App State has been known to go into hostile territory and take down FBS teams in the past.

In 2019 they went on the road and beat both North and South Carolina and who can forget when they went to the Big House in 2007 and pulled off the stunner.

With the Mountaineers visiting Death Valley this Saturday (8pm/ACCN) as a 16.5-point underdog, head coach Shawn Clark’s team will be looking to pull off another massive upset. To have any shot of achieving that goal, Clark said it starts with neutralizing the Tigers’ defensive front.

“This week presents a huge challenge for us,” Clark said at his weekly press conference on Monday. “You watch the Georgia game from this past Saturday when Clemson played Georgia and their front four are some of the best we’ve played since I’ve been here as a position coach or head coach. They have four first round draft picks and they bring in the second unit and there is not much drop off.”

Another obstacle that must be overcome is the raucous atmosphere that comes with playing a night game in Clemson. However, Clark is confident his team can handle playing on the big stage.

“It’s going to be a hostile environment, one of the best atmospheres in all of college football,” Clark added. “They have a very passionate fan base like ours. We’ve been in these situations before so the moment won’t be too big for our players.”

The Tigers will come in fresh off a 34-3 drubbing at the hands of top-ranked Georgia, while App State disposed of ETSU 38-10 in its season-opener.

Mountaineers QB Joey Aguilar threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns in the win with Devontae Houston adding another 176 on the ground. While Clark readily admits this matchup presents his team with a huge challenge, his players are going in with the goal of winning. To do that he insists the approach must be the same as it was last week, with his team not placing any added pressure on themselves due to the magnitude of the matchup.

“This game is not going to be any bigger than the ETSU game,” Clark said. “We have a job at hand. We have to prepare our very best to have a chance to win. Our coaches are excited and our kids will be ready to play.”

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