By Bret Strelow | App State Athletics
CHAPEL HILL — This App State-North Carolina matchup, just like the last two, is a sold-out game.
Will this App State-North Carolina matchup, just like the last two, feature a dramatic finish?
On Saturday at 5:15 p.m. in Kenan Stadium, the Mountaineers (1-0) will face the 17th-ranked Tar Heels (1-0) in another installment of an in-state series that has proven wildly entertaining and mutually beneficial — before the 2023 game joined 2019 (in Chapel Hill) and 2022 (in Boone) as sellouts, UNC unveiled a ticket package pairing the App State opener with a commitment to two additional games.
These games have been worth the price of admission.
"It's going to be a very physical football game, and we have to match their physicality," App State head coach
Shawn Clark said. "In my opinion, this is the best team Coach Brown has had (at UNC) since he came back in 2019."
App State built a 27-10 lead in 2019 before capping a 34-31 victory with Akeem Davis-Gaither's block of a 56-yard field goal as time expired, one highlight among many in a 13-1 season for the Mountaineers.
In the 2022 opener against UNC, App State trailed 41-21 after three quarters and scored 40 fourth-quarter points, as
Chase Brice threw for 203 yards and four touchdowns in the final quarter. UNC survived both App State's go-ahead two-point try following
Dashaun Davis' 28-yard TD catch with 31 seconds left and a game-tying two-point attempt after
Kaedin Robinson's 26-yard TD catch with nine seconds left — in between, the Tar Heels returned an onside kick for a touchdown.
With a history of strong performances against Power Five programs — App State's last seven games against P5 opponents have all been decided by seven points or less, contributing to a 3-4 record in those settings — the Mountaineers will take a new-look team to Chapel Hill to take on a UNC squad coming off an impressive opener.
App State quarterback
Ryan Burger suffered a finger injury on the opening drive of 2023 — he still threw a touchdown pass after that in a 7-for-11 debut — before giving way to
Joey Aguilar, who went 11 of 13 for 174 yards and four touchdowns. He became the first App State quarterback to throw at least four touchdown passes in his first game. That also helped open up the running game for
Nate Noel, who rushed for 115 yards on a career-high 24 carries.
Noel rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns in the 2022 opener against UNC, and the Mountaineers' offensive line will face a stern test against an improved North Carolina defense that recorded nine sacks and held South Carolina to minus-2 rushing yards a 31-17 victory last weekend. Kaimon Rucker led the way with 5.5 tackles for loss, including 2.0 sacks.
South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler did have three rushes of at least 12 yards, but the nine sacks led to 65 yards worth of losses.
"We have to go out and play our football," Clark said. "If we can't run the football and they make us one-dimensional, then it's going to be a long day, but I have a lot of confidence in our receivers and quarterbacks that they can get the job done. We have to be multi-dimensional."
App State's defense forced three straight second-half turnovers to gain separation from Gardner-Webb, and senior safety
Nick Ross delivered a team-leading 13 tackles. Four years ago at UNC, as a true freshman in his second FBS game, Ross was one of six reserve defensive backs who performed admirably in the fourth quarter with several veterans suffering heat-related cramps.
Sam Howell was the NFL-quality quarterback directing UNC's offense that day, and Drake Maye is back this year following a 2022 season that vaulted him into Heisman Trophy and high draft pick conversations. He accounted for 428 yards of total offense (352 through the air) and five touchdowns (four passing) during last year's game in Boone and began this season with 269 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against South Carolina.
"We're going to have to sustain drives and keep the ball away from North Carolina," Clark said. "Any time Drake Maye has the ball in his hands, they have a chance to score a touchdown.
"They have a quarterback who can throw it from hash to hash, hash to numbers, so you have to defend the whole field."
In addition to App State's competitiveness against P5 opponents, six of the Mountaineers' last seven games against AP Top 25 foes ended with one-possession final margins — the only exception was a 34-23 loss at No. 15 Coastal Carolina in 2020 after App State held a lead going into the final three minutes.
This is the first time UNC is playing App State with a Top 25 ranking, as the Tar Heels' win in Boone last season occurred early in a 9-1 start.
"They're a different football team on offense and defense," Clark said. "They're running the football and ran it down South Carolina's throat many times. They play physical up front."
