By Bret Strelow | App State Athletics
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — App State's trip to Texas A&M checks a lot of boxes with regard to competing in big-time games.
Facing a team from the powerful SEC? Check.
Taking on a top-10 opponent? Check.
Playing in a 100,000-seat stadium? Check.
Appearing in front of a national television audience? Check.
The Mountaineers already have grabbed the attention of college football fans nationwide, as an above-capacity, record-breaking crowd of 40,168 witnessed a high-scoring thriller against North Carolina in Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Next up, it's App State and the Aggies on ESPN2. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CT).
Texas A&M beat Alabama during an 8-4 season in 2021, and coach Jimbo Fisher's team opened 2022 with a 31-0 shutout of FCS power Sam Houston State. App State scored 40 points in the fourth quarter alone of its 63-61 loss to UNC.
"Coach Fisher has done an unbelievable job in the five years he's been there of really recruiting to the SEC," said App State head coach
Shawn Clark, who, like Fisher, is a West Virginia native.
The Mountaineers are one of just two Group of Five teams to begin their 2022 schedule with back-to-back games against bowl-qualifying Power Five teams from 2021.
Chase Brice threw a school-record six touchdown passes against the Tar Heels, with touchdowns coming from half of the 12 players who caught passes, and App State totaled 288 yards on the ground. Defensively,
Nick Hampton recorded 2.5 sacks and forced a fumble to create a key turnover to lead a defense that has worked this week to correct some of the gap-fitting and eye-discipline issues that contributed to UNC's outburst.
For perspective, stout defense has been a staple in the High Country. App State's defense entered the 2021 bowl season with top-20 national rankings in scoring defense (No. 16, 19.3 points per game), total defense (No. 18, 325.5 yards allowed per game), pass efficiency defense, rushing defense, red zone defense, interceptions and tackles for loss.
"We have to get back to what we do, and that's staying in our gaps and being downhill in the run game," Clark said. "We came back and looked at it on Sunday. There were a lot of mistakes, but they were correctable mistakes. The good thing is they gave great effort, it was just poor execution."
The Mountaineers' last six games against Power Five teams have all been decided by seven points or less, with the widest margin being a 45-38 overtime loss at No. 9 Penn State in 2018, and that six-game grouping doesn't include the 20-13 overtime loss at No. 9 Tennessee to begin the 2016 season.
Those are the two top-10 teams App State has faced since making the FCS-to-FBS transition in 2014, although Georgia did play for the 2017 national championship after being ranked 15th when it opened that season against the Mountaineers. Texas A&M will be App State's highest-ranked opponent since the historic win against No. 5 Michigan in 2007, when the Mountaineers were on their way to capturing a third straight FCS title.
"This team can play in any league, has great players, have gotten a few transfers in but have recruited well," Fisher said of App State. "They believe and have a culture there. I'm going to tell you, this is an excellent, excellent football team that can play on all sides of the ball."
The trips to Tennessee, Penn State and Michigan (2007, plus 2014) are the only previous games played by App State in a stadium with more than 100,000 seats, and high-rising Kyle Field joins the list with its 102,733 capacity.
A temperature in the mid-90s awaits, as well as a deep, talented Texas A&M roster with high-level recruits joining big, strong returners for Fisher's fifth year.
Starting quarterback Haynes King is a 6-foot-3, 205-pound sophomore who started the first two games of 2021 before suffering a season-ending injury. He had 364 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions against Sam Houston State, which held the Aggies to 110 rushing yards on 3.4 yards per carry.
They have plenty of speed with 5-9 running back Devan Achane, who averaged 7.0 yards per carry last season and has run the 100 meters in 10.14 seconds for the Aggies' track team.
Through the air, the starting receiver trio of senior Ainias Smith, junior Chase Lane and true freshman Evan Stewart combined for 13 catches against Sam Houston State. Smith can line up in the slot, at tight end or running back, and he can also returns kicks.
King is protected by a line with starters ranging from 6-4 to 6-8 in height and from 320 to 330 in weight.
Texas A&M's defense has a streak of 12 straight quarters without allowing a touchdown on its home turf. Six of the team's top 10 tacklers return from 2021, led by defensive back Antonio Johnson, who had 79 stops last season.
Running a 4-2-5 scheme with two linebackers and five defensive backs, the Aggies have three starting linemen at 6-4 or taller, including 300-pound Shemar Turner and 290-pound Tunmise Adeleye. That presents quite a challenge for an App State offensive line that created running lanes and protected Brice very well against North Carolina.
"We had a good game, but I don't think it's ever good enough for that offensive line unit because we expect a lot out of those guys and expect perfection, which is hard to do," Clark said. "They did a lot of good things this past Saturday for the points we scored, but we have a big task at hand. If you look at Texas AM, they're very big on the defensive line and really can run. Their linebackers get really involved in the run game, so if we're not technically sound, you can have a lot of issues."
