LAFAYETTE, La. — The last meeting came with championship stakes.
When Appalachian State plays at Louisiana on Wednesday night, the outcome will shape the rest of the Sun Belt Conference race in 2019.
The Mountaineers and Ragin' Cajuns won the league's East and West division titles last year, with App State claiming a 30-19 victory during the inaugural Sun Belt Championship Game held in Boone.
App State (4-0, 1-0) is one of four unbeaten Group of Five teams left at the FBS level this year, and the only blemish for Louisiana (4-1, 1-0) is a 38-28 loss to Mississippi State.
With off Saturdays following their last games on Sept. 28, two programs that rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense and top 20 in scoring margin will square off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
"We're excited to play," said App State head coach
Eliah Drinkwitz, whose wife, Lindsey, gave birth to the family's fourth daughter during the off week. "All weekend watching games, you're itching, raring and ready to go. Obviously, it's going to be a tremendous matchup. They've got a strong squad."
The Mountaineers are No. 5 nationally at 47.0 points per game, four spots ahead of the Ragin' Cajuns, who average 44.4 points per game thanks in part to a 77-6 victory against Texas Southern.
With three talented running backs (Trey Ragas, Elijah Mitchell, Raymond Calais) and a big, experienced offensive line led by an All-Sun Belt tackle and guard on the right side, Louisiana is rushing for 314.0 yards per game. Mobile, left-handed quarterback Levi Lewis has made Ja'Marcus Bradley his primary target within a passing game that's producing an average of 226.0 yards through the air.
Effectively protecting App State quarterback and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award finalist
Zac Thomas has been a focal point for the Mountaineers, whose lowest-scoring game to date was a 34-31 win at North Carolina. App State has won its last 15 games with Thomas as the primary quarterback, and the passing game is thriving thanks to the downfield production of
Thomas Hennigan,
Malik Williams and
Corey Sutton.
Darrynton Evans (10th nationally at 117.8 rushing yards per game) leads the way for App State's deep group of running backs, and the scoring outbursts have been a total team effort. The Mountaineers posted two special teams touchdowns against Charlotte before scoring a defensive touchdown against both North Carolina and Coastal Carolina, and inside linebacker
D'Marco Jackson is coming off a game in which he made a career-high seven tackles.
"I think we've been playing complementary football," Drinkwitz said. "I don't know how many teams have got a defensive score and a special teams score in one of their first four games, so it's not just the offense. I think we can play better offensively — we're pushing to play better — but I think it's the fact that our defense and special team have set us up for opportunities to score."
To answer Drinkwitz's question, in addition to App State, Memphis and Utah State are the only teams with multiple defensive touchdowns and multiple special teams touchdowns.
The Mountaineers lead the Sun Belt in special teams TDs, blocked kicks (three), net punting average (42.5), punt return average (17.9), opponent punt return average (an FBS-best minus-2.25) and kick return average (30.8).
