Sept. 28 Kickoff Time vs. Liberty Announced; Aguilar, Hopper Honored

September 16, 2024

Contact: Joey Jones (jo*****@******te.edu)

Secondary contact: Bret Strelow (st******@******te.edu)

App State-Liberty Game to Kick Off at 3:30, Air on ESPN+

BOONE, N.C. — App State Football’s home game against Liberty on Sept. 28 will have a 3:30 p.m. kickoff time and air on ESPN+, ESPN announced Monday.

The sold-out game during Family Weekend in Boone will also be a White Out game, with fans encouraged to wear white while cheering on the Mountaineers in Kidd Brewer Stadium.

The matchup between last year’s Sun Belt East Champions and Conference USA Champions will feature two of the nation’s most successful programs in recent years. Since 2019, App State is 10th nationally with 49 victories, one spot behind ninth-place Liberty, which has 50 wins in the same span.

The Flames took a 13-0 record into last season’s Fiesta Bowl and are 3-0 this season with wins against Campbell, New Mexico State and UTEP.

Aguilar Named Sun Belt’s Offensive Player of Week

BOONE, N.C. — After setting several career highs in App State Football’s 21-19 win at previously unbeaten East Carolina, quarterback Joey Aguilar has been named the Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week.

Aguilar threw for a career-high 424 yards and two touchdowns, including a 36-yard, go-ahead score to Makai Jackson late in the third quarter. His 32 completions and 47 pass attempts were also career highs.

The 424 passing yards set a record for a road performance by an App State QB and rank as the third-best total in program history, behind only the 433 yards from Armanti Edwards against South Carolina State in a 2008 playoff game and the 427 yards from Taylor Lamb against Coastal Carolina in 2017.

For the second time in three outings this season, he threw a touchdown pass to either tie a game or give his team the lead after topping the nation in that category with 15 such TD passes a year ago.

Aguilar also threw a 6-yard touchdown to tight end Eli Wilson and connected with Wilson on a two-point conversion in the second quarter to help the Mountaineers overcome an early 16-0 deficit.

Hopper Named PFF’s National Defensive Player of Week

BOONE, N.C. — App State Football’s Santana Hopper was named the national defensive player of the week by PFF College following his strong performance in a 21-19 victory at previously unbeaten East Carolina.

Hopper forced a fumble on a third-quarter sack and also stopped a run for no gain among his three tackles in the game. PFF credited him with three QB pressures and gave him a 94.5 run-defense grade.

ECU scored its only offensive touchdown on its first drive and had 110 yards of offense in the first quarter, but it managed only 214 yards the rest of the way. For the game, the Pirates gained 98 yards on 30 rushing attempts.