BOONE – Appalachian State leaned on its defense to win the home opener, grinding past Lindenwood 20-13 on Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Mountaineers set a program record with eight sacks, offsetting four turnovers by the offense and holding firm in a game many expected to be a blowout.
Tale of the Tape
The Mountaineers’ first play from scrimmage was a 72-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior quarterback AJ Swann to redshirt senior receiver Dalton Stroman.
Lindenwood’s first drive ended with an interception by redshirt junior DJ Burks. App State had the opportunity to capitalize on the turnover with a 48-yard deep ball, but Stroman fumbled at the goal line, giving it back to the Lions.
The defense held firm and the Mountaineers responded quickly. Swann threw his second touchdown, this time a 13-yard completion to junior Jaden Barnes. That gave App State a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Lindenwood opened the second quarter with a rushing touchdown from redshirt senior quarterback Nate Glantz. App State was able to get a hand on the PAT, making the score 14-6.
The rest of the quarter was uneventful as neither team could generate any offense. Lindenwood could not capitalize after an interception from redshirt senior defensive back Eric Gant.
Defenses controlled the third quarter, with freshman kicker Dominic De Freitas providing the only points on a Mountaineer field goal.
The Mountaineers opened the fourth quarter with another De Freitas field goal to extend their lead to 20-6. They were able to then force a punt and began driving down the field, but senior running back Rashod Dubinion fumbled, giving the ball back to the Lions.
𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿
➡️ https://t.co/SQnAm1hQMu#GoApp pic.twitter.com/Wvjegk5HsF — App State Football (@AppState_FB) September 7, 2025
Lindenwood mounted a drive into the redzone. On 4th and 14, Glantz ran from near the 20 to the 50-yard-line and threw a prayer into the end zone which was answered by redshirt freshman receiver Rico Bond, making the score 20-13 with 3:34 left in the ball game.
The Lions recovered the onside kick after it bounced off a Mountaineer. They drove to the 50-yard line but Glantz threw his second interception, this time to redshirt junior Elijah Mc-Cantos, sealing the victory for App State.
The win marked the first home victory for new head coach Dowell Loggains, who is now 2-0 overall, and it came in front of a sellout crowd of 34,921 — the seventh-largest in Kidd Brewer Stadium history.
Key Players for the Mountaineers
- Swann finished with 294 yards and 2 touchdowns. Despite giving up the interception, Swann played a steady game in his second start since joining App State from LSU.
- Dubinion had 25 carries for 194 yards and averaged 7.8 yards a carry – one of the best rushing performances in the state so far this season. The Mountaineers ran the ball a total of 33 rushing attempts and Dubinion had 25 of them, showing off his toughness in a hard fought win.
- Stroman finished with 3 receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown.
- Sophomore linebacker Colton Phares recorded a team high 8 tackles as well as a pass deflection.
Key Players for the Lions
- Glantz had 217 passing yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions. He also had a rushing touchdown, despite having negative 21 rushing yards.
- Bond led the Lions in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He recorded 7 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.
- Senior linebacker Sanjay Strickland anchored the Lion’s defense with 13 tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss.
Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers will take their first 2-0 start since 2019 into a hostile environment against Southern Miss on Saturday. Kickoff for App State’s first Sun Belt Conference game is set for 7 p.m.
Max Schwanz is the sports editor for The Appalachian, the student newspaper at Appalachian State University. A journalism major and digital marketing minor from Cornelius, N.C., you can find more of his work at The Appalachian.
