[2024] Week 13 Recap: CCU 13-25 APST

[dearden]

Conway, South Carolina - In a dominant defensive performance which saw Coastal Carolina Quarterback Cameron Canaan intercepted three times and sacked an astounding 10 times, including a safety, the Mountaineers came out 25-13 victors.  Leading the line was Senior Defensive End Daurice Burns, whose 8 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks earned him a National Defensive Player of the Week nomination.  With Running Back Phil Turner’s National Offensive Player of the Week nomination last week following a five-touchdown performance, Appalachian State appears to be “finding an extra gear” as the regular season comes to a close.

Quote

“It was an honor to be nominated for National Defensive Player of the Week, truly,” said Daurice Burns in his post-game interview, “maybe a little unlucky that some of these other guys put up monster numbers, but I’m taking it as a vote of confidence in my game and in our team as a whole.  Phil got a nod for OPOW last week, he even got a couple of votes.  This week, it’s my turn to carry the torch for the black and gold.  We’re showing the country what we can do on the field - we’re finding an extra gear before we go bowling, baby!  I’d love to be back here on this teal turf in the postseason; I felt good out there, hard work all season’s been paying off and we’ve got one more game in us.”

Despite missing out on the Sun Belt Championship Game, which will be played between #25 Marshall (10-2; 7-1) and #20 Texas State (10-2; 7-1), the Mountaineers (7-5; 6-2) find themselves bowl eligible for the third year in four successive seasons.  With a second-place finish in the Sun Belt East and a fourth-overall ranking in the Sun Belt, Appalachian State joins seven other Sun Belt programs in postseason play.  While there is potential for the Mountaineers to earn a selection to the New Orleans Bowl, who receives the second-pick of bowl-eligible Sun Belt programs, their participation in one of the five ESPN bowls - who possess the first, third, and fourth pick of bowl-eligible Sun Belt programs - is far more likely.  These are the Boca Raton Bowl, the Camellia Bowl, the Cure Bowl, the Frisco Bowl, and the Myrtle Beach Bowl.  While players find themselves drawn towards each possibility for a variety of reasons; close-to-home, weather, and potential opposition, “it’s just another game” for the App State coaching staff.

Quote

“Proud of the guys for the way they’ve played all season,” reflected Coach @dearden, “especially towards the tail end of things - we took our postseason destiny into our own hands, while certain results didn’t go our way we’ve earned where we sit in the standings today and that’s a damn good reflection on our guys and their fighting spirit.  As far as postseason bowl games are concerned, it’s just another game to us and that’s how we’re gonna prepare for it.  Wherever we are, whoever we’re playing doesn’t matter.  Our singular goal this season has been to win football games and that’s what we’re gonna do.  Obviously it’d be convenient to come back down to Conway and play the Myrtle Beach Bowl here - we’ve got the travel infrastructure in place and we’re pretty comfortable playing here, despite our burgeoning rivalry with Coastal.  Winning away to a rival is pretty sweet, winning a postseason matchup in their house while they’re watching the game at home would be a well-deserved reward for a job well done.  That said, we’re ready to get that job done regardless of locale or opponent - next step is heading back home to practice and train like we always do.”

The Appalachian State Mountaineers eagerly await their postseason fate and potential All-Sun Belt selections.