BOONE, N.C. — In a triumphant locker room, App State teammates expressed excitement when
Steven Jones received the invitation to participate in postgame interviews.
Malik Williams even stuck around after his session was complete to hear what the junior cornerback, one of the team's most vocal players in practice, had to say.
A popular team member who has made under-the-radar contributions throughout his college career, Jones stood front and center Saturday thanks to his 34-yard interception return for a touchdown early in App State's 47-10 win against Troy.
A native of Rockingham, N.C., Jones recorded his second career touchdown but his first career interception in his 35th game for the Mountaineers, as he stepped in front of a short pass and sprinted untouched to the end zone to give his team a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.
"It was big — it was like living the dream, honestly," Jones said. "I never thought this day would come, but I worked hard and stayed locked in. If you do your job, the play is going to come."
App State has benefited from consistently strong play by its three primary cornerbacks this season, not just national PBUs leader
Shemar Jean-Charles and
Shaun Jolly, a preseason All-American. Together, they form the nation's highest-rated cornerback tandem, but Jones has been on the field for meaningful snaps all season, and the Mountaineers employed three cornerbacks more frequently against a Troy team that arrived in Boone averaging 302.0 passing yards per game.
The Trojans threw for just 125 yards, with three completions over 20 yards and the other 10 netting just 48 yards. Those numbers were signs of the good work in the secondary and from players such as Jones, who works daily with cornerbacks coach and former NFL assistant
James Rowe.
"He practices like it's a game every single practice, and he's a lot of fun to be around," App State head coach
Shawn Clark said. "He's a joy to coach, and he's always got a smile on his face. To watch him be successful, Coach Rowe has done a great job with him, helping with his technique to help him make plays. I'm very proud of
Steven Jones."
Jones and Jolly were part of a recruiting class that included three talented cornerbacks who all redshirted as true freshmen in 2017.
Clifton Duck and
Tae Hayes formed a dynamic pairing for two straight seasons from 2017-18, just like Jean-Charles and Jolly have done while following them.
In his first few seasons, Jones made a more visible impact on special teams, notably blocking two punts and recovering one of those for a touchdown against Gardner-Webb in 2018, but he also made a positive impact when called upon defensively.
Jones started two conference games last season and, when an injury forced him to enter the defensive lineup for the first time with 34 seconds left in a 20-15 game at South Carolina, he forced an incompletion near the front pylon as the Gamecocks tried to take advantage of the situation with a long pass for 6-foot-3 star Bryan Edwards.
On Saturday, Jones came away with his first career interception and added a 36-yard kickoff return shortly thereafter.
"The keys," Jones said, "have been looking at the guys in front of me, staying on top and doing my job."
