week; or if you want to take a look at form alone, where we played competitive football against Power-5 opposition and have won three on-the-bounce against old rivals and conference rivals - we’re going into next week with momentum behind us.  I’ve said it almost every week thus far: we’re a strong team, we’ve got competitors who are receptive to doing what’s necessary to not only succeed, but to win.  Boiled down to brass tacks, this is just another game of football to us.  We’re going to do what we do best; prepare and practice hard so that we can put ourselves in the best possible positions to succeed, and then execute on that to score points and to stop them from doing the same - to unapologetically play our brand of football.”

One standout player who has excelled within the new-look Appalachian State gameplan is Senior Fullback Ramon Brice.  Brice, who rushed the ball a mere 12 times during his Junior season has been rejuvenated this campaign: with 514 rushing yards on 91 attempts and having found the endzone a staggering nine times in only five outings.  While the first team pre-season all-Sun Belt rusher will undoubtedly be juxtaposed to his fellow first team selectee, Marshall’s Tremaine Craig, in the build-up to the Old Mountain Feud, Brice’s explosive start to the season is only indicative that “the best is yet to come.”

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“Ramon’s been a real pleasure to work with,” Coach @dearden commented, “I’m surprised at how under-utilized he was in previous campaigns.  Looking back at how he was classified coming out of high school - as a “Blocking” Fullback - I just think he was slotted into a niche and left there based on a strong part of his game.  Five games later, when he’s leading the nation’s Fullbacks in every discernable offensive metric that I can find, I think it’s safe to say that he’s more than just a blocker, he's an athlete who's hungry for success.  Ramon’s a consummate professional; knowing how interconnected college football and the National Football League truly are, I can say with confidence to any and all parties taking note, that with him - and most, if not all of our Seniors who are playing their hearts out this season - the best is yet to come.”

The Old Mountain Feud resumes next Thursday in Huntington, West Virginia and will be broadcast on all screens at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
 

Edited May 24 by dearden