Two of college football’s best Group of Five teams over the past few seasons square off in this Tuesday night clash between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and Appalachian State Mountaineers.
Coastal Carolina (2-3) is reeling after back-to-back conference losses to Georgia State and Georgia Southern and are searching for their first Sun Belt win of 2023.
Appalachian State (3-2) is fresh off of a 41-40 thrilling win over Louisiana-Monroe and is 1-0 in conference play. The Mountaineers are aiming to get back to the Sun Belt Championship Game after making appearances in 2018, 2019, and 2021.
What Channel Airs the Coastal Carolina-Appalachian State Game?
Coastal Carolina @ Appalachian State
- Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Channel: ESPN2
- Odds: App State -5.5
- Over/Under Total: 63
When you think of Coastal Carolina, you think of Grayson McCall, and for good reason. McCall has been the Chanticleers’ leader for years now, and he’s once again keeping them in games almost single-handedly.
McCall has passed for 1,302 yards this season with six touchdown passes and as many interceptions. His toughness has been a strength, and he’s needed to carry the Chanticleers’ offense this season.
Coastal Carolina has just one rusher over 100 yards this season, and McCall has already been sacked nine times on the year.
Fortunately, the Chanticleers have a pair of outstanding wide receivers in Sam Pinckney and Jared Brown, who are arguably the best duo in the conference. Pinckney, standing at 6’4″, 220 pounds, has been an excellent X-receiver and has dominated contested catch situations this season. He leads the team in touchdowns and is fourth in the Sun Belt in yards.
Brown serves as McCall’s quick-game target out of the slot. His 4.3 speed is a legitimate weapon, and Coastal often uses him as a motion decoy and deploys him in different ways. Brown is second on the team in rushing despite having just five carries and also takes reps as the team’s punt returner.
With Coastal Carolina being largely ineffective running the ball and McCall being forced to throw as often as he is, that unfortunately means he’s more exposed to pressure than ever before. Through five games, the Chanticleers have already allowed 10 sacks this season after allowing 19 in 2022 and 12 in 2021.
This is a glaring issue for this week’s game because Appalachian State has already put up 12 sacks and has combined for 83 pressures.
Led by freshman Nate Johnson, the Mountaineers are third in the Sun Belt in sacks per game. App State’s pass defense is allowing just 9.56 yards per pass, which is ninth in the entire country. They’ve already picked off seven passes this season, making this matchup a formidable one for Coastal Carolina.
However, this could be a “get right” game for the Chanticleers’ rushing attack.
The Mountaineers are allowing 187.4 rushing yards per game, good for 114th in the country. They don’t have a defensive lineman over 300 pounds, and it shows in their 5.54 yards per rush allowed. CCU will have to flip tendency and attack App State on the ground better than they have so far this season.
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Appalachian State’s offense is built on pounding the rock early and often. They’re 16th in rushing yards per game behind RB Nate Noel as their primary back, rushing for 643 yards and four touchdowns this season at an impressive 5.2 yards per carry. Noel’s contact balance has him 12th in the country with 30 missed tackles forced.
Coastal Carolina has had a problem keeping opposing rushers in check, sitting at 97th in rushing yards per game and 4.58 yards per rush so far this season. How they keep Noel in check will go a long way in deciding this matchup. The Chanticleers will be relying on defensive tackle Micheal Mason and safeties Clayton Isbell and Juan Powell, who are second and third, respectively, among Sun Belt safeties in run stops.
Appalachian State’s offense isn’t solely one-dimensional, though. While they are built on running the ball, junior QB Joey Aguilar has over 1,200 yards passing with 12 touchdowns and has done a superb job spreading the ball around. Eight receivers have double-digit targets this season, with Kaedin Robinson tied for seventh in the Sun Belt with three touchdown receptions.
This should be an interesting matchup in the Sun Belt. Coastal Carolina’s offensive strength matches up with App State’s defensive strength. Both sides will have to make adjustments to their approach on both sides of the ball if they want to win this one.