Coastal Carolina football hoping to keep NY6 hopes alive vs. App State

It is all on the line this weekend as Coastal Carolina football takes on the Appalachian State Mountaineers in a Sun Belt showdown.

This Saturday at noon, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Appalachian State Mountaineers will play in the biggest game of the season in the Sun Belt Conference. Both the Chanticleers and Mountaineers come into this game undefeated. The winner of this game owns the tie-breaker and is in the driver’s seat in the division.

For Appalachian State, it keeps on chugging along. Scott Satterfield goes to Louisville, Eli Drinkwitz leads the Mountaineers to the Sun Belt title. Drinkwitz bolts for Missouri, Shawn Clark, has them in position to win their fifth Sun Belt title in a row and third since divisional play began in 2018.

Coastal Carolina has a different narrative. Most publications picked the Chanticleers to finish last in the Sun Belt. Not just their division, but to finish with the worst record in the entire conference. Texas State and Louisiana-Monroe were picked to have better records than Coastal. Someone forgot to tell head coach Jamey Chadwell and his team. The Chanticleers boast one of the best offenses and defenses in the Sun Belt.

A win for the Mountaineers continues their dominance over the Sun Belt. It allows App State to win five titles since joining the conference in 2014. For Coastal, a win keeps them first with an outside chance at the New Year’s Six if they run the table.

Date: Saturday, Nov. 21
Time: 12 p.m. EST
Location: Conway, S.C.
Venue: Brooks Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

This game is strength on strength. Watching the Chants and the Mountaineers play is like looking in a mirror. Both teams want to run the football and play good defense. Grayson McCall is a more dynamic Zac Thomas at quarterback. The little things will decide this game. Which defense misses an assignment or blows a coverage? Which offense shoots themselves in the foot with penalties? Whichever team can pressure the quarterback will have an advantage.

Betting Odds

Courtesy of The Action Network

Line: Coastal Carolina -5.5
O/U: 48

Prediction

Spoiler alert, take the under in this game. Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State have the two best defenses in the Sun Belt (sorry, Louisiana). The Chants, led by Tarron Jackson, has the best pass rush in the Sun Belt. These two teams are evenly matched in every way. The Mountaineers are the veteran team and have been in this position before. However, freshman phenom Grayson McCall makes one more play than veteran counterpart Thomas and the Chanticleers keep their magical season alive.

Final Score: Coastal Carolina 20, App State 17