In front of a large contingent of App State faithful, the Appalachian State football team put on arguably its best showing of the spring this past Saturday. While the defense won the day at last week's scrimmage, it was the offense that flashed its potential on Mountaineer Day.
“It was definitely a better day than we had last Saturday for sure,” center Noah Hannon said. “I fully believe in what Coach (Eliah Drinkwitz) Drink’s installing here and you know it’s just our job to go out there and run it. We’re trying to learn it, get better at it, and build the foundation.”
Unlike the past two scrimmages, the offense wasted little time finding the end zone Saturday as it scored on the first play when quarterback Zac Thomas found Malik Williams for a short touchdown throw. The offense was able to string together some nice drives on the day and head coach Eliah Drinkwitz believes a large part of the success is simply repetition.
“Just continuity,” he said. “Doing the same thing over and over again and getting better results. I think our guys are getting more comfortable in our schemes. When you’re comfortable you get to play fast and cut it loose, you’re not thinking as much and so you could see some of that today.”
Long known for his breakout speed, receiver Jalen Virgil put on a display of explosiveness in what was the biggest run on the day.
“Something that’s showed up this spring is how explosive he can be,” Drinkwitz said. “And so we’re trying to find creative ways besides just throwing him the football to get him the football.”
In addition to the touchdowns by Williams and Virgil, the offense would strike three other times on the day as Darrynton Evans, Jacob Huesman, and Tanner Wilson ran for touchdowns.
While the entire team has improved, Coach Drinkwitz noted several players on the defensive side who stood out during the past month.
“I think the outside linebackers have really stood out to me,” he said. “Nick Hampton has really had a good spring, strong spring. He’s been a dominant force at the boundary bandit position. Noel Cook’s a really good player at that position, too. And then at the field position Akeem (Davis-Gaither) and Brendan Harrington have been battling and it’s always good to see a true freshman come in and play. On defense there’s been some really nice development.”
Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof reiterated Drinkwitz’s thoughts.
“I think we’ve made some strides,” the former head coach at Duke said. “We’ve certainly improved, and I think the biggest area we’ve improved on is our pass coverage from where we started this spring, understanding concepts and some different things that we’ve installed, and I think we’ve certainly made some strides in that regard.”
Perhaps the best moment of not only the day but the entire spring came when it was announced punter Clayton Howell was awarded a scholarship. His teammates came running to congratulate the sophomore and hoisted him on their shoulders as the fans in attendance cheered.
“It was just the best feeling in the world,” Howell said. “I put so much effort and time into this, and it’s just coming together all in one moment, all my teammates rushing to congratulate me. We’re such a big family here. It’s a moment I will never forget. It was awesome.”
