BOONE, N.C. — The spirited fall camp exchanges between receiver
Corey Sutton and cornerback
Steven Jones Jr. have been hard to miss.
A smiling Sutton receives congratulatory fist-bumps and feedback after his acrobatic catches. A lot of the commentary even comes from Jones, who's played strong defense on many of the catches while also delivering plenty of impressive interceptions and breakups through two-plus weeks of practice.
As preseason camps often unfold, it depends on the specific day whether the offense or defense finished with the upper hand.
At this point, the Mountaineers are two weeks away from opening the 2021 season against East Carolina at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. There are plenty of reasons for optimism in all three phases of the game.
"It's been a fantastic camp," App State head coach
Shawn Clark said. "We're very excited on both sides of the football and special teams. I'm very happy with where we are as far as fundamentals. That's something we stressed in the offseason — fundamentals and getting back to what made us successful in previous years."
A defense with most of its 2020 starters returning has looked fast and physical throughout camp, to no surprise. The offense has worked to be productive and develop chemistry, with rotating pieces at several positions adding to that challenge.
The defense completed Tuesday's indoor practice with bragging rights after a high-powered outdoor showing by the offense Saturday in the first full scrimmage of August.
Chase Brice connected on more than three-fourths of his passes, with
Christian Wells and
Dashaun Davis scoring touchdowns on downfield throws.
Having possible starters together along the offensive line certainly helped with moving the ball effectively, as
Damion Daley and
Isaiah Helms have meshed well with some returning starters, and
Anderson Castle broke loose for one long touchdown among his multiple rushing TDs. He's part of a deep backfield that includes classmate
Nate Noel, who has put together an eye-opening camp. Several young receivers, plus freshman tight end
David Larkins, have shown flashes of their potential.
Defensively,
T.D. Roof's work at one outside linebacker spot has helped him emerge into a noteworthy contributor heading into the final weeks of fall camp. The versatility of
Brendan Harrington, who made a leaping, one-handed interception during Saturday's scrimmage, has allowed him to excel whether he's inside or out, while veteran inside linebacker
Logan Doublin has reentered the mix as a productive run-stopping option alongside the likes of
D'Marco Jackson,
Trey Cobb or
Tyler Bird.
Young safeties
Jackson Greene and
Ronald Clarke, who came up with another interception during Saturday's scrimmage, have performed well enough to add to the depth in App State's defensive backfield. There are young or new players pushing for playing time behind veterans everywhere you look, whether it's on the defensive line with someone like
Kevon Haigler, or at cornerback with a freshman like
Travis McNichols Jr.
There's been an intriguing competition at kicker between veteran
Chandler Staton and freshman
Michael Hughes, who both have enjoyed days in which makes from 50-plus yards drew praise from their coaches.
The Mountaineers return several skill position players with experience in the return game, but the likes of Noel and
Milan Tucker could be factors there as well.
