No. 3 Appalachian State University football opens Southern Conference play with a stern test on Saturday, squaring off against 13th-ranked Chattanooga in a battle of nationally ranked teams. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Saturday's contest will be streamed live on GoASU TV. Click HERE for subscription information.

NOTING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP

• Appalachian begins its quest for an unprecedented seventh-straight SoCon championship versus UTC. Last year, ASU became just the second program to win six-consecutive SoCon titles since the league began officially crowning a football champion in 1933 (Georgia Southern also won six-straight league titles from 1997-2002).

• Both teams bring 2-1 overall records into Saturday's showdown, with each carrying two-game winning streaks after dropping their season openers to nationally ranked NCAA Division I FBS squads.

• Appalachian and Chattanooga are opening SoCon play against each other for the second-straight year. Last year, ASU rallied from a 35-14 deficit with 14 minutes to go to down UTC, 42-41, in Chattanooga. The rally from a 21-point deficit was ASU's largest since joining the NCAA Division I and SoCon ranks in 1972.

• ASU is 31-8 overall and 18-4 under head coach Jerry Moore in SoCon openers.

• ASU has won 17-straight SoCon openers played in Boone, with their last loss coming at the hands of Furman in 1982. ASU is 21-2 all-time when playing its SoCon opener at home.

• Apalachian has won 13-consecutive home games versus Chattanooga. UTC's last win in Boone came in 1983 at then-Conrad Stadium, a 30-9 victory over the Mack Brown-led Mountaineers.

• Overall, Appalachian has won six-straight and 23 of the last 26 games in the series.

• In 22 seasons under Moore, the Mountaineers have averaged 38.6 points per game versus the Mocs.

• Appalachian is 27-1 in its last 28 SoCon games, including a 26-game winning streak that spanned over three years. The 26-game winning streak in SoCon games — the second-longest conference winning streak in the SoCon's 89-year football history — was snapped with a 21-14 overtime loss at Georgia Southern on Nov. 6 of last season.

• Saturday's matchup features a battle of Walter Payton Award-candidate quarterbacks (ASU's DeAndre Presley and UTC's B.J. Coleman) and two of the nation's top wideouts (ASU's Brian Quick and UTC's Joel Bradford).

•  Quick goes into Saturday's contest needing just one touchdown reception to match Appalachian's all-time record of 25, set by Bob Agle from 1965-68.

• Appalachian's Sam Martin leads the nation with a 47.4-yard punting average and has kicked two of the five field goals of 51 yards or longer in NCAA Division I FCS this season.

For complete coverage of Saturday's matchup, including links to live video, audio and stats, both teams' rosters, depth charts, game notes and much more, click HERE to visit GoASU.com's official Gameday Central page.