Appalachian State (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) vs Maine (1-0, 1-0 CAA)
Saturday, September 5th, 2026 3:30pm EST
TV/Video: ESPN+
Radio: FLAGSHIP 97.3 FM (North Wilkesboro), 730 AM & 97.5 FM (Charlotte), 950 AM & 92.7 FM (Greensboro), 980 AM & 96.7 FM (Winston-Salem), 107.7 FM & 1450 AM (Hendersonville), 97.3 FM & 790 AM (Johnson City, TN) 87.7 FM (In-Stadium)
Kidd Brewer Stadium
Capacity: 30,000
Surface: AstroTurf
Jeff Sagarin Ratings
App State: 54.49
Maine: 44.25
Home: 2.41
App State is favored by the Sagarin ratings by 12.65 points
VegasInsider Consensus: App State -19.5
Series: Maine leads 2-0
Last Meeting: App State 12, Maine 34, December 3, 2011, Boone, NC
Well folks, we have made it to another September which means football season is upon us. App State will start its second season under Dowell Loggains. The first season, like any for a new coach was filled with growing pains and a lot of lessons learned on and off the field. Appalachian State is not in a power conference and it is certainly not in the National Football League. While the expectations never change with the results on the field, accessibility and likeability are character traits that matter in a small town with big dreams. In an odd year where the Mountaineers played in a bowl game against a familiar foe, the only numbers that count are in the win-loss column. Five wins is simply not enough, and eight losses is way too many. Progress needs to be made, and every game is chance to make it. Maine will be a tough opponent. There is no reason to believe otherwise. This is their opportunity game. The Mountaineers have a tough September ahead of them and this schedule includes road games at Marshall, Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina. The time to get started off on the right foot in this weekend.
Coming out of last season, the thought playing Maine in a football game is akin to a nightmare for App State football fans who have been around the block once or twice. The Black Bears have ended an App State football season on two occasions, both in the former I-AA/FCS playoffs, and both times in Boone. The first loss came at the end of the 2002 season. App State lead the game 10-0 going into the fourth quarter, but an untimely interception gave Maine an easy scoring drive, which pushed them over the top in a 14-13 stunner. In 2011, App State simply did not show up. Maine ran away with a 34-12 victory behind a stifling defense. Those are my nightmares. They may not be yours, but losing in the playoffs always hurt. Maine has already tallied a victory on this young season. Last week they held on to beat Towson by a 21-18 score. The Black Bears scored all their points in the second quarter and were outgained by the Tigers, but penalties and a turnover were enough to give the Black Bears the win. Towson averaged nearly 18 yards per completion despite attempting just 21 passes in the game.
Maine is coached by Jordan Stevens, who is a former player and knows Maine football about as good as anyone. Stevens is in his fifth year leading the team after being an assistant for several years and spending seven seasons at Yale. Stevens currently holds a 16-31 career coaching record, but has been making strides. The Blacks Bears were 2-9 in his first two seasons, but are 12-13 since the 2024 season. Maine etched five conference wins a season ago, which was their best finish in conference play since Stevens took over. Maine was slotted to finish 7th out of 13 teams in CAA this season, with Towson accumulating just a couple more points in the preseason predicted order of finish selected by the leagues head coaches. Offensive linemen Anthony Iliano and Andrew Kocan were honored on the preseason all-conference team on the offensive side of the ball while Chris Bacon was honored for Maine on the defensive line. Rhode Island is the runaway favorite for the league title but Maine could be in contention for an FCS playoff bid with a nice season.
Many of App State’s issues last season can be traced to inconsistent quarterback play. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of issues, but it all starts and ends with the player that touches the ball after every snap. Five quarterbacks played at some point last season. No matter the circumstance, you never want to get to the 5th quarterback on the depth chart. App State returns none of those quarterbacks. Four went to various schools across the southeast and the other exhausted his eligibility. At least we think he did. Who really knows anymore. Part of last year’s struggles could be associated to the fact there never was a guy. A starter. A QB1, if we must. There was a quarterback competition, but looking back, someone had to be named a starter, even if that title may have not been earned. This season is different. Malachi Singleton comes to the mountain via Purdue and Arkansas where he played in sixteen games across two seasons. Singleton was highly recruited coming out of high school but had to work his way back from an injury he sustained during his senior season as a prep. He still landed at Arkansas and enrolled just as Dowell Loggains was on the way out to South Carolina. Without question, Malachi Singleton is the starter when healthy. There is a reason he and Loggains have reunited in Boone.
We’ve established the who, how and why Malachi Singleton has made it to Boone, but what does Malachi Singleton bring to this App State offense? Last year the offense lacked a true dual threat at the position. AJ Swann was a pocket passer who stood strong in the pocket, using all the time available to him, but that eventually led to his injury. JJ Kohl could see the field, but lacked the arm strength to push the ball. His height did not favor him as a quarterback who could extend plays. Those two saw the majority of the work. Singleton is a dual threat. He will be used to extend the passing plays with his ability to escape pressure. He is also an RPO threat on designed runs, which is super critical in college football. Personally, quarterbacks who cannot extend the play must have elite arms and also know when a play is dead and to eat the ball and fight for another down. App State didn’t have that last year. Singleton should be able to turn last year’s lost yardage into some positive gains and fewer yards lost. The offense could be better than last year, but it lost a lot of production to transfers and graduation. The pass catching group appears to be thinner than in 2025, and with some questions marks on the offensive line, a lot will be expected of Singleton early on until the offense finds rhythm. The deepest position group appears to be the running back room but they can only be as good as the people around them. I think we are all fine with a team that takes time to find their identity compared to one that peaked in September a year ago. Maine probably sees an opportunity here. They have to be thrilled with a win to open the season over a conference opponent, especially on the road. This is team that is seasoned with plenty of returning starters and are very strong on both lines. It’s not the best recipe for a team that has over half its roster full of newcomers. When you glance across the box score from last week, and look at the high producing contributors on Maine’s roster, you see that they have been in that program for multiple years. They understand what is being asked of them, and have been waiting for their moment. Transfers happen in FCS as well, but not at the rate they do in the FBS. They will be well coached and disciplined and limit mistakes. It’s up the Mountaineers to meet that challenge. I think fans want to assume that this should be your typical FCS layup. After last season, we cannot take any game or opponent for granted as an easy win. Maine will do everything in their power to give App State a hard time.
The First Pick
Goldilocks 17
Mountaineers 28