BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University's NCAA I-AA quarterfinal matchup with Gateway Football Conference co-champion Southern Illinois at Kidd Brewer Stadium has been set for Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPNU and ESPN Game Plan, the NCAA announced on Sunday. Appalachian, the No. 2 seed in the 16-team field, overcame a 17-10 halftime deficit to defeat Patriot League co-champ Lafayette in the playoffs' opening round at home on Saturday. ASU sophomore running back Kevin Richardson ran for 171 yards, the fifth-most in Mountaineer playoff history, and Walter Payton Award candidate Richie Williams threw for three touchdowns and became the Southern Conference's all-time total offense leader in the win. Southern Illinois had an easier time in the first round, as it went on the road and handed Ohio Valley Conference champion Eastern Illinois a 21-6 defeat. The Salukis, which spent two weeks atop the I-AA national polls this season, finished the campaign with an 8-3 overall record and a share of the Gateway title with Northern Iowa, which also advanced to the I-AA quarterfinals with a wild first-round victory over Eastern Washington, and Youngstown State, which did not qualify for the playoff field. Saturday's television appearance will be Appalachian's third-ever on the ESPN family of networks. The Mountaineers defeated Western Carolina, 35-27, in only the second football game ever broadcast by the fledgling network on Sept. 22, 1979. ASU's 50-17 loss to Marshall on Aug., 31, 2002 was carried by ESPN+. As a result of the 2:30 p.m. kickoff, ASU's men's basketball SoCon showdown with preseason league-favorite Davidson will tip off at 7 p.m. at the Holmes Center. Appalachian athletics urges fans to CATCH THE SPIRIT of football's drive to a national championship and men's basketball's biggest matchup of the young season by spending the entire day with the Mountaineers in Boone on Saturday. The first 4,000 fans that redeem their ASU-SIU football ticket at the Holmes Center that evening will receive a free general admission ticket to the ASU-Davidson contest. Shuttle buses will be on hand to transport fans from Kidd Brewer Stadium to the Holmes Center following the conclusion of the football game and to take fans from the Holmes Center back to their cars in the Stadium, Greenwood and Raley lots after the basketball showdown. Tickets for the I-AA national quarterfinal cost $20 for adults and just $5 for ASU students and children ages 3-17. To avoid long lines at Kidd Brewer Stadium, tickets can be purchased and printed in advance from any computer at www.GoASU.com and www.TicketReturn.com. Check back to www.GoASU.com throughout the week for more on Appalachian's historic doubleheader!