BOONE, N.C. — The first two interceptions of linebacker
D'Marco Jackson's career included two long returns, even if one of them didn't net any official yardage.
Jackson set up the last touchdown in App State's 45-17 win against Arkansas State on Thursday by picking off a fourth-quarter pass in the end zone and weaving his way for 44 yards. Earlier in the game, with three defenders in position on a deep wide receiver pass from the Red Wolves, Jackson came away from the end-zone crowd with the ball.
He made a long sprint to the Mountaineers' bench area, powering through an array of enthusiastic teammates, before emphatically taking a seat and becoming the centerpiece of a defense-driven celebration.
Not many teams have been able to slow down Arkansas State's aerial-based offense, but the Mountaineers did it — again.
For the second straight meeting, App State held Arkansas State to less than 20 points, something that's happened only two other times to the Red Wolves in the last three regular seasons — against Alabama and Georgia.
"Our defense was lights-out," head coach
Shawn Clark said. "They really came to play. That's a high-powered offense we faced, and our guys did a great job of keeping things in front."
It was another strong performance from a defense coordinated by
Dale Jones, who returned to Boone this year after being an App State assistant from 1996-2018.
Hall of Fame coach Jerry Moore holds the program wins record thanks to his 215-87 mark in 24 seasons as the Mountaineers' head coach. In another case of loyalty complementing excellence, Jones has now been part of 215 victories, many of them working alongside Moore, in his 24 seasons as an App State assistant.
The Mountaineers executed well in all three levels of their defense Thursday, amassing six sacks as part of their 12 tackles for loss and holding the Red Wolves to four conversions in 16 third-down tries (including 0 for 7 in the first half). That occurred against an offense that had enabled Arkansas State to score 50 and 59 points while amassing a combined 943 passing yards in the previous two games.
"Meeting with Coach Jones, a big emphasis on our game was bringing pressure to the quarterbacks and making them try to protect and max up," Jackson said. "A big shout-out to the D-line, with three-man pressures and getting back there and putting pressure on the quarterback for the picks."
App State last amassed 12 TFLs in 2017, doing it both against Savannah State and at Idaho. Inside linebacker
Trey Cobb was responsible for a career-high 3.5, including a sack, while starting defensive ends
Demetrius Taylor and
Caleb Spurlin combined for three sacks.
Elijah Diarrassouba's pressure contributed to an underthrow on Jackson's second interception, and starting tackle
George Blackstock teamed with cornerback
Shaun Jolly for one sack.
In addition to the work by App State's starting inside linebackers,
T.D. Roof contributed a career-high seven stops and outside linebacker
Tim Frizzell made critical plays to spearhead two stands inside the 10-yard line.
Trailing 21-7 in the first half, Arkansas State had a first-and-goal at the 1, but Frizzell's second-down tackle of quarterback Logan Bonner for a 5-yard loss preceded a missed field goal. The Red Wolves had a first-and-goal at the 6 in the fourth quarter, but a potential wide receiver pass turned into a 17-yard loss thanks to Frizzell's sack. That drive ended with Jackson's second end-zone pick.
On the back end, with Arkansas State's rotating quarterbacks throwing the fall frequently to the team's two standout receivers, the Red Wolves did finish with 295 passing yards, but sure tackling from Jolly and fellow cornerback
Shemar Jean-Charles prevented many after-the-catch yards.
A team with 23 touchdown passes, four interceptions and a 63.5-percent completion rate entering Thursday left Boone with no touchdown passes, two interceptions and a 52.4-percent completion rate. The Red Wolves went into halftime with minus-4 rushing yards and didn't move into positive territory until late in the third quarter.
"With preparation," Taylor said, "we had to know exactly what they were doing to execute what we did."
