Postgame Notes from App State's Win vs. Southern Miss

POSTGAME NOTES: App State 48, Southern Miss 38
 
App State snapped a two-game losing streak to earn its fourth game of the year and move to 2-2 in Sun Belt Conference play.
 
The Mountaineers are 3-1 at The Rock this year. Their 51-10 record (.836 pct) in home games since making the transition to FBS in 2014 is seventh-best among all FBS teams (behind Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, Oklahoma and Oregon).
 
App State won on Homecoming for the ninth straight year and improved its all-time Homecoming record to 48-13-2.
 
Attendance at Kidd Brewer Stadium was 32,601, the ninth-largest crowd in stadium history.
 
App State defeated Southern Miss for the first time after taking losses in 1937 and 2014, both in the state of Mississippi.
 
This was the fifth straight game – and the sixth in the last seven – to be decided in the closing seconds. The Mountaineers' fourth-down touchdown with 8 seconds remaining sealed a two-score victory after a Mountaineer fumble with 14 seconds left bounced around before being recovered by the home team.
 
Earning his first career start was cornerback Trenton Alan Yowe.
 
OFFENSE
 
The Mountaineers' offense put up a season-high 48 points and a season-high 571 total yards, including 34 points and 301 yards in the second half alone.
 
Christan Horn caught a career-high eight passes for a career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns. His scores were an integral part of the final 12 minutes of the fourth quarter during which App State turned a 10-point deficit into a 10-point victorious margin.
 
Bouncing back from a pair of first-half turnovers, Joey Aguilar finished the game with a career-high 391 passing yards and matched his career high with four passing touchdowns, while completing 23 of 33 passes.
 
Aguilar has thrown multiple passing TDs in all but one game this season and leads the Sun Belt with 20.
 
Running back Kanye Roberts rushed 13 times for 109 yards and a touchdown, one week after he went for 109 in his first career start at Old Dominion. Of his 109 yards against Southern Miss, 92 came in the fourth quarter, including 86 on back-to-back runs. His 61-yard touchdown with 6:37 left in the game gave the Mountaineers their first lead at 42-38.
 
Running back Maquel Haywood scored his first touchdown as a Mountaineer.
 
Other touchdowns came from wide receiver Dashaun Davis (third of the season), tight end Eli Wilson (third of the season) and running back Ahmani Marshall (second of the season).
 
DEFENSE
 
Linebacker Andrew Parker Jr. led all players with a career-high 13 tackles.
 
In his most extensive action of the season, Marshall transfer safety EJ Jackson produced a season-high 11 tackles and two pass breakups.
 
Cornerback Ethan Johnson notched a career-high four passes broken up to lead the Mountaineer defense that broke up a season-high 10 passes.
 
Linebacker Caden Sullivan, who finished with seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, made one of the game's biggest plays with a sack that knocked the ball out of Southern Miss QB Wiles' grasp and was recovered by Michael Fletcher at USM's 1-yard line.
 
Defensive tackle Santana Hopper made his presence known with a career-high five tackles, a TFL and two QB hurries after posting 1.5 sacks a week earlier.