BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State has played Coastal Carolina three times in the last 12 years, and Saturday will be their first matchup as Sun Belt Conference foes.
The Mountaineers (4-2, 3-0) are in first place heading into their Family Weekend home game against Coastal (1-5, 0-3). A big crowd is expected for the 3:30 p.m. kickoff in Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Here's a closer look at the Chanticleers:
Coastal Carolina, which played its first football game in 2003, is in its first season as an FBS program. The Chanticleers went 10-2 last year in their final FCS season and won 38-28 against UMass in their FBS opener before dropping the last five games. They suffered close losses to ULM (51-43) and Georgia State (27-21) before falling 51-17 at Arkansas State last weekend.
"They certainly have playmakers on their team, offense and defense," App State coach
Scott Satterfield said. "It seems like they've been in almost every game this year."
Coastal has an interim head coach in Jamey Chadwell, who was hired as the Chanticleers' associate head coach/offensive coordinator after leading Charleston Southern's FCS program to a 35-14 record that included a 27-23 victory against App State in 2013. Chadwell is filling in for head coach Joe Moglia, who is taking a medical leave of absence this season.
Similar to past Charleston Southern teams, Coastal is using a triple-option offense.
App State, which intercepted six passes against New Mexico State and recorded six sacks with help from
Tee Sims,
Caleb Fuller,
Myquon Stout,
Eric Boggs and
Chris Willis against Idaho, allows only 146.5 rushing yards per game. Coastal rushes for 194.0 yards per game, led by the 72.8 from 5-foot-9, 210-pound Osharmar Abercrombie, but the status of 5-9 senior quarterback Tyler Keane is uncertain.
Coastal trailed 14-7 with less than five minutes left in the first half at Arkansas State when a sack knocked Keane out of the game and led to third-string quarterback Kilton Anderson entering the lineup. Backup quarterback Dalton Demos had suffered an injury earlier in the game, so the Chanticleers turned to Anderson, who began his college career at Fresno State.
Chadwell said he expects Demos to be unavailable Saturday but was more optimistic about Keane.
"I would expect him to be ready," Chadwell said.
With a 4-3 unit, Coastal Carolina has allowed 39.8 points and 236.2 passing yards per game this season. App State quarterback
Taylor Lamb threw three second-half touchdown passes at Idaho, and his next touchdown pass will break a first-place tie with Armanti Edwards (74 from 2006-09) on the school's all-time list.
