Appalachian State (3-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) @ Coastal Carolina (2-3, 0-2 Sun Belt)

Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 7:30pm EST

TV/Video: ESPN2

Radio: FLAGSHIP 97.3 FM (North Wilkesboro), 96.5
FM/1450 AM (Boone), 99.1 FM/1060 AM/1030 AM (Charlotte),
105.3 FM/1320 AM (Greensboro), 790 AM (Johnson City),
107.7 FM/1450 AM (Hendersonville), 103.9FM/1250AM (Marion), Varsity Network App

Kidd Brewer Stadium

Capacity: 30,000

Surface: Astroturf

Jeff Sagarin Ratings

App State: 70.84

Coastal Carolina: 67.01

Home: 2.30

App State is favored by the Sagarin ratings by 6.13 points

VegasInsider Line: App State -5.5

Series: App State leads 7-2

Last Meeting: Coastal 35, App State 28, October 3, 2022, Conway, SC

After two long road trips, the Mountaineers were granted a couple extra days to rest before a Tuesday night primetime matchup with Coastal Carolina. Once a Saturday is skipped for these weeknight games, it feels like you have not been on the field in ages. Quickly these two schools will rekindle a budding friendship that has produced homefield winners in each of the last four games. The last two games have created winners by a touchdown or less. The modern history of this series has provided some suspenseful games that have gone down to the wire. This will be the third straight year that App and Coastal have faced off on a weeknight. The conference and television networks could not have planned it better. Mix in the best atmosphere in the conference under the lights, along with some fall foliage and cooler weather, and the stage is set. These teams might be different one year to the next, but there is always one variable that never changes. Night games at The Rock.

Here come the Chanticleers. On paper, it does not appear they are their normal selves. It’s easy to look at their won-loss record and see that. Their wins are over Duquesne and FBS-transitioning Jacksonville State. Their losses include UCLA, and both Sun Belt Georgia schools. This is easily Coastal’s worst start to a season since 2019, which predates the Grayson McCall era. Opposing fans have been calling for the downfall of the Chanticleers for some time. Some of that could have been wishful thinking. Yet, one could argue, that Chants have not garnered a quality win since October 29th of last year, when they defeated Marshall 24-13 in Huntington. Since that game, Coastal’s record is 4-6. Two of those wins were this season, and the others were over an App State squad that went 6-6, and Southern Miss who went 7-6 with a bowl win over Rice. Coastal started 2022 going 9-1, and lost their last three games to James Madison, Troy and East Carolina. In the height of the McCall era, those games last season and the three losses in 2023, were games they could typically win.

You would be crazy to think we were done talking Grayson McCall. Coastal’s rise in 2020, some considered, was all due to his unique style. Now some are starting to wonder if it was all Jamey Chadwell. The truth was probably in the middle. McCall and Chadwell were good for each other. Thus, when Chadwell went north to Liberty, McCall flirted with a move himself. Surprisingly, he had no takers. Imagine that. Now, McCall will be trying to bounce back from possibly his worst game of his career. In his previous three seasons combined, he had only thrown eight total interceptions. Last week, he threw four interceptions against Georgia Southern. That leaves McCall with the same number of picks this season as touchdown passes. In his previous three seasons, he never failed to throw at least 24 touchdown passes. His completion percentage is currently the lowest of his career at 64%, which is still a decent number, yet not vintage McCall. He’s also just behind pace to eclipse his passing yardage totals in a season, which he set in 2021.

How about that defense? You might be questioning my sanity right now. Warranted? Who knows. In all seriousness, it was the defensive plays that were made in a shootout that combined for 81 points that won the game for the Mountaineers against Monroe. Micheal Hughes made the kick. The offense, on the back of Kaedin Robinson marched down the field to set up Hughes. But it was the defense that turned Monroe away four consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter. It was the only quarter in which Monroe did not score, and the only time of the game that Monroe had four consecutive possessions and did not come away with points. After teams traded turnovers in the fourth quarter, it was the defense, trailing by two points, who stopped Monroe on 3rd and goal from the 1 yard, and then sacked Jiya Wright for a seven yard loss on fourth down, who saved this game. With 5:21 remaining in the game, the Mountaineers could not afford to go down more than one score. On the ensuing Monroe possession, the defense forced a punt on three plays to set the offense up for the game-winning drive.

The most underrated performance last Saturday probably came from Kaedin Robinson. Catching ten passes in a college game is a feat, especially in the App State offense that prefers to spread the ball around. The fact that he caught ten passes on ten targets is equally impressive. Let’s take this another step. He caught ten passes on ten targets for 112 yards. He averaged 11.2 yards a catch, and his longest catch was just 16 yards. Robinson was doing a lot of dirty work. The fact that his last three catches came on the final drive, and every single one went for a first down, and he got out of bounds all three times to stop the clock? Those three plays took the Mountaineers from their own 19 yard line to the Monroe 37, where the ball was last snapped prior to Michael Hughes’ kick that sailed over the crossbar. Nate Noel continues to be a machine, even with less work. Ahmani Marshall saw his first action of the season, which lessened the load for Noel, yet he still managed to clear the 100 yard mark for the fifth consecutive game.

This Coastal team still has some of the guts of their former squads. You still see some option concepts, but mostly it has been Grayson McCall’s team, and as he goes, so will the Chants. The Georgia State game was an interesting one to watch. The game followed the flow of the series, as the home team never wins. Georgia State jumped on Coastal, and kept their distance. That was the old school way of stealing one from Coastal. Make them play catch up football, which gets them out of their comfort zone. Additionally, the Panthers finished their drives. Six times they entered the red zone, and they scored three touchdowns and three field goals. Coastal only scored on one red zone drive of four. Georgia Southern jumped on Coastal in a different fashion. Coastal trailed by a touchdown at half, but forced a quick punt from Georgia Southern and tied it up. Southern scored the next two times they had the ball, on a field goal, and a pick six of McCall. Suddenly, the Chants were down two scores again, and playing from behind. The final margin was also two scores. App State has yet to jump on anyone early all year long. They have trailed in the first half of every game this season. Something has to give here. The question that might get answered: Which team can finish better? The Chants have played four truly competitive games and have just 21 fourth quarter points to show for it. They have really only had a good second half in their win over Jacksonville State, in which they outlasted their opponent with a couple big plays and a lot of field goals. Going further, excluding the Duquesne game, the Chanticleers have only scored more than 10 points in any quarter once, against Jacksonville State. And why has all of this happened? It’s more than losing a head coach. It comes down to losing more than that. Coastal’s defense has fallen off because their offense has done the same. Those big defensive plays have not been there for the Chanticleers. They have forced just one turnover in the last two games, and managed just four quarterback hurries in the same span. They have accumulated just six sacks all season, and three came in one game. If the Mountaineers can take care of the ball, the Coastal defense will break. The Mountaineers will establish their rhythm early and often with the run game, and the deep shots will be there in the second half.

The First Pick

Beach Birds 27

Mountaineers 38