MOBILE, Ala. — High-profile road wins have contributed to an unbeaten start that has No. 21 App State ranked in both national polls.
The Mountaineers need another road victory Saturday at South Alabama to remain in sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt Conference.
App State (6-0, 3-0) picked up a 34-31 win at North Carolina last month, and it improved its record in Sun Belt road games to 17-4 with a nationally televised victory at Louisiana on Oct. 9. That 17-7 win against the 2018 league runner-up was available on ESPN2, and Saturday's game against South Alabama (1-6, 0-3) will be shown on ESPNU.
Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET and 11 a.m. CT.
"We're going to need a great week of practice and preparation," App State head coach
Eliah Drinkwitz said Monday. "Obviously, again, any time you go on the road, especially in this league, and have to play an early kick, you've got to do a great job of being focused."
Since joining the Sun Belt, App State has played in Ladd-Peebles Stadium twice, but one of those games was a 34-0 victory against Toledo in the 2017 Dollar General Bowl.
After losing to South Alabama at home in their second-ever Sun Belt game five years ago, the Mountaineers have rattled off wins in 37 of their last 41 regular season conference games. That stretch includes a 34-27 win in Mobile in 2015 and a 52-7 home victory last season.
Just how effective has App State been away from Boone? Since moving up to the FBS level, the Mountaineers are 21-11 on the road with the fifth-most road wins in the country behind just Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State and Boise State.
"It's about trying to stay focused on what we need to do but being loose enough to where we're not too uptight," fifth-year senior tight end
Collin Reed said. "Coach Drink does a really good job of keeping us all focused."
The game will feature the league's top two all-purpose threats in App State running back
Darrynton Evans (158.5 yards per game, including 112.7 as a rusher) and South Alabama running back Tra Minter (146.4 yards per game, including 98.0 as a rusher).
With 88 carries, a team-high 25 catches, 13 kickoff returns and eight punt returns, Minter has a league-high 134 touches this season. He's the top target for quarterback Cephus Johnson, whose long-ball touch has rewarded receiver Kawaan Baker to the tune of a league-leading 18.8 yards per catch.
Despite allowing ULM to score a touchdown on its opening drive last weekend, App State has allowed seven points apiece in its last two league games, and the Mountaineers are averaging a league-best 41.7 points in Sun Belt play during their historically strong start.
"We're focused on what we've got to do this week to beat South Alabama, a quality opponent on the road," Drinkwitz said. "They're backed into a corner. They're going to have a ton of fight. A ton of fight. And they've got a great defensive front, they've got a solid running game, and that's a recipe for an upset if we don't sit there and take care of business and focus on what we need to do.
"We're not trying to climb higher in the rankings. We're just trying to beat South Alabama."
