The stage is set for one of the biggest games in Sun Belt Conference history when Appalachian State (7-1, 4-0 Sun Belt) hosts Arkansas State (5-3, 4-0 Sun Belt) in a nationally televised showdown on Thursday night at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
THURSDAY GAMEDAY INFORMATION
For the second time in three weeks, Appalachian State is excited to welcome App Nation to our campus for another nationally televised Sun Belt Conference football showdown versus Arkansas State. One of the biggest games in Sun Belt history kicks off Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
The faculty, staff and students who comprise the parking committee thank the campus community, fans and the Town of Boone for partnering with us to navigate the first Thursday night football game held on our campus on Oct. 22 versus Georgia Southern. The committee met last week to review and discuss opportunities for improvement. We thank everyone for following the parking plan and offering solutions for improvement.
Fully updated Thursday gameday information can be found HERE.
We're looking forward to putting App Nation and Gameday at The Rock on display once again for college football fans across the country on Thursday night! See you at The Rock!
TICKETS
Tickets still remain available for Thursday's showdown. Tickets can be purchased in one of four ways:
• ONLINE by clicking HERE;
• BY PHONE at (828) 262-2079 (Thursday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.);
• IN PERSON at the Appalachian State athletics ticket office, located at the Holmes Center (Thursday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.);
• IN PERSON at the Kidd Brewer Stadium ticket plaza, located near the Welcome to The Rock monument at the corner of Stadium Drive and Jack Branch Drive on the northeast side of the stadium (beginning Thursday at 4:30 p.m.).
PROMOTIONSHEROES DAY
Appalachian State will honor our Heroes (military personnel, first responders and veterans) with special events and promotions before and during Thursday night's game. Click HERE for a full list of Heroes Day promotions and special events.
Ticket Specials for Heroes
• All Heroes (military personnel, first responders and veterans) will receive FREE admission with valid ID.
• Heroes' family members will be admitted for the special rate of just $17.
• Free and discounted Heroes tickets are available by phone and in person.
Under The Lights Family Four Pack
All fans can purchase four prime reserved tickets for just $99 (a savings of up to $49). The Under The Lights Family Four Pack is available online, by phone and in person.
Student Group Challenge
The top student organizations with the highest percent attendance in designated categories at the Arkansas State game on Thursday, November 5, will receive an exclusive locker room tour and a facility tour with a chalk talk by the Appalachian State coaching staff.
TV
Thursday's game will be televised nationally on ESPNU (play-by-play: Roy Philpott, analyst: Jay Walker). ESPNU is available in 73,594,000 homes across the nation. Check your local listings for channel in your area.
The game can also be seen online at WatchESPN.com or on the WatchESPN app. WatchESPN is available is available in over 100 million homes nationwide. WatchESPN is also available through Xbox LIVE and on smartphones, tablets and Apple TV via the WatchESPN app. Check with your internet or mobile service provider to see if you receive WatchESPN programming.
RADIO
Saturday's game can be heard across North Carolina on the 17-station Appalachian IMG Sports Network (click HERE for a list of network affiliates).
Coverage begins on the Appalachian IMG Sports Network with Pigskin Prelude at 5:30 p.m.
PREVIEWING THURSDAY'S MATCHUP
• Thursday's game marks only the second time in Sun Belt history that two teams with undefeated records in conference play are meeting this late in the calendar year.
• The only other time that two teams with unblemished Sun Belt records met this late in a season came on Nov. 16, 2002 when North Texas (5-5, 4-0 Sun Belt) played New Mexico State (6-4, 4-0 Sun Belt). The Mean Green defeated the Aggies, 38-27.
• The Mountaineers and Red Wolves are the last two remaining teams that are undefeated in Sun Belt play this season.
• Appalachian State has won 10-straight Sun Belt games, good for the fourth-longest conference winning streak in Sun Belt history.
• Appalachian's 10-game Sun Belt winning streak includes an impressive 37-32 triumph at Arkansas State on Nov. 15 of last season. The Mountaineers dominated the action for much of the afternoon, jumping out to a 37-20 lead before withstanding a late A-State run to hold on for the victory.
• The Mountaineers have also won six-straight games overall and 13 of their last 14 contests, dating back to the midpoint of last season.
• Appalachian State's' 7-1 start this season is the best record ever for a Sun Belt Conference team through eight games.
• App State moved to 7-1 with last Saturday's 44-41 triple-overtime victory over Troy.
• Despite surrendering 41 points and a season-high 450 yards in the win over Troy, Appalachian State is the only NCAA Division I FBS team that ranks among the nation's top 15 in both scoring defense (8th - 15.6 ppg) and total offense (15th - 38.8 ppg).
• The Mountaineers are one of only four FBS teams that rank among the top 25 nationally in both total defense (12th - 298.6 ypg) and total offense (23rd - 475.8 ypg).
• Appalachian State continues to lead the Sun Belt Conference in scoring and total defense and scoring and total offense.
• Arkansas State also survived an upset-minded opponent last Saturday when it came back from a 34-27 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Georgia State, 48-34.
• This week's game is Appalachian State's second Thursday home game in three weeks against an undefeated Sun Belt foe. The Mountaineers ended Georgia Southern's 11-game conference winning streak when it belted the Eagles, 31-13, on ESPNU on Thursday, Oct. 22.
For all of the information on 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 appstatesports.com's official Gameday Central page.
