App State Football Team Had to Sleep in Hotel Hallways, Lobby After Win vs. Texas A&M

Appalachian State's celebration of its upset win over No. 6 Texas A&M did not last long before things turned into a nightmare.

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported mechanical issues with the team plane led to travel issues that delayed the Mountaineers' return home until Sunday.

Rather than fly home as triumphant victors, players had to sleep in the lobby and hallways of a hotel in College Station because rooms were all booked. The team wound up flying out of Texas at 4:30 a.m. ET and did not arrive back at campus until around 11 a.m.

A week after getting into a 63-61 shootout with North Carolina, Appalachian State utilized a ground-and-pound strategy to escape with a 17-14 win over Texas A&M. The Mountaineers offense controlled possession for more than 41 minutes, while the defense forced two critical Aggies turnovers.

The victory was the first against a Top 10 opponent since 2007 and just the third win over a ranked opponent in program history.

"The key was belief," Mountaineers coach Shawn Clark told reporters. "You have to believe in yourself and believe in this program. I told them take the logo off of the helmet, take the logo off the field and let's go play football."

While the travel issues put a damper on their Saturday night, it's likely players arrived Sunday morning to a hero's welcome. Videos of the student body taking to the streets in celebration went viral on social media, and it's unlikely those enthusiastic fans would allow their players to come home without the warmest possible reception.