NEW ORLEANS — App State Football returns to the Big Easy attempting to continue its championship-winning ways with a new head coach against a first-time opponent.
The Mountaineers (12-1) have never faced Conference USA runner-up UAB (9-4), and their first meeting in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Saturday night will also mark the head coaching debut for
Shawn Clark. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. at the Superdome) on ESPN.
With Clark serving as App State's assistant head coach and overseeing the offensive line, the Mountaineers became the first FBS program from North Carolina and the first Sun Belt team to win 12 games in a season.
The Blazers started 6-1 (with a loss at Western Kentucky) and followed a two-game losing streak (with losses to Tennessee and Southern Miss) with three straight victories to end the regular season. They lost 49-6 against FAU in Conference USA's championship game.
Here's a closer look at how App State's defense potentially matches up with UAB's offense:
App State Defense vs. UAB Offense
The Mountaineers have been tough against the run, and they capitalized on turnovers throughout their push to a fourth straight Sun Belt title.
With safety
Josh Thomas adding one in the Sun Belt Championship Game, App State is tied for second place nationally with four pick-six touchdowns this season. It built a 42-17 lead and allowed just 159 rushing yards to Louisiana, which averaged more than 300 rushing yards per game in its 10 regular-season wins but totaled a combined 282 in two losses to the Mountaineers.
Overall, App State has allowed an average of 97.0 rushing yards in its last eight victories, and it is preparing for a UAB team that averages 159.3 rushing yards, 193.6 passing yards and 23.6 points per game.
Tyler Johnston III, who is 10-3 in his career as UAB's starting quarterback, started the first eight games and was sidelined by injuries before coming off the bench in two additional games, including as a replacement to Dylan Hopkins in the CUSA title game. Johnston leads the team with 1,952 passing yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with 14 interceptions.
UAB's top receiving target is Austin Watkins, who has caught 47 passes for 933 yards (19.9 average) and five scores, while Kendall Parham has a team-leading six touchdown catches with 608 yards on just 29 catches (21.0 average).
Spencer Brown leads the Blazers with 527 rushing yards in his 10 games and has more than 3,000 career rushing yards to rank first in program history. He has scored 31 career rushing touchdowns, and one of his 13 career games with 100-plus rushing yards has occurred this season.
Up front for App State's defense, it will be the final college game for inside linebacker
Jordan Fehr, outside linebacker
Akeem Davis-Gaither, outside linebacker
Noel Cook and defensive tackle
E.J. Scott. Fehr, Davis-Gaither and Cook are two-year starters who have combined for 527 tackles since the beginning of the 2018 season.
Counting Johnstone's 14 interceptions, the Blazers have committed 25 turnovers this season, so the Mountaineers' ability to knock the ball loose or come up with interceptions (
Shaun Jolly has five of the team's 13) will be important. Scott's forced fumble and fumble recovery to end Louisiana's opening drive in the Sun Belt title game contributed greatly to the 21-0 start for App State.
