BOONE, N.C. — Belatedly, it's time for the home opener at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
After beginning the 2018 season with back-to-back road games and having an unexpected bye weekend with the hurricane-based cancelation of Southern Miss' visit to Boone, Appalachian State (1-1) will make its home debut Saturday against in-state FCS program Gardner-Webb (1-2).
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and the Heroes Day game will be available on ESPN+.
Calendar-wise, it will be the latest home opener at Kidd Brewer Stadium since 1992, when App State followed consecutive road games against Wake Forest and NC State with a bye week and then a Sept. 26 visit from East Tennessee State.
"Our guys right now, it's still early in the season, and they're anxious to play and anxious to continue to prove themselves," App State head coach
Scott Satterfield said. "They're fun to watch here in practice, and I can't wait to watch them play on Saturday."
With a 45-38 overtime loss at No. 9 Penn State and a 45-9 win at Charlotte preceding last weekend's idle Saturday, Appalachian ranks sixth nationally with a five-game streak of posting at least 30 points, dating back to the 2017 season. The Mountaineers managed to score touchdowns on offense, defense (
Austin Exford's fumble recovery in the end zone) and special teams (
Thomas Hennigan's 59-yard punt return) against the 49ers.
App State's final nonconference game before a Sun Belt opener against visiting South Alabama comes against a Gardner-Webb program that is 0-7 against the Mountaineers and 0-6 in Boone. The last meeting was a 45-7 victory for Appalachian in 2007, a year after Dexter Jackson scored on punt returns of 68 and 86 yards in a 41-6 win.
There are plenty of ties between the two programs, starting with Gardner-Webb head coach Carroll McCray, who worked at App State from 1984-88 as a graduate assistant and then an outside linebackers coach.
Appalachian running back
Jalin Moore and defensive end
Chris Willis were both standouts at Crest High School in Boiling Springs, as Moore grew up a half-mile from Gardner-Webb's stadium, and center
Noah Hannon's grandfather, Keith, participated in preseason camp as a Gardner-Webb player before entering the military. Hannon's father, Chad, has a cousin, Ray, who is in that school's Hall of Fame after he excelled at quarterback for Gardner-Webb's first senior football team.
With Hannon in the middle of App State's offensive line, the Mountaineers hope Moore and the rushing game have a strong performance after two contests in which quarterback
Zac Thomas led a dynamic passing attack against opponents geared up to stop the run. Willis is part of a defense that recorded three sacks, nine tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries in its last game.
"Gardner-Webb, we'll get their best shot, so we have to go out and play well and execute well," Satterfield said. "Our guys are fired up to play our first game at home. I feel like we've been playing for a while, and this is our first chance to play in front of our home crowd, and we're excited about that."
It will be a special afternoon in Boone, where 50 years of women's sports and the accomplishments of the 2008 football team will be recognized. That team went 8-0 in the Southern Conference to win a fourth straight league title.
