Troy led App State by four points with 25 seconds left and had a fourth down deep in their own territory. Instead of punting, Troy took an intentional safety to avoid a turnover and kill some clock. That gave App State two points and a shot to win with a field goal. Then they squib-kicked it, which burned some time but gave App State decent field position. On the ensuing drive, chaos followed. App State had multiple chances but kept dropping passes, including near-interceptions and missed sideline throws. With two seconds left and facing fourth down, App State launched a deep Hail Mary. The ball bounced through traffic and landed in receiver Christian Horn’s hands, who took it the rest of the way for the game-winning touchdown.
The home crowd at App State lost it. Fans rushed the field, players celebrated wildly, and even the ball boys started tossing footballs in the air. One fan jumped the fence too early and had to scramble back before knocking it over with the crowd. Some players stayed back to avoid the chaos. Troy players looked stunned. One was seen crying while the rest tried to process how the game slipped away. The play will go down as another improbable App State win and a collapse for Troy, who helped hand them the game with poor decisions and missed tackles on the final play.