App State football looks to get their third consecutive win Thursday night when they travel to Conway, South Carolina, to take on the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 28-20 win over Old Dominion on Saturday, improving their conference record to 2-3 and netting them fifth spot in the Sun Belt East Division.
Coastal Carolina comes into this game with a 4-4 record. The Chanticleers started 4-1 before dropping three straight to James Madison, Louisiana and Troy. They are 1-3 in conference play and sit sixth in the Sun Belt East Division.
The Mountaineers will play on short rest for the second time this season. The first Thursday night game resulted in a 48-14 loss to South Alabama. Since then, the Mountaineers have made some changes.
“ It’s a five-and-a-half hour drive down to Conway. We came in last night and watched the film, did a walkthrough and today will be a Tuesday practice, probably one of the more physical practices of the week. We will practice tomorrow and then Wednesday morning travel down to Coastal,” head coach Shawn Clark said.
App State comes into Thursday having lost three straight midweek night games.
Coastal Carolina offensive coordinator Travis Trickett was fired in October and head coach Tim Beck has taken over play-calling duties for the offense.
A notable difference between Coastal Carolina last year and this year is new starting quarterback Ethan Vasko, who took the reins after Grayson McCall transferred to NC State.
In five games this season he has thrown for 1,401 yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Vasko is also a threat on the ground, rushing for 285 yards and 3 touchdowns this season.
The Chanticleers have the seventh most efficient offense in the Sun Belt, averaging 386.0 yards per game. The Chanticleers rank fifth in points per game in the Sun Belt.
Their defense ranks 11th in the Sun Belt for yards allowed, giving up 428.1 yards per game, while being 12th in points allowed per game allowing 32.4 points per game.
For Thursday’s game, the Mountaineers will be without a few key players. Redshirt sophomore running back Kanye Roberts, redshirt junior tight end David Larkins and senior kicker Michael Hughes are listed as out. Redshirt junior running back Anderson Castle, senior running back Maquel Haywood and senior tight end Eli Wilson are listed as questionable.
The game will kick off at 8 p.m. on Thursday and will be televised live on ESPN.
