POSTGAME NOTES: Coastal Carolina 45, App State 37
App State's overall record fell to 4-3, which matches its best start through seven games since 2022.
The Mountaineers' all-time record against Coastal Carolina moved to 7-5, but the Chanticleers have won four straight.
App State led for the first 56-plus minutes of the contest. Coastal took its first lead at 38-37 with 3:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The loss snapped the Mountaineers' 10-game Homecoming win streak.
OFFENSE
JJ Kohl reached career highs with 27 pass completions and 41 attempts, throwing for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Through his first three collegiate starts, he has accumulated 805 passing yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions.
Kohl and
Davion Dozier started off the game's scoring with a touchdown connection for the third straight game. Dozier finished the game with four grabs for a team-high 70 yards.
Rashod Dubinion scored his fourth touchdown of the season when he appeared to be carried by the entire App State offense pushing its way into the end zone as a group.
Jaden Barnes scored his team-leading fifth touchdown with a 6-yard catch in the second quarter (before adding a sixth on a long punt return later in the contest).
Izayah Cummings, one of the nation's top pass-catching tight ends, led all Mountaineers with six catches (for 60 yards).
DEFENSE
Elijah Mc-Cantos made the defense's biggest play of the game when he intercepted Coastal's Samari Collier (his former roommate at Illinois) five seconds before halftime and returned it 33 yards to set up a Mountaineer field goal for a 24-17 lead at the break.
Colton Phares led all tacklers with a career-high 11.
Zyeir Gamble also tallied a career high with nine tackles and forced a fumble.
Dylan Hasz logged his first career sack among three tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS
After flirting with long returns all season,
Jaden Barnes broke loose for a 77-yard punt return touchdown, App State's first since 2018 (Clifton Duck vs. Gardner-Webb). He added a 23-yard return to average 50 yards in the game.
App State converted a successful fake punt for a first down when
Juan Berchal was handed the ball just behind the offensive line and took it 22 yards.
Dominic De Freitas continued his strong kicking, going 3-for-3 on field goals (31, 25, 23 yards) and 4-for-4 on PATs. The freshman has now converted 11 of 14 field goals this season, including all seven from inside 40 yards.
