In previous years, Coastal Carolina vs. App State has been a matchup of two of the top teams in the Sun Belt.
The story is a little different this year. It has been a down year for both programs, and it’s likely neither will have a shot at playing for a conference title. One of these teams has represented the Sun Belt East in every championship game since the conference established divisions in 2018. App State has four appearances and CCU has two.
While this isn’t a clash between two premier teams, there’s still plenty to play for and this should be a close, entertaining game.
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How To Watch App State-Coastal Carolina
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday and will air on ESPN.
App State-Coastal Carolina Betting Odds
App State is a two-point college football betting odds favorite.
App State-Coastal Carolina Coaches & Overall Records
APP: Shawn Clarke (39-22)
CCU: Tim Beck (12-9)
Last meeting: Oct. 10, 2023; CCU won 27-24.
The Chanticleers have won two in a row against the Mountaineers and hold a 4-3 series record. Last year’s win came on a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation.
App State Preview
Following a surprisingly rough start to the season, the Mountaineers are on a two-game win streak and improved to 4-4 last week with a 28-20 victory over Old Dominion. The Monarchs coughed the ball up four times and the Mountaineers took advantage, scoring touchdowns on two of the takeaways. It was the biggest difference in the game. App State has struggled to generate takeaways, as the Mountaineers have been ranked in the bottom half of the Sun Belt in that department all season.
Overall, the defense has been one of the reasons for App State’s rocky year. It ranks last in the league in scoring defense, allowing 34.4 points per game, and ranks third to last in total defense (428 yards per game).
Opposing quarterbacks have had no problem dicing up this secondary. We just saw ODU freshman quarterback Colton Joseph throw for a season-high 332 yards.
Because of that, Mountaineers QB Joey Aguilar has had to do his best to try and keep up with opposing offenses. Aguilar leads the league with 2,720 passing yards, and his 18 touchdowns rank second. He has tossed a league-high 10 interceptions, though, which has been another culprit of App State’s woes.
Wide receiver Kaedin Robinson has been the main beneficiary of Aguilar slinging the ball and leads the league with 95.5 receiving yards per game. He only has one TD, however.
The Mountaineers have struggled to score at times (26.9 points per game) and have especially struggled in the red zone. They have only scored on 75% of drives and have five turnovers inside the 20. Only Southern Miss has been worse among Sun Belt teams.
Coastal Carolina Preview
The season has gone nearly the opposite for CCU compared to App State.
Once at 4-1, the Chanticleers are on a three-game losing streak and could finish below .500 for the first time since 2019. The Chants lost 38-24 last week to Troy, which was 1-7 entering the contest. The Trojans took a commanding 28-7 halftime lead, and CCU was unable to recover.
CCU’s defense was off to a promising start to the season but has since worsened. In the last five games, it is allowing 38 points per contest and surrendered 34 points last week to a team that has struggled offensively. It has given up the most passing touchdowns in the Sun Belt (18).
The offense has also sputtered as of late, and there was some uncertainty at quarterback entering last week’s game. Noah Kim replaced a struggling Ethan Vasko in the Oct. 19 loss to Louisiana and played well. Some people thought he deserved the starting nod against Troy, but Vasko started and finished 18-of-34 passing for 206 yards and one TD.
Not all that great of a performance, but it was probably enough for him to remain the starter for this week’s outing. Don’t be surprised to see Kim back in there if Vasko struggles this week. Vasko is averaging 175 passing YPG and has nine touchdowns and four interceptions. Kim has 308 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
App State-Coastal Carolina Prediction
I predict App State will win 31-27.
I think the Mountaineers’ defense has continued to improve and won’t struggle as much as it has against CCU’s offense. I also like Aguilar to pick apart this defense.
Both teams are moving in different directions, and things seem to be going better for App State right now.
