Last Updated on October 10, 2026 7:58 pm
BOONE, N.C. — With heavy rains and gusty winds from Hurricane Isaias turning App State Football’s conference opener into a defensive slugfest, Old Dominion gave up a third-quarter field goal to the Mountaineers before using a safety, touchdown and two-point conversion to pull out a 10-3 victory Saturday.
A sold-out Homecoming Saturday, with recognition of the 2006 national championship team included, was on tap at Kidd Brewer Stadium prior to the storm’s movement through the High Country. A crowd of 27,011 braved tough elements that included gusts of nearly 30 mph.
The Mountaineers (3-2, 0-1 Sun Belt) had three defensive takeaways thanks to interceptions from cornerback Juan Berchal and safety Devin Henderson, who also contributed to an Aaron Clark fumble recovery by alertly swatting a loose ball back into the field of play while tip-toeing the sideline.
ODU (2-4, 1-2) missed field goals of 41 and 39 yards during a scoreless opening half, the first in an App State game since its 17-3 home victory against Georgia State in 2016, and James London capped a 59-yard scoring drive to begin the second half with a 34-yard field goal.
Immediately after Berchal intercepted a deep third-and-long throw at the App State 6 to end ODU’s next drive, an unsuccessful snap led to an end-zone recovery for a safety that cut the Mountaineers’ lead to 3-2. ODU’s first drive of the fourth quarter was a nine-play, 65-yard touchdown march that included a 17-yard completion on an early third-and-6 snap and Devin Roche’s bounce-to-the-outside run for 32 yards on a third-and-3 carry from the 37.
Three plays later, on a third-and-goal play from the 2, Maurki James scored on a run up the middle, and a successful two-point pass gave the Monarchs a 10-3 lead that held up.
Clark, Caleb Sandstrom, Colton Phares and Kaden Ellis contributed to three first-half sacks by App State’s defense, which allowed 304 yards on 81 offensive plays (61 of them rushes) from ODU, which finished with 38:50 in possession time. App State totaled 158 offensive yards on 55 plays, with the Mountaineers gaining 92 yards on 28 rushing attempts and completing seven of their 27 pass attempts.
App State is back in action Friday for a nationally televised game at Coastal Carolina.
Joe Reddish blocked a three-and-out punt after ODU elected to receive to begin the game, giving the Mountaineers possession at the Monarchs’ 36, but a fourth-and-5 incompletion from the 31 was as close as they got to scoring in the first half.
App State’s other six drives in the half ended with five straight punts and one final-minute interception immediately after a late defensive takeaway by the Mountaineers. Unable to advance past the ODU 47 in that stretch, App State headed to the break with 60 offensive yards and four first downs.
The Monarchs had more success moving the ball but missed the two relatively short field goals in the first 20 minutes. In addition to App State’s first-half sacks, the defense received a boost with Henderson playing big roles in two forced turnovers in the final 30 seconds of the half.
Quinn Henicle was scrambling toward the right sideline on a first-down play from the 50 when Ja’Den McBurrows upended the dual-threat quarterback, who was airborne when Aiden Benton followed the initial contact with a chest shot that popped the ball straight into the air as Henicle fell into the sideline. Alertly, a nearby Henderson reached up with his left hand, kept his feet in bounds and swatted the ball back toward the playing field, leading to a recovery by Clark.
Old Dominion intercepted a downfield throw on the next play, returning the ball to the App State 42 with 11 seconds remaining before halftime, and the half ended when Henderson intercepted a second-and-10 attempt at a Hail Mary throw.
App State amassed 59 yards of offense on its first second-half drive, with Malachi Singleton’s 25-yard completion to Jamel Howse pushing the ball to the ODU 35 and Jaquari Lewis accounting for 27 of the 34 yards that resulted from six team rushes. London drilled a field goal with 11:41 left in the third quarter to produce the first points of the day.
App State didn’t score again. After falling behind in the fourth quarter, it netted one first down on the next drive before Jaxson Dunn flipped the field by delivering a 66-yard punt to the ODU 7. The Mountaineers took over near midfield following a three-and-out stop but lost a fumble on a third-and-14 keeper that gained 8 yards.
App State produced another three-and-out stop to regain possession at its own 20 with 1:51 remaining. Henry Hasselbeck had runs of 8 and 14 yards to produce a first down at the App State 41, but a first-down sack put the Mountaineers behind the chains, and the Monarchs intercepted a fourth-and-6 throw to seal a road victory.
