BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State (4-1) takes a 2-0 league record into its Sun Belt Conference matchup Saturday with visiting Louisiana, which is atop the West Division with a 1-1 conference record.
Led by first-year head coach and former Furman quarterback Billy Napier, the Ragin' Cajuns (3-3) have suffered losses to ranked SEC opponents Alabama and Mississippi State as well as Coastal Carolina. Kickoff for the Family Weekend game in Kidd Brewer Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and the game will be available on ESPN+.
Today, we'll look at how the offense from App State matches up against the defense from Louisiana:
App State Offense vs. Louisiana Defense
Dating back to last year, including a late-season stretch in which App State claimed a 63-14 home win against Louisiana, the Mountaineers have scored at least 30 points in eight straight games. That's the nation's second-longest streak, behind just UCF.
Appalachian will have a different backfield look with
Jalin Moore sidelined for the rest of the season, but head coach
Scott Satterfield has a lot of rushing options, starting with
Darrynton Evans,
Marcus Williams Jr. and
D'Andre Hicks. True freshman
Camerun Peoples has played in one game to date, and
Daetrich Harrington has recovered well from a preseason knee injury.
In analyzing App State's depth at running back, it's worth noting that four of those backs — all underclassmen – already have 100-yard rushing games in their young careers: Evans gained 115 yards last week at Arkansas State, Williams had games of 125 and 130 yards last season, Hicks gained 150 yards earlier this year against Gardner-Webb and Harrington had 118 yards in last year's home game against the Ragin' Cajuns.
"The rest of the guys have to step up, and we have some great talent back there," Satterfield said. "They have to make it happen and get the tough yards — the 2-yard runs that really help your offense — and you have to think about pass protection as well. You have to be good when you're called to do that."
App State also has a viable running option in dual-threat quarterback
Zac Thomas, who has scored on keepers covering 54 and 62 yards in the last two games. He is one of five quarterbacks nationally with a pair of 50-yard runs this season.
Louisiana's defense is allowing 217.2 rushing yards per game and 257.7 passing yards per game. Thomas has rushed for a score and thrown a touchdown pass in every game this season, as he connected with
Corey Sutton for a 25-yard score and had a short touchdown pass to tight end
Collin Reed at Arkansas State.
In addition to blocking, App State's tight ends have played an important role in the passing game. Reed has scored a touchdown in each of the last two games, and true freshman
Henry Pearson's 17-yard catch was the offensive highlight during a low-scoring first quarter at Arkansas State.
