App State Football: Aguilar, Ross Credit Preparation For Rainy Cure Bowl Victory

Take a dive into 2023 Cure Bowl champion Appalachian State's postgame press conference

ORLANDO FL - The Appalachian State Mountaineers took down the Miami (OH) RedHawks by a final score of 13-9 to win the 2023 Cure Bowl. App State head coach Shawn Clark, free safety Nick Ross and quarterback Joey Aguilar all spoke after the game.

Aguilar finished the night throwing for 197 yards, completing 18 of 32 passes. He alsu rushed for the Mountaineers' only touchdown of the game. He was named the game's MVP.

"It doesn't really have much to do with me," said Aguilar. "I just get the ball to the receivers and they make the rest of the plays. The rain is not much of a factor for us. We practice with snow, rain, cold, wind all in one day, and it's sunny, so the rain is just another factor for us to just have fun and get wet."

Even with the rain, Aguilar still stayed true to the pass game and threw the ball 32 times, where he was able to connect with seven players, most notably Kaedin Robinson who ended the night with nine receptions for 118 yards.

"We just wanted to stay true to ourselves," said Aguilar. "The weather is going to be however the weather is going to be, we can't control that. At practice, we are throwing in the rain, we're dumping football's in buckets of water, making them even more wet. Our practice really helped us prepare for the weathers like this."

Ross, a senior, was the first Mountaineer to recover a fumble on Saturday. He also ended the night with 10 total tackles. Ross also was with the Mountaineers when they won bowl games in 2019 and 2020.

"It means everything to leave out a champion," said Ross. "I come to App State to compete for championships. Leaving out a champion means everything to me."

Ross was also asked about the weather and how being able to cause the early turnovers helped them throughout the game. App State's defensive performance cause Miami's pair of inexperienced redshirt sophomore quarterbacks to struggle.

"We just prepared how we prepare for any other week," said Ross. "We don't take anybody lightly, so we prepare as if the third string quarterback is the first string quarterback. We came to practice ready to work."

App State finish the 2023 season with a 9-5 record and their second bowl win under Shawn Clark.