Postgame Notes from App State’s Win vs. Oregon State
Jon Pearl
Football
POSTGAME NOTES: App State 27, Oregon State 23
Facing the westernmost opponent to ever visit Boone, App State won its first meeting against Oregon State (and its first against a Pac-12 opponent) to improve to 3-2 on the season.
App State won a Saturday home game for the 14th straight time. The Mountaineers have won nine of their last 10 home games dating back to 2023.
This was the 13th straight sellout at The Rock. The attendance of 35,021 was the sixth-largest in Kidd Brewer Stadium history.
App State won the turnover battle (3-0), snapping a three-game streak of turning the ball over more than its opponent.
Over the last 10 seasons, App State ranks top 10 among all FBS programs with 96 wins.
App State’s home winning percentage since joining the FBS ranks in 2014 improved to 84.3% (59-11), which is eighth-best in the country during that span.
Quarterback JJ Kohl and wide receiver Davion Dozier both made their first collegiate starts.
DEFENSE
App State’s defense produced three takeaways (two interceptions, one fumble recovery) and allowed Oregon State to score on only two of five red-zone chances.
For the third time in five games, the Mountaineer defense held its opponent under 100 rushing yards (98).
Colton Phares led the team with a career-high 10 tackles, including 1.5 TFLs, and was instrumental in the defense coming up with a string of huge plays to curb Oregon State’s late comeback attempt. He came down with an end-zone interception on a third-and-goal pass early in the fourth quarter before teaming with Myles Farmer to shut down the Beavers’ fourth-and-goal run attempt at the goal line with 1:49 left in the game.
After Oregon State advanced to App State’s 1-yard line with 2:24 left in the game and trailing by only six points, the Mountaineers stopped the Beavers on three straight goal-line rush attempts. Myles Farmer was in one the third-and-goal and fourth-and-goal tackles after earlier in the game forcing a fumble on a kickoff.
The final game-sealing play came from freshman cornerback Juan Berchal who brought the hit stick to a Beaver receiver that forced the ball up in the air and into the hands of Zyeir Gamble for a game-ending interception in the game’s closing seconds.
App State’s defense had just one sack in the game, but it came at a crucial time. On a Beaver first down from the App State 25 and only 29 seconds left in the contest, Rondo Porter burst through the line and tackled Maalik Murphy for a 13-yard loss on the play that immediately preceded the game-ending interception.
OFFENSE
JJ Kohl engineered scoring drives in each of his first three drives as App State’s starting quarterback – the first a field goal followed by back-to-back touchdowns. He finished the game with 218 yards on 13-of-28 passing with both a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown and no turnovers.
Rashod Dubinion carried the ball 19 times for 98 yards and a touchdown. He’s rushed for 95+ yards in all five games to rank among the nation’s rushing leaders.
In his first collegiate start, Davion Dozier had four catches for 140 yards (35-yard average) and a touchdown.
True freshman running back Jaquari Lewis produced season highs in rushing attempts (10) and yards (42).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Dominic De Freitas scored nine points – connecting on field goals of 49 and 45 yards and converting 3-of-3 PATs – in the 4-point App State victory. His 49-yarder that opened the day’s scoring was the longest by a Mountaineer since Michael Hughes’ game-winning 54-yarder at ULM in 2023.
On the kickoff immediately after De Freitas’ first field goal, Myles Farmer stripped the ball from the Oregon State kick returner, and it was recovered by Ronnie Porter to set up the Mountaineers’ first touchdown drive of the game.
