POSTGAME NOTES — App State 17, Louisiana 7
App State extended its winning streak to 11 games, which is the nation's third-longest active streak behind Clemson (20) and Ohio State (12). It's the Mountaineers' first double-digit win streak since the 2009 team followed an 0-2 start with 11 consecutive victories.
App State is one of 16 remaining unbeatens in FBS. The other unbeaten Group of Five schools are all ranked — Boise State, Memphis and SMU.
Since the start of the 2015 season, App State is No. 5 nationally in win percentage (80.7) behind only Clemson (93.8), Alabama (93.8), Ohio State (90.0) and Oklahoma (86.4). With a 46-11 record over the last four-plus seasons, App State's win total trails only Clemson (60-4), Alabama (60-4), Ohio State (54-6), Oklahoma (51-8), Wisconsin (47-12) and Georgia (47-13).
The Mountaineers moved their all-time record against the Ragin Cajuns to 7-0, including a 3-0 mark in Lafayette.
App State improved to 36-6 in Sun Belt Conference play (and 36-4 in its last 40 games in league play). Counting the 2018 Sun Belt Championship Game win against Louisiana, the Mountaineers are 37-6 in games against Sun Belt programs since moving up to the FBS level.
The Mountaineers improved to 17-4 in Sun Belt road games.
Since 2015, App State improved to 16-0 in games in which it had more than a week to prepare. LSU is second in the country with a 10-0 record in those situations since 2015, and the 16-0 record doesn't include App State's four bowl wins.
App State has won 15 straight games with
Zac Thomas as the team's primary quarterback.
App State improved to 10-1 in games on ESPN2.
With a 19-play, 97-yard touchdown drive that lasted 10 minutes, 11 seconds, it was App State's first 10-minute scoring drive since the Mountaineers moved up to the FBS level in 2014. Before Wednesday, the longest scoring drive by time as an FBS program lasted 8:49 — a 15-play, 93-yard touchdown drive against Idaho in 2015. App State's longest scoring drive in the first four games of 2019 was 6:20 (a 10-play, 39-yard series that resulted in a field goal against Coastal Carolina).
App State had a 99-yard touchdown drive earlier this year against Charlotte — a five-play series capped by
Jalen Virgil's 73-yard TD reception — and it was the program's longest drive by plays since App State's FBS debut against Michigan in 2014. In Taylor Lamb's first career series, he led the Mountaineers on a 19-play, 96-yard touchdown drive.
App State had two touchdown drives of at least 95 yards — its first TD drive was seven plays that covered 95 yards. Three of App State's first four drives and four of its 10 complete drives in the game started at or inside the Mountaineers' 5-yard line.
Louisiana was held 37.4 points below its season scoring average, 286.0 yards below its average for total offense per game and 191.0 yards below its average for rushing yards per game.
It was the fewest combined points in an App State win since the Mountaineers posted a 24-0 shutout at Louisiana on a Wednesday night in 2016. A week before that, App State won 17-3 at home against Georgia State.
Louisiana's longest play from scrimmage against App State's defense was a 22-yard run, and its longest pass gained 21 yards. It was Louisiana's first game without a 30-yard gain — it had a pass of at least 50 yards in three of its last four games.
App State allowed its fewest points to a league opponent since a 38-7 win at Texas State on Nov. 10, 2018.
App State scored touchdowns on both of its red zone trips. In 22 red zone trips this season, the Mountaineers have 20 touchdowns, one made field goal and one missed field goal.
App State running backs have totaled 757 carries for 4,504 yards and no fumbles in the last 23 games.
Statistically, App State went 1-for-1 on fourth-down conversions (a
Zac Thomas pass to
Thomas Hennigan on the 19-play touchdown drive) and also got a first down on a fourth-down penalty for defensive pass interference. With the one official addition, App State is 5-for-5 on fourth down this season.
George Blackstock's blocked field goal was the Mountaineers' second blocked FG of the season (the other was provided by
Akeem Davis-Gaither on the final play of a 34-31 win at UNC). It was App State's fourth blocked kick overall in 2019.
App State kicker
Chandler Staton made a 40-yard field goal and is now 9-for-11 on field goals in road games during his career. One of the misses was a 56-yard attempt at the end of regulation in the 2018 opener at Penn State.
App State sophomore linebacker
D'Marco Jackson had six tackles in his first career start, and
Mike Evans made his first career start as App State used a set with three tight ends on its first play: Evans,
Collin Reed and
Henry Pearson.
Defensive tackle
Jordon Earle's first career tackle helped stop a third-and-goal carry from the 2 short of the end zone during a second-quarter goalline stand.
