College Sports

No. 23 Appalachian State enters Top 25, visits Marshall

Posted September 17, 2020 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

No. 23 Appalachian State (1-0) at Marshall (1-0), Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS).

Line: Appalachian State by 4 1/2.

Series record: Appalachian State leads 14-8.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

The Mountaineers entered the Top 25 this week. Appalachian State has won four straight Sun Belt Conference titles and wants to join other league teams in receiving national attention after Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State and Coastal Carolina beat Big 12 opponents last week. Marshall has its own hopes of moving into the rankings after a 59-0 win over FCS Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 5.

KEY MATCHUP

Marshall QB Grant Wells vs. Appalachian State's defense. Wells, a redshirt freshman, threw for 307 yards and four TDs against Eastern Kentucky in his first start. Appalachian State held Charlotte's Chris Reynolds to 11-of-30 passing and intercepted him twice.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Appalachian State: WR Thomas Hennigan; The senior had five catches for 120 yards, including a 51-yard TD, in the 35-20 win over Charlotte. He had five games with at least six catches a year ago, including an 11-catch game.

Marshall: RB Brenden Knox. The junior was named the Conference USA preseason offensive player of the year after rushing for 1,387 yards and 11 scores a year ago. He had 85 yards and a TD in the opener.

FACTS & FIGURES

The teams were Southern Conference rivals from 1977 to 1996 and last met in the 2002 season. ... The Mountaineers ran the ball 50 times for 308 yards last week, an average of 6.2 yards per carry. ... Appalachian State was a late replacement on Marshall's schedule after the Thundering Herd lost home games against Pittsburgh and Boise State and a road contest at Old Dominion due to the coronavirus pandemic. Marshall is allowing fans under a reduced capacity at its home games. .... Appalachian State finished last season at No. 19 after going 13-1. .... The Mountaineers allowed a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week.

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Marshall tight end Xavier Gaines (11) prepares to catch a pass for a touchdown against Eastern Kentucky in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, in Huntington, W.Va. (Sholten Singer/Herald-Dispatch via AP) The Associated Press

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