GAME PREVIEW: App State Welcomes Winless But Battle-Tested Oregon State

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Appalachian State Football returns to Boone for Saturday’s home contest following an extensive journey to Boise State, but the Mountaineers’ visitors have traveled an even more considerable distance to reach the High Country.

Oregon State makes the trek from Corvallis, Oregon, covering more than 2,200 miles to face App State at Kidd Brewer Stadium, the farthest any opponent has ever journeyed to compete at The Rock. The venue, recognized as a top-25 stadium nationally, has hosted 13 consecutive sellout crowds and will welcome the Beavers for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff that closes the nonconference schedule in this first-ever meeting between the programs.

Current Form and Recent Results

The Mountaineers stand at 2-2 following their 2-0 start under first-year head coach Dowell Loggains. App State secured victories in their home opener against Lindenwood on September 6 before suffering consecutive road setbacks against Southern Miss and Boise State.

Oregon State arrives in Boone carrying an 0-5 record, though their winless mark requires context. The Beavers’ five opponents to date have combined for a remarkable 21-2 record: No. 2 Oregon (5-0), No. 11 Texas Tech (4-0), Houston (4-0), Cal (4-1), and Fresno State (4-1). This murderous early-season gauntlet has tested Oregon State against some of college football’s finest competition.

Beavers’ Narrow Misses

Despite their record, Oregon State has shown competitive ability in recent contests. The Beavers led Fresno State 27-26 with just one minute remaining before surrendering a go-ahead field goal and suffering an interception return for touchdown in the closing seconds. Last weekend against Houston, they commanded a 24-10 advantage midway through the fourth quarter before falling 27-24 in overtime.

First-year head coach Trent Bray, an Oregon State alumnus who spent nine seasons as a defensive assistant at his alma mater before assuming the head coaching position in 2024, has watched his team struggle with field goal execution, which could have resulted in higher offensive output this season.

“We’re going to have our hands full with this opponent,” Loggains acknowledged. “The good thing is we get them at home, in front of our home crowd, and I know what that’s going to look like with 25,000 rally towels being distributed. I know the energy our guys get from the Mountaineer Walk, going in the stadium and what it’s going to look like on Saturday. It’s going to give us a little more juice than we’ve had on the road, so we’re excited about being at home. Our guys know this is a good football team. They’re going to have to play really well and stop the self-inflicted things that have hurt us to this point.”

App State Offensive Challenges

Rashod Dubinion ranks fourth nationally at 128.3 rushing yards per game, anchoring an offense that ranked among the national passing leaders through three games. However, Boise State recently held the Mountaineers to just 65 passing yards on 12 completions from 28 attempts, exposing vulnerabilities in the aerial attack.

Turnovers have plagued App State with 11 giveaways across their last three contests, including three pick-six interception returns for touchdowns that have proven catastrophic to their chances of victory.

Oregon State Defensive Patterns

The Beavers’ defensive performance has varied significantly based on opponent quality. They surrendered nearly 600 yards in both games against top-15 ranked teams while limiting their other three opponents to under 360 yards. Cal and Houston managed fewer than 125 rushing yards against Oregon State, while Fresno State rushed for 197 yards but was restricted to just 121 passing yards.

Offensive Firepower from the Beavers

Oregon State features a familiar quarterback in 6-foot-5 redshirt junior Maalik Murphy, who began his collegiate career at Texas before going 9-3 as Duke’s starter in 2024. Murphy threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns against Fresno State, posted 281 yards against Texas State, and has exceeded 200 passing yards against every opponent except Oregon.

Senior running back Anthony Hankerson follows his 1,000-yard campaign in 2024 with an average of 60.4 yards per game in 2025, highlighted by his 136-yard performance against Fresno State. Redshirt freshman Cornell Hatcher Jr. contributed a team-high 93 yards on 17 carries last week against Houston, providing a complementary rushing threat.

App State Defensive Strengths

The Mountaineers continue ranking among national leaders with 9.3 tackles for loss per game, placing third at the FBS level, while ranking 13th by allowing just 84.3 rushing yards per game. Southern Miss and Boise State rushed for 110 and 152 yards respectively, but App State recorded nine tackles for loss against the Broncos, led by Joseph Bakhole’s 2.5.

While App State limited Boise State to 3.5 yards per rushing attempt, the Broncos found success through the air, completing 25 of 38 passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns.

“I like what our plan is,” Loggains said. “You study yourself and correct your mistakes. You have to continue to be creative and find ways when things aren’t going as well as you’d like them to with the pass rush. We just didn’t rush as well as we needed to last week, so we have to find creative ways to get home.”

Saturday’s home contest is a crucial opportunity for App State to correct their recent struggles while capitalizing on the advantage of competing before their passionate home crowd at The Rock.