BOONE, N.C. — App State Football begins Sun Belt Conference play Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium against Old Dominion, which already has two league games under its belt. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
This weekend, App State and Louisiana Tech will become the last two Sun Belt teams to play a conference game in 2026.
The Mountaineers (3-1) defeated Maine, East Carolina and Charlotte before rallying to tie NC State in the fourth quarter of a 41-31 road loss on Sept. 26. App State didn't play last weekend, when ODU (1-4, 0-2) suffered its fourth consecutive loss. After opening league play with a 46-20 home loss to James Madison, the Monarchs traveled to Atlanta and lost 42-10 at Georgia State.
Homecoming Saturday in Boone will also include an on-field recognition for the 2006 FCS national championship team, which was in the middle of a title three-peat from 2005-07. The 2006 squad went 14-1, following a season-opening loss at NC State with 14 straight wins, including a 13-0 mark with true freshman Armanti Edwards as the starting quarterback. The Mountaineers outscored their opponents 528-223 and capped a 4-0 run through the playoffs with a 28-17 victory against UMass in the national title game, where running back Kevin Richardson scored four touchdowns.
The 2026 team has excelled so far with defensive takeaways and explosive offensive plays.
App State began this week tied with Louisiana for the league lead and tied for 11th nationally with six interceptions. That contributes to a top-20 national ranking in turnover margin, with
Keaton Braddock's big hit on NC State quarterback CJ Bailey knocking the ball loose in a manner that officially led to an interception for defensive tackle
Aaron Clark because the ball sailed forward but didn't touch the ground. Clark had a fumble recovery earlier this season thanks to
Caleb Sandstrom's forced fumble on a sack at ECU.
ODU quarterback Quinn Henicle is listed as probable after he didn't play in the league opener against JMU and was sacked four times while playing about half the game during the loss at Georgia State, which sacked backup QB
Ryan Huff three times and later faced Jaxon Potter in the fourth quarter.
The Monarchs have allowed 25 sacks (the most in the country) and are averaging 258.4 yards of offense per game (the lowest average in the country) after losing a lot of talented personnel to the transfer portal, with one headliner in new offensive coordinator Kody Cook's group being the rushing from Devin Roche. He leads the team with 247 yards, followed by the mobile Henicle with 235 in less than four games.
In preparing for ODU's three-safety scheme on defense, App State entered its bye week ranked among the national leaders in offensive plays of at least 10 yards (tied for eighth with 73) and offensive plays of at least 20 yards (tied for 16th with 25).
High-level protection from the offensive line and the elusiveness of quarterback
Malachi Singleton have contributed to Singleton ranking among the FBS leaders in passing yards per game (No. 7 FBS, No. 1 Sun Belt at 301.5), completions per game (No. 9 FBS at 24.0), completion percentage (No. 11 FBS at 72.7) and yards per pass attempt (No. 21 FBS at 9.14).
The Mountaineers are looking for more explosive and chain-moving plays from a ground attack that is averaging 4.2 yards per carry and has produced 10 rushing touchdowns this season. App State has spread out the workload, as
Jaquari Lewis' 17 carries at ECU are the only instance of a Mountaineer carrying the ball more than 11 times in a game so far this season.
Saturday caps a stretch of App State's first five games being played in the state of North Carolina. The Mountaineers leave the state next week for a Friday night game at Coastal Carolina.
Sport-specific giving allows you to directly support App State student-athletes and help provide them the resources they need to be successful.
Click here to contribute to the App State Football Support Fund.
Keep up with App State Football wherever you go by following the Mountaineers on social media. Follow App State Football on
X, Instagram and
Facebook. Download the App State Athletics App for
iOS or
Android to keep the Mountaineers at your fingertips.
