Rivalries are at the heart of sports, built on history, competition and pride. From the Yankees and Red Sox to Real Madrid and Barcelona, iconic matchups between teams with deep rooted animosity fuel some of the biggest rivalries in professional sports.
In college, rivalries are key to the environment of the game. Teams that are close in both history and geographical proximity fuel the fire, and App State is no exception. With multiple rivalries from the time the school was founded to newer clashes gaining momentum, the Mountaineers have no shortage of competition.
“I think the best single word is energized,” said Ryan Ray, a senior communication major and president of the Student Yosef Club. “Everything top to bottom during a rivalry game in Boone is just over the top full of energy and full of life.”
App State and Georgia Southern met for the first time 93 years ago, when both schools were known as teachers colleges. The two didn’t cross paths on the gridiron again until 1987, when the Mountaineers defeated the Eagles in the Division I-AA playoffs. Today, the “Deeper Than Hate” rivalry has been played every year since 2013, and the series sits at an even 13 wins apiece.
“It’s called deeper than hate. We just hate them so much, it’s just so intense and I think it’s our biggest rivalry,” said Meredith Roberson, a senior exercise science major.
Coastal Carolina has quickly become a high profile rival for App State since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2016. The two schools have faced off every year since 2017, with the series currently tied at four wins each.
The Black and Gold have lost the previous three contests to the Chanticleers in high scoring thrillers, with Coastal Carolina storming the field in each of their last two home wins.
Ray has been involved in some of the historical and emotional ties with the rivalries of Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina.
“I think those emotions are really brought on by a closeness between our football program and our athletics department with Boone and Appalachian communities as a whole,” Ray said. “Schools like Georgia Southern or Coastal Carolina, where, over the past decade or so, those rivalries have been developed in a way that is unmatched, especially at the group of five level.”
The Black and Gold have several in-state rivals that have become prominent over the last couple of years. One of these rivalries includes East Carolina, which the Mountaineers have beaten each of the past two years.
The matchup at Kidd Brewer Stadium in 2023 resulted in App State’s record-tying attendance with 40,168 fans at the game, and it ended with a 43-28 win for the Mountaineers.
Redshirt senior defensive back Jordan Favors recorded his first career interception in the game, a special moment for him in front of the record crowd.
“It felt like life, it was so beautiful,” Favors said. “Sometimes when you make a play like that, you can’t even hear your teammates’ reaction. Ongoing spouts of joy for you, and then going to the sideline with your teammates, it’s one of the best feelings.”
App State has remained committed to reviving past rivalries and is soon to add Western Carolina back to its schedule in 2028. The teams haven’t played since 2013, and the winner will take home the historic Old Mountain Jug trophy, awarded to the winner of the rivalry every year since 1976.
James Madison has quickly gained momentum as a rival since the Dukes joined the Sun Belt in 2022, with the two teams meeting annually over the past three years. The game in Harrisonburg, Virginia in 2023 stood out as a defining moment in the rivalry’s growing intensity.
It was a remarkable year for James Madison, the Dukes sat at a perfect 10-0 going into the battle with the Black and Gold, and had College Gameday in attendance to broadcast the game on a national level. App State was ready for the moment and won in a double overtime thriller 26-23.
“James Madison as a new competitor has a lot of tricks up their sleeve and even in the past few seasons, we haven’t done as well, but every single time we played Madison here or at JMU we’ve consistently done well,” said Logan Bryant, a senior healthcare management major.
Senior defensive back Ethan Johnson recorded his first interception and described what the moment was like in a game with as much attention as it had.
“Everybody was getting on me, asking when I was gonna get a pick,” Johnson said. “When I finally got it the whole defense jumped on me, it was just a great moment, and then the way we finished it off, that was one of my favorite moments at App State.”
Rivalries in the High Country give fans a reason to bring extra emotion when going into each game.
“I really hate Georgia Southern and I don’t like Coastal or JMU but that’s what makes it so much more special and so much more meaningful to play. I think it’s what makes college football, college football,” Roberson said.
In 2025, App State will play some of their biggest rivals, with Coastal Carolina on Oct. 18, Georgia Southern on Nov. 6 and James Madison on Nov. 15.
