These two Sun Belt Conference foes on opposite ends of North Carolina are set to meet up for their tenth-ever matchup. While Appalachian State used a last-second field goal to get the win over UL Monroe on Sept. 30, Coastal Carolina picked up its second consecutive loss as Georgia Southern notched a 38-28 home win over the Chanticleers.
The Mountaineers have managed this season to make enough plays on offense to overcome a defense that has allowed opponents to average over 30 points a game in 2023; they enter this game as a 3-point favorite to give Coastal its third straight loss in the season.
The Game
Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State
Boone, NC
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Records
App State: 3-2 (1-0 Sun Belt)
Coastal Carolina: 2-3 (0-2 Sun Belt)
Head-to-head
App State leads series 7-2; the Chanticleers won 35-28 at home in 2022
Players to Watch
App State running back Nate Noel — The Mountaineers’ star back has been consistently dominant this season, averaging 5.3 yards per carry while on pace to rack up over 1,500 rushing yards for the year. While Kanye Roberts and Ahmani Marshall have recently picked up a larger role in App State’s rushing attack, Noel is still the clear X-factor in the team’s offense that has allowed quarterback Joey Aguilar space to grow in his own role.
Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall — Coming off a nightmare performance where he threw four interceptions, the redshirt senior and two-time Sun Belt conference Player of the Year is easily off to his worst start to a season in his career; McCall’s six picks this season are already more than he had in the past two seasons combined. The Indian Trail, NC, native has a chance to change the narrative as he faces a vulnerable App State defense.
Odds
Betonline.ag: App State -3, over/under 65.5
