The exciting Appalachian State Mountaineers face the South Alabama Jaguars trying to clock their third win of the season as these teams help kick off Week 4 of the 2024 college football season. This game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT) on Thursday, September 19 with a live broadcast on ESPN2, and streaming live on demand.
When and Where is the Game?
Kickoff takes place at 4:30 .m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT) on Thursday, September 19. The game will be played at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, NC.
How to Watch the Game on TV or Stream Live Online
If you don’t have cable, you can still watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial). If you are out of free trials, the cheapest and best way to watch this game and more football this month is by signing up for Sling (promotional offers, cheapest streaming plans), which is $25 off for the first month if you add the “Sports Extra” package that includes Big Ten Network, SEC Network and a few other sports channels. If you have a cable or satellite subscription already, you can watch the game on Watch ESPN or the ESPN app by signing in with your provider information.
You can find out more about which channel ESPN2 is on in your area by using the channel finders here: Comcast Xfinity, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice.
Odds and Betting Lines
Here are the odds for the game:
- Moneyline: APP: -260 | SAJ: +210
- Point spread: APP: -7 | SAJ: +7
- Over/Under: 63
Key Players to Watch
Appalachian State
Junior running back Anderson Castle has become a dual-threat in the offense. He leads the Mountaineers in rushing with 148 yards on 33 carries (4.5 average) and one touchdown. Castle is also the team's fifth-leading receiver with eight receptions for 52 yards (6.5 average). In parts of five seasons for Appalachian State, he has carried 176 times for 938 yards (5.3 average) and eight touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Joey Aguilar runs the offense. In three games this season, he has completed 72 of 124 passes (58.1%) for 964 yards and five touchdowns. He has two interceptions but has a rating of 133.4. He has also carried 15 times for 44 yards (2.9 average) and two touchdowns. In two seasons with the Mountaineers, he has thrown for 4,721 yards and 38 TDs with just 12 picks for a rating of 147.8.
South Alabama
Freshman Fluff Bothwell is off to a solid start to his collegiate career. In three games, he has carried just 23 times for 243 yards (10.6 average) and four touchdowns. In last Thursday's win over Northwestern State, he carried seven times for 143 yards (20.4 average) and two touchdowns. He had 10 carries for 70 yards and a score in the 27-20 loss at Ohio on Sept. 7.
Defensively, the Jaguars have been led by sophomore linebacker Blayne Myrick. He has registered 25 tackles, including nine solo, with one forced fumble and one pass breakup. In the loss to Ohio, he made 10 stops, including six solo, and forced a fumble. In limited playing time over the past two seasons, Myrick has registered 32 stops, including 15 solo, with one forced fumble and one pass breakup.
Prediction
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.So who wins South Alabama vs. Appalachian State, and which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the South Alabama vs. Appalachian State spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $2,000 on its FBS college football picks since its inception, and find out.
Appalachian State vs. South Alabama: A Tale of Two Teams
The Appalachian State Mountaineers and South Alabama Jaguars are both coming off impressive but vastly different types of wins in Week 3. South Alabama rolled to an 87-10 win over Northwestern State of the FCS, while Appalachian State edged East Carolina 21-19 on the road. The Jaguars (1-2), who finished 7-6 overall in 2023, tied for second in the Sun Belt West with Texas State and Arkansas State at 4-4, three games behind Troy. The Mountaineers (2-1), who finished second behind James Madison at 6-2 in the Sun Belt East, were 9-5 overall a year ago.
Appalachian State: A Team Looking to Recapture Its Glory
The Appalachian State Mountaineers were voted to win the Sun Belt East in the preseason coaches' poll, claiming 12 of 14 first-place votes. But after an up-and-down start to the season, the Mountaineers are looking to lock in for their conference slate.
They'll open up Sun Belt play against South Alabama (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) with a 2-1 record, and hopes of recapturing their first conference title since 2019.
To get here, App State has traveled a winding road.
After winning at least nine games from 2015 to 2021, 2022 was a roller coaster. The Mountaineers opened with a 63-61 loss to North Carolina, followed by a 17-14 road upset of No. 6 Texas A&M in College Station. That win prompted a “College GameDay” visit for their game vs. Troy, which they won 32-28 on a Hail Mary.
Then they lost nine of their next 16 games. That stretch was out of character for App State, a program that has had only one losing season since 1983 and has the sixth-most wins of any program in the country since 2014.
“When I look back at it now and you really don't realize it then -- our players were mentally exhausted in three weeks,” head coach Shawn Clark said. “And I didn't do a good job of getting them back mentally. Physically, we were fine. Mentally, we weren't there, just the outside noise happening, and then with kids and social media, etc., they feel the pressure to go out and win. And then things didn't work out.”
The Mountaineers would go on to finish the 2022 season 6-6.
Clark said the team called the next season “Reset ‘23” to show it was going to get back to its core values. But even that took some time after a 3-4 start. Following a 28-21 loss to Old Dominion and a seven-hour bus ride back to Boone, North Carolina, Clark was trying to find the right message.
Looking through his phone, Clark found an image of a man digging with a mattock. In the image, the man needed just another inch before he struck diamonds, but instead walked away just short of what he was looking for.
He showed the image to his team, brought in a mattock and said, “You're so close to breaking through and making a run at this thing. If you believe in it, we can still be champions.”
So, the Mountaineers kept digging. They didn't have a choice. In their next game, against Southern Miss, they played from behind until taking the lead with just under seven minutes to play. They managed to pull out that win, and then four more in a row (one at James Madison with “College GameDay” in Harrisonburg, Virginia) to reach the Sun Belt title game.
Despite the turnaround, the Mountaineers finished a game short of their goal in a 49-23 loss at Troy. But it was clear Clark had managed to reset his program.
South Alabama: A Team on the Rise?
The South Alabama Jaguars are looking to build on their impressive 87-10 win over Northwestern State in Week 3. The Jaguars are looking to turn the page on their season-opening losses to North Texas (52-38) and Ohio (27-20). The Jaguars are hoping that their offensive explosion against Northwestern State is a sign of things to come. However, they will need to tighten up their defense if they want to compete with the top teams in the Sun Belt.
The Stakes Are High
The Mountaineers and Jaguars are both looking to make a statement in this game. The Mountaineers are looking to prove that they are still one of the top teams in the Sun Belt, while the Jaguars are looking to show that they are a force to be reckoned with. This game is sure to be a hard-fought battle, and it will be interesting to see which team comes out on top.
Final Thoughts
This game is a great opportunity for both teams to make a statement. The Mountaineers are looking to start their Sun Belt schedule strong, while the Jaguars are looking to prove that they are a contender. This game is sure to be a close one, and it will be interesting to see which team comes out on top.
