# 2022 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team

The 2022 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers were led by third-year head coach Shawn Clark. Appalachian State played their home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium on the school's Boone, North Carolina, campus, and competed as a member of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference.
The Mountaineers finished the season 6–6, going 3–5 in Sun Belt play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference's East Division. Despite finishing the season with 6 wins, the Mountaineers were not bowl eligible as two of their wins came against FCS opponents.

## Preseason
### Coaching changes

On February 9, 2022, offensive coordinator Frank Ponce was hired as the quarterbacks coach for the Miami Hurricanes. On February 21, Kevin Barbay was hired to be the Mountaineers' new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Barbay previously served in the same role for the Central Michigan Chippewas.

### Media poll

The Sun Belt media days were held on July 25 and 26. The Mountaineers were predicted to finish in first place in the Sun Belt's East Division. Appalachian State also received 10-of-14 first place votes.
Media poll (East Division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Appalachian State | 94 (10) |
| 2 | Coastal Carolina | 77 (2) |
| 3 | Georgia State | 68 (1) |
| 4 | Marshall | 62 |
| 5 | Georgia Southern | 35 (1) |
| 6 | James Madison | 31 |
| 7 | Old Dominion | 25 |

### Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference teams
## Schedule

All conference games were announced March 1, 2022.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 12:00 p.m. | North Carolina* | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPNU | L 61–63 | 40,168 |
| September 10 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 6 Texas A&M* | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX | ESPN2 | W 17–14 | 92,664 |
| September 17 | 3:30 p.m. | Troy | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC (College GameDay) | ESPN+ | W 32–28 | 34,406 |
| September 24 | 3:30 p.m. | James Madison | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | L 28–32 | 33,248 |
| October 1 | 3:30 p.m. | The Citadel* | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | W 49–0 | 30,789 |
| October 8 | 7:00 p.m. | at Texas State | Bobcat StadiumSan Marcos, TX | ESPN+ | L 24–36 | 25,613 |
| October 19 | 7:30 p.m. | Georgia State | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN2 | W 42–17 | 31,757 |
| October 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Robert Morris* | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | W 42–3 | 32,501 |
| November 3 | 7:30 p.m. | at Coastal Carolina | Brooks StadiumConway, SC | ESPN | L 28–35 | 21,224 |
| November 12 | 3:30 p.m. | at Marshall | Joan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, WV (rivalry) | ESPN+ | L 21–28 | 24,312 |
| November 19 | 2:30 p.m. | Old Dominion | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | W 27–14 | 32,096 |
| November 26 | 6:00 p.m. | at Georgia Southern | Paulson StadiumStatesboro, GA (rivalry) | ESPN+ | L 48–51 $^{2OT}$ | 18,683 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) – Released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### North Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tar Heels | 7 | 21 | 13 | 22 | 63 |
| Mountaineers | 14 | 7 | 0 | 40 | 61 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina
* Date: September 3
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 73 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 40,168
* Referee: Jerry Magallanes
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Mark Neely, Charles Arbuckle and Dana Boyle
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | UNC | APP |
| First downs | 30 | 38 |
| Total yards | 567 | 649 |
| Rushing yards | 215 | 288 |
| Passing yards | 352 | 361 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 27:57 | 32:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| North Carolina | Passing | Drake Maye | 24/36, 352 yards, 4 TD |
| North Carolina | Rushing | Caleb Hood | 6 rushes, 87 yards |
| North Carolina | Receiving | Kobe Paysour | 8 receptions, 92 yards, TD |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 25/36, 361 yards, 6 TD, INT |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Nate Noel | 14 rushes, 116 yards, 2 TD |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Dashaun Davis | 6 receptions, 72 yards, TD |

### At No. 6 Texas A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| No. 6 Aggies | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT / 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 86 °F (30 °C)
* Game attendance: 92,664
* Referee: Steve Marlow
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Anish Shroff, Brock Osweiler and Taylor McGregor
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | APP | TAMU |
| First downs | 22 | 9 |
| Total yards | 315 | 186 |
| Rushing yards | 181 | 89 |
| Passing yards | 134 | 97 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 41:29 | 18:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 15/30, 134 yards, TD |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Camerun Peoples | 19 rushes, 112 yards |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Dashaun Davis | 4 receptions, 39 yards |
| Texas A&M | Passing | Haynes King | 13/20, 97 yards |
| Texas A&M | Rushing | De’Von Achane | 10 rushes, 66 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M | Receiving | Evan Stewart | 5 receptions, 48 yards |
This was Appalachian State's first win over an AP Top 10 team since a 34–32 victory over Michigan in 2007.

### Troy

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Mountaineers | 7 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 32 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 34,406
* Referee: Jeremy Parker
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Jackson and Avery Hall
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TROY | APP |
| First downs | 25 | 23 |
| Total yards | 359 | 456 |
| Rushing yards | 57 | 161 |
| Passing yards | 302 | 295 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 27:52 | 32:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 23/37, 302 yards, INT |
| Troy | Rushing | D. K. Billingsley | 6 rushes, 38 yards, TD |
| Troy | Receiving | Deshon Stoudemire | 6 receptions, 70 yards |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 22/34, 287 yards, 2 TD |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Camerun Peoples | 17 rushes, 84 yards |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Christian Horn | 5 receptions, 98 yards, TD |
College GameDay traveled to Boone, North Carolina for the first time.
The two teams went back and forth for most of the game, with the largest lead being only 7 points. The Trojans took a 28–24 lead early in the 4th quarter, a score that would stand for almost ten minutes. On their second-to-last offensive drive, the Mountaineers marched down to the Trojans' 2-yard line, but could not convert on 4th down and turned the ball over on downs. Troy could not pick up a 1st down and decided to go for it on 4th. On 4th down, Trojan quarterback Gunnar Watson intentionally ran out of his own end zone for a safety. On the kickoff, Ahmani Marshall returned the kick to the Mountaineers' 47-yard line with just 0:15 left to play. On the final play of the game, Chase Brice threw a Hail Mary pass that Troy's defense tried to knock down, but Christian Horn caught the deflected pass and ran it in for the game-winning touchdown.

### James Madison

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 3 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 32 |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina
* Date: September 24
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 67 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 33,248
* Referee: Trennins Livingston
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Jackson and Avery Hall
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | JMU | APP |
| First downs | 19 | 15 |
| Total yards | 376 | 298 |
| Rushing yards | 172 | 63 |
| Passing yards | 204 | 235 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:28 | 26:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Todd Centeio | 16/28, 204 yards, 2 TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | Kaelon Black | 18 rushes, 85 yards, TD |
| James Madison | Receiving | Reggie Brown | 4 receptions, 81 yards |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 17/28, 235 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Ahmani Marshall | 8 rushes, 40 yards |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Dashaun Davis | 3 receptions, 57 yards |

### The Citadel

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mountaineers | 14 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Rain, 50 °F (10 °C)
* Game attendance: 30,789
* Referee: Javarro Edwards
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Jackson and Avery Hall
Statistics
| Statistics | CIT | APP |
| First downs | 13 | 21 |
| Total yards | 223 | 545 |
| Rushing yards | 172 | 247 |
| Passing yards | 51 | 298 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 39:51 | 20:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| The Citadel | Passing | Peyton Derrick | 2/7, 45 yards, 1 INT |
| The Citadel | Rushing | Sam Llewellyn | 10 carries, 41 yards |
| The Citadel | Receiving | Jay Graves-Billips | 2 receptions, 42 yards |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 12/18, 265 yards, 4 TD |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Camerun Peoples | 4 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Christian Horn | 3 receptions 132 yards, 2 TD |

### At Texas State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
| Bobcats | 7 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 36 |
at Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, Texas
* Date: October 8
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT / 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 25,613
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Brant Freeman, Keith Moreland, Koral Riggs
Statistics
| Statistics | APP | TXST |
| First downs | 20 | 22 |
| Total yards | 436 | 334 |
| Rushing yards | 41 | 53 |
| Passing yards | 395 | 281 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 27:21 | 32:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 40/53, 395 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Nate Noel | 5 carries, 19 yards |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Dalton Stroman | 5 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD |
| Texas State | Passing | Layne Hatcher | 26/36, 281 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Texas State | Rushing | Lincoln Pare | 20 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD |
| Texas State | Receiving | Ashtyn Hawkins | 6 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD |

### Georgia State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 14 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 42 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Clear
* Game attendance: 31,757
* Referee: Ted Pitts
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Drew Carter, Aaron Murray, Marilyn Payne
Statistics
| Statistics | GAST | APP |
| First downs | 20 | 26 |
| Total yards | 301 | 466 |
| Rushing yards | 228 | 404 |
| Passing yards | 73 | 62 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 23:26 | 36:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia State | Passing | Darren Grainger | 9/23, 73 yards, 1 INT |
| Georgia State | Rushing | Darren Grainger | 19 carries, 100 yards, 1 TD |
| Georgia State | Receiving | Ahmon Green | 2 receptions, 24 yards |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 7/17, 62 yards |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Camerun Peoples | 23 carries, 168 yards, 2 TD |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Henry Pearson | 1 reception, 31 yards |

### Robert Morris

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colonials | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Mountaineers | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina
* Date: October 29
* Game weather: Clear
* Game attendance: 32,501
* Referee: Javarro Edwards
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Jackson, Avery Hall
Statistics
| Statistics | RMU | APP |
| First downs | 7 | 29 |
| Total yards | 148 | 512 |
| Rushing yards | 78 | 287 |
| Passing yards | 70 | 225 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:37 | 31:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Robert Morris | Passing | Anthony Chiccitt | 10/27, 70 yards, 1 INT |
| Robert Morris | Rushing | Alijah Jackson | 11 carries, 36 yards |
| Robert Morris | Receiving | Demonte Martin | 1 reception, 37 yards |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 17/23, 185 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Nate Noel | 5 carries, 88 yards |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Dashaun Davis | 3 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD |

### At Coastal Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mountaineers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Chanticleers | 14 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
at Brooks Stadium, Conway, South Carolina
* Date: November 3
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 21,224
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Barrie, Louis Riddick, Harry Lyles Jr.
Statistics
| Statistics | APP | CCU |
| First downs | 16 | 23 |
| Total yards | 367 | 476 |
| Rushing yards | 88 | 192 |
| Passing yards | 279 | 284 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:04 | 37:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 19/28, 279 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Nate Noel | 6 carries, 31 yards |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Christian Horn | 4 receptions, 57 yards |
| Coastal Carolina | Passing | Grayson McCall | 18/26, 253 yards, 2 TD |
| Coastal Carolina | Rushing | Jared Brown | 3 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD |
| Coastal Carolina | Receiving | Sam Pickney | 4 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD |

### At Marshall

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Thundering Herd | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, West Virginia
* Date: November 12
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 24,312
* Referee: Jeremy Parker
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Chad Bush (play-by-play), Doug Chapman (analyst)
* Pregame line: Appalachian State –2.0
Statistics
| Statistics | APP | MRSH |
| First downs | 17 | 17 |
| Total yards | 293 | 341 |
| Rushing yards | 116 | 121 |
| Passing yards | 177 | 220 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 31:46 | 28:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 15/34, 177 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Nate Noel | 18 carries, 72 yards |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Christian Horn | 4 receptions, 66 yards |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 16/28, 225 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Khalan Laborn | 18 carries, 53 yards, 1 TD |
| Marshall | Receiving | Charles Montgomery | 5 receptions, 109 yards |

### Old Dominion

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Monarchs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Mountaineers | 10 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina
* Date: November 19
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 32,096
* Referee: Ted Pitts
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Jackson, Avery Hall
Statistics
| Statistics | ODU | APP |
| First downs | 20 | 24 |
| Total yards | 394 | 498 |
| Rushing yards | 86 | 207 |
| Passing yards | 308 | 291 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 27:18 | 32:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 22/37, 308 yards, 2 TD |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 10 carries, 69 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Javon Harvey | 4 receptions, 133 yards, 2 TD |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 15/21, 291 yards, 2 TD |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Ahmani Marshall | 19 carries, 137 yards, 1 TD |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Kaedin Robinson | 3 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD |

### At Georgia Southern

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Mountaineers | 6 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 48 |
| Eagles | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 51 |
at Paulson Stadium, Statesboro, Georgia
* Date: November 26
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 18,683
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Danny Waugh, Cole Neely, Emily Grace McWhorter
Statistics
| Statistics | APP | GASO |
| First downs | 25 | 27 |
| Total yards | 629 | 487 |
| Rushing yards | 376 | 102 |
| Passing yards | 253 | 385 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 32:33 | 27:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 15/26, 253 yards |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Nate Noel | 12 carries, 171 yards, 3 TD |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Christian Horn | 2 receptions, 55 yards |
| Georgia Southern | Passing | Kyle Vantrease | 34/51, 385 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Georgia Southern | Rushing | AJ Brown | 14 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD |
| Georgia Southern | Receiving | Jeremy Singleton | 10 receptions, 133 yards |

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Consecutive season at Appalachian State |
| Shawn Clark | Head coach | 3rd |
| Kevin Barbay | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach | 1st |
| Justin Watts | Assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator/tight ends coach | 7th |
| Dale Jones | Defensive coordinator/Inside Linebackers coach | 3rd |
| Lawrence Dawsey | Wide Receivers coach | 1st |
| Mark DeBastiani | Outside linebackers coach | 2nd |
| Brian Haines | Special Teams coordinator/running backs coach | 2nd |
| David Lockwood | Safeties coach | 2nd |
| Robert Nunn | Defensive line coach | 3rd |
| Geep Wade | Offensive line coach | 1st |
| Rod West | Cornerbacks coach | 2nd |
| Brad Bielaniec | Director of athletic performance | 3rd |