BOONE, N.C. — Senior Day has almost arrived for first-place App State, which will face Texas State on Saturday in the last regular season home game of 2019.
Kickoff in Kidd Brewer Stadium is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
App State (9-1, 5-1 Sun Belt) is No. 22 in this week's Amway Coaches Poll, No. 23 in the AP Poll and No. 24 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Like the Mountaineers, Texas State (3-7, 2-4 Sun Belt) has a young, first-year head coach in 34-year-old Jake Spavital. The Bobcats possess league wins at home against South Alabama (30-28) and Georgia State (37-34 in three overtimes).
Here's a closer look at how App State's offense potentially matches up against Texas State's defense.
App State Offense vs. Texas State Defense
The Mountaineers are moving forward from a visit to Georgia State and a 56-27 victory in which they put up a season-high 273 passing yards and totaled 553 yards, their second-highest output of the season.
App State is preparing for a Texas State team that allows 33.2 points, 211.1 rushing yards and 204.6 passing yards per game. The Bobcats' first-year defensive coordinator, Zac Spavital, Jake's brother, runs a 3-3-5 "stack" scheme that's become popular in the Big 12, where Zac worked previously as Texas Tech's co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
"That's something that we have not seen yet," App State head coach and offensive coordinator
Eliah Drinkwitz said. "We've got to do a good job adjusting and figuring out a way to attack it."
With a base defense of three linemen and three linebackers, Texas State is led by the active FBS leader in career tackles: senior linebacker Bryan London II, who has 94 stops this season and 435 in the last four seasons.
Fellow linebacker Nikolas Daniels has 74 stops with a team-leading 10.0 tackles for loss and four sacks. All told, the Bobcats have intercepted seven passes and recovered seven fumbles.
The Mountaineers are tied for No. 1 nationally in fewest fumbles lost (one) and are No. 2 in fewest turnovers committed (six), so taking care of the ball will be a priority against the Bobcats.
Zac Thomas, who will reach 4,000 career passing yards with his next gain through the air, threw a career-high four touchdown passes last weekend in the win at Georgia State.
The Mountaineers have been balanced in the passing game, with
Corey Sutton,
Thomas Hennigan and
Malik Williams all making between 39 and 44 catches, but Georgia State's defensive strategy contributed to Sutton posting eight catches for 173 yards and three touchdowns against the Panthers.
App State has spent part of this week determining which personnel groupings, whether it involves multiple tight ends, one tight end or even no tight ends paired with the appropriate number of receivers, are most effective against Texas State's scheme.
"It's a gap-sound defense that allows their extra fitter to be a midfield safety and allows him to have different various forms of pressure," Drinkwitz said.
The run game is always important, no matter the defensive scheme, and
Darrynton Evans eclipsed 1,000 yards for the second straight season during his 131-yard effort in Atlanta.
App State has now produced a 1,000-yard back in eight straight seasons, the second-longest active FBS streak behind the 10 from Boise State, where Drinkwitz was the Broncos' offensive coordinator in 2015.
"One, you've got to recruit great players," he said. "Two, you have to have a commitment to developing, and it usually begins in the weight room, an offensive line. I know both programs are committed to developing their guys, committed to the weight room and then committed to excellence. Running the football is a championship standard. You have to run the football to win championships."
