Liberty (4-0, 2-0 CUSA) steps out of conference play and hits the road to take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers (2-2, 0-1 Sun Belt) on Saturday. Kickoff from Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+.
This will mark the 11th meeting between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1987, but this will be the first meeting with both teams playing at the FBS level. The Mountaineers own a 7-3 edge in the all-time series, but Liberty got the win in the most recent meeting, a 55-48 Flames win in overtime in Boone on Oct. 11, 2014.
Current Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell and current Appalachian State head coach Shawn Clark have matched up as head coaches three times, with Chadwell holding a 2-1 edge. Chadwell’s Coastal Carolina Chanticleers beat Clark and App State in Conway, South Carolina in both 2020 and 2022, while Appalachian State edged Coastal, 30-27, in Boone in 2021.
“Shawn does a great job there,” Chadwell said this week. “He’s got a tough job. He’s at an alma mater that he loves, and they have high expectations, and he’s done really well, but I don’t know if he’s ever met those expectations. I think he’s averaged like 8 or 9 wins a year. I mean, it’s unbelievable. Shawn does a great job there.”
App State is coming off a 9-5 season in 2023 where they finished 6-2 in the Sun Belt and reached the conference championship game, falling to Troy, 49-23. The Mountaineers advanced to the Cure Bowl where they defeated Miami Ohio, 13-9.
This season, expectations were high for Clark and the Mountaineers as they returned much of their production from last year’s squad including quarterback Joey Aguilar. However, App State has struggled to a 2-2 start to 2024 including a 48-14 loss at home to South Alabama last Thursday.
“We know, I know, our team knows, our coaches know, the team that was last Thursday is not the team we’re playing,” said Chadwell. “For whatever reason, last Thursday happened for them. (Clark) always does a great job of rallying his team and galvanizing them. We’re gonna have to go play well. It’s a tough place to play. They got great fans, great environment. They care. They’ve got a good team.”
Aguilar, who was recruited by Chadwell and his staff at Coastal Carolina in 2022 before they departed for Liberty that December, was named the 2023 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year. Coming in from Diablo Valley Junior College, Aguilar was originally named backup quarterback behind now Liberty backup QB Ryan Burger. In week one, Burger went down with an injury and Aguilar came in for relief and did not surrender the position.
The Preseason Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, Aguilar has completed 93 of 164 passes for 1,230 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions through four games this season. He has also rushed the ball 17 times for 33 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“He’s really tremendous,” Chadwell said of Aguilar. “We thought we had him coming to our other place before we took this job. So, we know him. Big arm, great athlete, confident. He throws the ball around. They got really good receivers. He’s very confident in what they do. He’s going to be able to put some throws in some windows that not many people can make. He’s a big challenge.”
A transfer from UCF, Kaedin Robinson is one of the top wide receivers in the Sun Belt. Last year, he was an honorable-mention all-conference performer as he tied for the conference lead with 10 touchdown receptions. He started all 14 games and finished the year with 67 catches for 905 yards. Through four games this season, Robinson has once again been Aguilar’s top target, as he has 24 receptions for 375 yards.
Including Robinson, five different players have caught at least 10 passes for the Mountaineers through the first four games.
Anderson Castle leads App with 39 carries for 184 yards and 1 touchdown so far this season. Kanye Roberts has 27 carries for 101 yards. Maquel Haywood and Ahmani Marshall also provide options for the Mountaineers in the run game. Marshall is a transfer from Wake Forest who was a former teammate of Liberty running back Quinton Cooley for the Demon Deacons.
App State currently is ranked 123rd in total defense, allowing 453.3 yards per game. They are also allowing opponents to score 35.75 points per game.
“Another big challenge for us, which I’m excited about,” Chadwell said. “We need to see where we’re at. We need to see how good we can be. Honestly, I wish we were better at certain things, and we’re not. We’re getting closer. Have we’ve gotten better throughout the four game? Yes, we have, but we’re going to have to play well to go beat a team, Coach Clark and his team and the way that they play, what they’re capable of, we’re going to need to play really well.”
PREDICTION
Liberty 34, Appalachian State 24
Line: Liberty -3.5
Picks results this year:
Straight-up: 4-0
ATS: 3-1
