BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State erased a second-half deficit in each of its first four league victories. In closing a championship run with three straight Sun Belt wins, the Mountaineers fell behind twice despite outscoring their opponents 121-30.
When adversity inevitably strikes, defensive coordinator
Nate Woody feels fortunate to have linebacker
Devan Stringer on his side.
The Dollar General Bowl against Toledo on Saturday night in Mobile, Ala., will be the final game for a successful, program-changing senior class that includes the energetic, highly respected Stringer, who is expected to make his 43rd career start after missing three midseason games because of an injury. He still earned a spot on one of the All-Sun Belt teams following a vote of league coaches and media members.
"When you're playing football, there are some points in the game where the tide turns against you — there's no such thing as a perfect defense," Woody said. "There's always a challenge. Sometimes when the momentum starts going against you, you have to find a way to turn it back around. You need the right kind of attitude — you can't just depend on luck.
"That kind of attitude comes from Devan. Whether it's a play or two or a drive or two, he's a guy that gets everybody believing that they can."
Stringer has recorded 213 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks as a four-year starter who has appeared in 45 games. He ranks seventh on the 2017 team with 45 tackles despite sitting out the games against Coastal Carolina, UMass and ULM.
App State lost the last two of those games even though sophomore
Akeem Davis-Gaither performed well in Stringer's absence, posting eight solo tackles among his 10 stops during a 52-45 loss in Monroe, La.
With Stringer back in the lineup for wins against Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Louisiana, the Mountaineers allowed an average of only 284.0 total yards per game, and he tied for the team lead with nine tackles in Atlanta. The Ragin' Cajuns needed only 50 seconds to complete a three-play, 75-yard touchdown drive at the beginning of the Senior Day finale in Kidd Brewer Stadium, but App State held a 56-7 lead in the fourth quarter.
"I just have tried to do the same thing I always do — play hard, bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm, keep the guys hyped up," Stringer said. "When your backs are against the wall during a game, be that vocal voice out there to say, 'Hey, let's go. Pick it up.' Little things like that, you never know the difference it can have.
"We're just having fun, flying around. The last few games, we've played really well from start to finish and brought App State football from the jump, not try to turn it up when we're down."
After appearing as a reserve in the first three games of his true freshman season, Stringer missed two straight games because of an upper-body injury. His return coincided with a first career start against Liberty, an overtime loss that left the Mountaineers with a 1-5 record in their FBS debut, and Stringer made 39 consecutive starts as App State bounced back to author one of the best FCS-to-FBS transitions in history.
With his speed in pursuing running backs, his abilities in pass coverage and his vocal leadership, he's been a valuable asset as an outside linebacker in Woody's 3-4 scheme.
"I've never seen him when he doesn't have a smile on his face," Woody said. "You can get on him, and he's still so positive. He takes coaching really well and is a smart football player."
Stringer remained upbeat when he was sidelined during the middle of his senior season. Unable to dress out on gamedays, he could often be seen going out of his way to shake a young fan's hand or pose for a picture, even when the Mountaineers were on the road and the request came from someone connected to that day's opponent.
A native of Gainesville, Ga., Stringer returned just in time for App State's closing push toward a title, as he moved back into the starting lineup against a heated rival from Statesboro, Ga., and recorded his season high for tackles in Atlanta.
"Just being out there with my teammates, that's what I missed the most about not playing," Stringer said. "Whether we were winning or the two losses we had, I wanted to be out there with my guys and go through it with them. It was painful to have to sit on the sideline and watch it happen without being able to do anything about it.
"Any chance I get to play the game of football is a blessing to me. Being able to do it with my family and my brothers, it's meant everything to me to be able to come back and finish up strong."
