Entering the season, I don’t think many anticipated the line on this game would be so close. College football betting odds currently have App State as a 2.5-point favorite over East Carolina.
Three weeks ago I would have said the Mountaineers would be favored by at least a touchdown. Now, not so much. We’ve learned a lot about both of these programs in the first two weeks of the season, and this game should tell us even more.
Is ECU a sneaky AAC contender? How is App State going to bounce back from its thrashing against Clemson?
This isn’t just the Sun Belt Game of the Week, but it’s the best Group of Five matchup of the week.
How To Watch App State-ECU
The game kicks off at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday and will air on ESPNU.
App State-ECU Betting Line
Appalachian State is currently a 2.5-point favorite.
App State-ECU Coaches & Records
App State: Shawn Clark (35-18)
ECU: Mike Houston (24-34)
Last meeting: Sept. 16, 2023; App State won 43-28 at home.
The Mountaineers have won the last two meetings by a combined 29 points.
App State Preview
If last week wasn’t a slap in the face for the Mountaineers then I don’t know what was. On the road in a hostile environment, App State fell 66-20 to Clemson and was trailing 56-13 at halftime. Many expected — myself included — that App State would make it a game.
Instead, they just rolled over.
The Mountaineers’ defense was lit up by Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who passed for 378 yards and five touchdowns while completing 24 of 26 passes. He also rushed for two TDs. Oh yeah, and that was all in the first half.
App State gave up five plays of 30-plus yards and three plays of 50-plus yards. Clemson put up 712 yards of total offense.
By the time the Mountaineers got on the board, it was too late. The offense also struggled, and Joey Aguilar went just 18 of 41 for 214 yards and a TD. Any offensive production App State got came when the game was pretty much already out of reach.
The Mountaineers have been the opposite of what they were predicted to be so far this season. They even struggled at times against East Tennessee State in Week 1 and didn’t pull away until late in the fourth quarter in a 38-10 victory.
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ECU Preview
While it was ugly, the Pirates managed to grind out a win against a solid Old Dominion team last week. QB Jake Garcia tossed four interceptions, but senior running back Rahjai Harris helped keep the offense afloat with a 131-yard, two-TD performance.
ECU’s defense played great last week and has only given up three scores in the first two weeks of the year. The Pirates currently rank first in the AAC in points allowed per game (8.5) and yards allowed (200.5). I know, a very small sample size against a couple of underwhelming offenses, but still. ECU knocked off Norfolk State 42-3 in Week 1.
The Pirates already have 26.5 tackles for loss this season as their defensive line is proving why it’s one of the best in the league. They have six sacks to go with that.
We’ll see what this week has in store for this defense as it goes up against what was expected to be a top-tier App State offense. I think the Pirates’ D-line will continue to cause problems.
App State-ECU Prediction
I predict ECU will defeat App State in a low-scoring contest and improve to 3-0.
With what we’ve seen from the Mountaineers so far this year, it’s just hard to trust them right now playing in a tough road game against a team that found a way to win last week despite its four turnovers.
I like what I’ve seen from the Pirates’ defense. The Mountaineers’ wideouts shouldn’t have much difficulty against ECU’s secondary, but Aguilar isn’t going to be able to get the ball to them if he’s being hounded all night.
If the defense can play like it did last week and Garcia can limit the interceptions, I think ECU can pick up the big win.
