BOONE, N.C. — App State takes a break from its league schedule to face South Carolina on Saturday night in Columbia, S.C.
The ESPN2 game will kick off at 7 p.m.
It's the 10th all-time meeting and first since 1988 between the Mountaineers (7-1) and Gamecocks (4-5).
App State won 34-31 at North Carolina in its first game against a Power Five conference opponent this season. South Carolina followed a two-overtime win at
Georgia at Oct. 12 with back-to-back losses against Florida and Tennessee, but the Gamecocks bounced back to win 24-7 at home against Vanderbilt last weekend.
Here's a closer look at how App State's offense potentially matches up against South Carolina's defense.
App State Offense vs. South Carolina Defense
The Mountaineers are preparing for a South Carolina team that allows 25.0 points, 141.0 rushing yards and 242.3 passing yards per game.
Based on game circumstances, with difficult wind and precipitation in play, App State quarterback
Zac Thomas attempted a career-high 51 passes in the Mountaineers' last game and threw for 271 yards. The junior trio of
Malik Williams,
Thomas Hennigan and
Corey Sutton combined for 20 receptions, 232 yards and three touchdowns.
Georgia Southern crowded the line of scrimmage and limited App State to season-low totals of 30 carries for 152 yards. The Mountaineers managed to rush for 161 yards and average a hard-earned 4.6 yards per carry in their win at UNC, and South Carolina makes running difficult with a defensive front that includes 6-foot-6, 310-pound defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
A potential first-round draft pick, Kinlaw has 24 tackles, 5.0 sacks, three QB hurries, two PBUs, two fumble recoveries and a blocked kick this season. He was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance in the upset of Georgia, and the Bednarik Award semifinalist was also named a midseason All-American.
"I believe Javon Kinlaw is one of the best defensive linemen in the SEC, which means he's one of the best defensive linemen in the country," App State head coach
Eliah Drinkwitz said. "He was a wrecking ball in the Georgia game and has been a very significant factor in their defensive scheme, so he's a guy we've got to contend with. The thing is they've got four returning starters up front, so all of them make plays and penetrate and cause havoc, so we definitely have our hands full and have got to do a great job of handling the D-line and controlling the line of scrimmage."
Weakside linebacker T.J. Brunson, a senior, leads the team with 66 tackles as he's raised his career total to 272, and middle linebacker Ernest Jones isn't far behind this season with 65 stops.
Aside from making it tough for teams to run, the Gamecocks have intercepted 11 passes, highlighted by cornerback Israel Mukuamu's four picks and six breakups. They've broken up 37 passes as a team, with fellow cornerback Jaycee Horn accounting for eight of those in head coach Will Muschamp's fourth season at South Carolina.
Red zone offense has been a strength of App State's for most of the season, and South Carolina is No. 11 nationally by allowing opponents to score a touchdown on only 47.8 percent of their red zone trips.
"They have a lot of experience within the scheme," Drinkwitz said. "They're going to deny the ball, playing man-to-man coverage. They're going to try to outnumber you in the box, and it's going to be a physical game."
