Last Updated on November 15, 2026 7:33 am
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – App State came to Marshall needing a win to clinch bowl eligibility and left with a 20-16 victory Saturday night that carried extra historical weight.
The Mountaineers had lost four straight games at Joan C. Edwards Stadium since last winning there in 1995, when the longtime rivals were Southern Conference opponents at the FCS level. App State (6-4, 3-3 Sun Belt) reached its sixth win with two games left in the regular season, securing a 10th bowl appearance. Marshall fell to 5-5 overall and 2-4 in league play. The Mountaineers host ULM next weekend in Boone.
A defense that produced first-half takeaways and second-half stops carried App State, along with a running game that found its footing at the right time. Marshall had a chance to go up 20-3 late in the first half, but Juan Berchal forced a fumble at the 1-yard line that bounced through the end zone for a touchback. App State answered with a half-ending field goal, then opened the third quarter with a 15-play, seven-minute touchdown drive that tied the game at 13.
Marshall regained the lead on a field goal, but quarterback Henry Hasselbeck scored his second rushing touchdown of the half on a 37-yard run through the left side, giving the Mountaineers their first lead of the night with 12:55 remaining.
The defense then closed the door. After limiting Marshall to three short field goals, App State stopped the Thundering Herd on fourth-and-1 runs from its own 34-yard line with 10:48 left and from the App State 19 with 3:11 remaining. Marshall got the ball back one more time, but a fourth-and-5 pass from near midfield with 1:12 to go fell incomplete.
Running game
Jaquari Lewis carried 23 times for 137 yards before leaving the game after the first play of the fourth quarter. Hasselbeck added nine carries for 43 yards and his first two rushing touchdowns of the season. The Mountaineers finished with 186 rushing yards even though only one of their opening-game offensive line starters, playing a different spot, was in the starting lineup.
Malachi Singleton threw for 131 yards, including 89 on five catches by Sam Pickett III, who made several chain-moving grabs. Singleton completed a third-and-9 pass to Pickett for 26 yards on the touchdown drive that tied the game, and a third-and-13 completion to him for 15 yards early in the fourth quarter.
Defense
Besides Berchal’s forced fumble, Colton Phares knocked the ball loose on a first-half run, and Ricky Lolohea recovered it at the Marshall 47, setting up a 31-yard field goal by James London. Carson Sloan led the team with 13 tackles, followed by Phares with 12. Caleb Sandstrom and Jehchys Brown each had a sack.
Marshall’s Daytione Smith intercepted a pass on the Mountaineers’ third play and returned it 12 yards to the App State 16, but the defense held the Thundering Herd to a field goal. Marshall’s new starting quarterback, Khalil Wilkins, left the game with an injury on that series, and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson returned to the lineup for the rest of the night.
Late in the game, Marshall ran a fake punt on fourth-and-4 from its own 34, and punter Cooper Heimbach hit Sherone White Jr. for a 25-yard gain to the App State 41. The Mountaineers stopped Marshall short again on fourth-and-1 from the App State 19, and the defense held once more after App State punted with two minutes left.
By the numbers
Scoring: Marshall led 3-3 after one quarter and 13-6 at halftime. App State got a 31-yard London field goal in the first quarter, another as the first half ended, and Hasselbeck touchdown runs of 1 and 37 yards. Marshall’s touchdown came on a 2-yard run by TJ Lester. Attendance at Joan C. Edwards Stadium was 23,675.
