College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Appalachian State season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Appalachian State Schedule
– Appalachian State Mountaineers Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
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2020 Record: 9-3 overall, 6-2 in Sun Belt
Head Coach: Shawn Clark, 2nd year, 10-3
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 68
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 62
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 6
Appalachian State Mountaineers College Football Preview 2021: Offense
– The offense did just about everything right except come up with a wee bit more production in the three losses to Marshall, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana. They were just this close to coming up with an even better season, but there was an Achilles’ heel – more on that in the Keys To The Season.
It’s a loaded team coming back from an O that finished second in the conference averaging 452 yards and 34 points per outing. It all starts with …
– Quarterback. Appalachian State has been Green Bay Packer-like in its quarterback luck since moving up to the FBS world. Taylor Lamb was the guy at an all-star Sun Belt level for four years, and then the reins were given to Zac Thomas who kept it all going for the last three.
Now it’s up to – most likely – Chase Brice to step in and produce after starting his career at Clemson before transferring to Duke. He’ll have to fight off last year’s No. 2 man Jacob Huesman and others.
Finding guys to throw to ins’t a problem. Star target Corey Sutton is back after opting out last year – he led the team in catches in 2018 and was second in 2019. He’s hardly alone with Thomas Hennigan and Malik Williams returning for their super-senior years after combining for 88 catches for well over 1,100 yards and six scores.
The receiving corps goes even deeper than that, and so does the group of tight ends with Henry Pearson, Miller Gibbs and Mike Evans all capable of being the No. 1 guy.
– The offensive line that paved the way for 265 rushing yards per game – sixth in the nation – and was solid in pass protection returns three starters around all-stars Baer Hunter at guard and tackle Cooper Hodges.
The running backs are crazy deep – not like wide receiver, but they’re strong. Camerun Peoples is the 6-2, 210-pounder who ran for 317 yards and five scores against North Texas, and he’s not alone – Daetrich Harrington and Nate Noel would be No. 1 backs almost anywhere else. Those three combined for 20 touchdown runs – and no, they didn’t all come in the bowl win over the Mean Green.
Oh, if that’s not enough, in comes Jahmir Smith from Notre Dame to add even more talent to the equation.
– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Appalachian State Schedule