JJ Kohl’s first collegiate start produced a huge victory for the Appalachian State football team.
The former Ankeny and Iowa State quarterback passed for one touchdown and ran for another to help the Mountaineers to a 27-23 win over Oregon State before a crowd of 35,021 on Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, N.C.
“It was very emotional,” said Kohl, a redshirt sophomore who spent his first two seasons in Ames before transferring to App State. “I feel like it’s been a lot of seasons of waiting (to play). I think there’s been times where I’ve been praying to be in this situation where I’m at. I just want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to play today, and I want to thank everybody in this organization for believing in me and putting me out there to play. I couldn’t be more grateful for today and how the game ended. I’m just so thankful and blessed. It feels good to get a win.”
Kohl completed 13-of-28 passes for 218 yards. He ran seven times for 17 yards, including a 6-yard scoring run in the first quarter to give App State a 10-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Kohl fired a 28-yard touchdown pass to Davion Dozier to make it 24-14. Four of his completions went to Dozier, including one for 68 yards.
“I think they’re all studs, and they’re an unselfish group,” Kohl said of the App State receivers. “They don’t care who gets the credit or who scores the touchdowns. They all just want to win, and that’s what the team wants. I’m glad we got the win today.”
Kohl got a lot of support from the Mountaineers’ running game, which racked up 162 yards on the ground.
“I think we kind of leaned more on our running game, and I think our guys up front were killing it,” Kohl said. “Our running backs were killing it, and our receivers and tight ends blocking were killing it. They did a great job today.”
The Mountaineers (3-2) held a 27-21 lead when Colton Phares intercepted a pass in the end zone on third-and-goal early in the fourth quarter.
The Beavers got the ball back, though, and drove for a first down at the App State 3 before being stuffed on four straight runs from Anthony Hankerson.
Oregon State (0-6) had all three of its timeouts left as App State took possession with 1:49 left, so the Mountaineers weren’t going to be able to run out the clock without a first down, bringing the possibility of an intentional safety into play.
Disaster nearly struck when the Beavers forced a fumble on a second-down carry. With the ball unclaimed in the end zone, Kohl jumped on it to prevent Oregon State from scoring a go-ahead touchdown.
“I just saw the ball, and I was going to put my body on the line for the team,” Kohl said. “Just had to give this team a chance to go win the game. I just saw the ball and instincts kicked in, and I jumped on the ball.”
Instead, the Mountaineers allowed an unintentional safety that still left them with a four-point lead and the ability to execute a free kick from the 20-yard line rather than a punt from their own end zone.
The Beavers quickly moved into scoring range and had a first down at the App State 25 before Rondo Porter’s sack for a 13-yard loss backed up Oregon State with 25 seconds left. Maalik Murphy hit standout receiver Trent Walker in stride on a crossing route in front of App State’s bench, but Juan Berchal jarred the ball loose by delivering a hit to Walker’s chest.
The ball popped into the air, and Zyeir Gamble bobbled it four times before securing a game-sealing interception.
“That was a very good team,” Kohl said of the Beavers. “Obviously, their record doesn’t do justice to how good they are. That was a big win for us, and it was awesome to see us play team football.”
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. It was the 13th straight sellout at The Rock and the sixth-largest crowd in stadium history.
“Today, we showed what this place is about and who these kids are,” first-year head coach Dowell Loggains said. “They played with all their heart.”
Kohl engineered scoring drives in each of his first three drives in his starting debut.
“I didn’t think the moment was too big for me. I was composed,” Kohl said. “There’s a couple plays I’d like back, for sure. But I feel like that’s the way every game is.”