BOONE, N.C. — As teammates swarmed
Chandler Staton, he casually slapped hands with holder
Clayton Howell and acknowledged long snapper
Christian Johnstone before heading toward the sideline.
Staton's 45-yard field goal had just given App State a lead with less than six minutes remaining against Marshall, but this wasn't the time for an animated celebration, even with two other specialists who've been through a lot together.
"I was telling people, they were coming up celebrating, I was like, 'Hang on, my job might not be done yet, so let's settle down and finish out the game,' " Staton said. "At the end, that's when I could really get excited about it."
The final points in App State's stirring 31-30 home win against Marshall came from the right foot of Staton, who improved his career accuracy to 90.5 percent on field goals between 40 and 49 yards.
It was App State's latest deficit-erasing, go-ahead field goal since Zach Matics ended the Mountaineers' FBS bowl debut in 2015 with a 23-yard kick to produce a 31-29 victory against Ohio.
On Thursday, App State overcame a nine-point deficit and made its biggest fourth-quarter comeback since turning a 20-7 deficit into a 23-20 victory at Idaho in 2017, with a field goal breaking a tie midway through the final quarter that day in Moscow.
Staton actually became the Mountaineers' primary kicker two games later at UMass, starting an active streak of 49 straight games in that role. He converted a tiebreaking kick with 4:42 left in a double-OT loss that day.
As with any kicker, there have been memorable makes as well as attempts you wish you could have hit better. Staton returned for a "super senior" year in 2021 with enhanced commitment and focus, helped by improved mental and physical fitness as well as offseason training with former NFL kicker Dan Orner.
Staton, Howell and Johnstone participated together in "75 Hard," a self-described mental toughness program with directions related to food intake, water consumption, workout frequency and even things like daily nonfiction reading.
"I took training to kind of a different level in the offseason compared to what I've done in the past," Staton said.
Staton also credits the value of a competitive preseason environment with freshman kicker
Michael Hughes, who was recruited out of West Virginia and has handled kickoffs this season. He even made a big tackle Thursday night — and followed it with an #FTC-inspired celebration.
Already the Sun Belt's career scoring leader entering this season, Staton has moved up to No. 3 on App State's career list, behind only running back Kevin Richardson and quarterback Armanti Edwards. Staton is currently the only FBS kicker with at least seven made field goals and no misses this season.
"In all honesty, the biggest difference is
Michael Hughes," Staton said. "I haven't had competition in a long time — and consistent competition. Having somebody come in that, if I have a bad day, he's right there behind me making the kicks, it's made a huge difference. At every other position here, we have steady competition, and now it's at the kicker position, too. Having him on my tail has really pushed me to be a better kicker."
