Texas A&M Football: What you need to know about Appalachian State

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Sep 3, 2022; Boone, North Carolina, USA; Appalachian State Mountaineers defensive back Nick Ross (4) brings down North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver Kobe Paysour (8) during the second half at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /

Defense preview

After allowing 63 points to North Carolina, the defense doesn’t look like something to be too worried about. Don’t get me wrong, the UNC offense deserves a ton of credit, but the Mountaineer defense looked completely overmatched almost all game.

To start, there’s a clear star of the defensive front, and that’s edge rusher Nick Hampton. Hampton started out the season with five tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble against the Tar Heels. A couple other players who played well in Week 1 to watch out for are linebacker Trey Cobb and defensive lineman Jordon Earle.

Getting early live look at @AppState_FB LB Nick Hampton is important for @seniorbowl so we can see how much weight his long frame (34” arms) can hold since he was only in mid-220’s last spring. @nickhampton92 was one of only five players w/ more than 10 sacks & 15 TFL in 2021. pic.twitter.com/DQVijFiWuE
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) September 3, 2022

The secondary was bad. It’s pretty easy to say when you allow over 350 passing yards and 5 total touchdowns against Drake Maye. As far as particular players to look out for next week, senior cornerback had a Week 1 to forget, but up to that point, he was regarded as the Mountaineers’ top corner, recording five interceptions last season.