The Appalachian State revival is real, but if the Mountaineers want to claim their first-ever Sun Belt championship they’ll have to get past a league mainstay first. They face Arkansas State in a battle between the conference’s final two unblemished records on Thursday night.
How to watch Arkansas State vs. Appalachian State on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
The 2015 Sun Belt title could very well come down to Thursday night’s showdown between 7-1 Appalachian State and 5-3 Arkansas State.
Appalachian State (7-1, 4-0 Sun Belt) is only in their second season of Sun Belt play, but they can move one step closer to the league’s crown by beating Arkansas State (5-3, 4-0 Sun Belt). The Mountaineers are coming off an intense Week 8 win over Troy that only came after three overtimes and a failed Trojan fake field goal. They had been cruising before that, winning five straight games by an average score of 31-6 after a “no one’s complaining” loss to current No. 1 Clemson back in September.
At this point, Arkansas State is the old guard in the Sun Belt. The Red Wolves are the league’s longest-tenured football member and arguably its most successful. They’ve been to bowl games in each of the past four seasons, despite having four different head coaches in the past five years. In that span, they’ve won or shared the league title three times.
This matchup is a probable conference title game in a league that has no official postseason showdown. It’s not quite #MACtion, but it’s certainly #SunBelterrific (I’m so sorry).
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Radio: Appalachian State, Arkansas State
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Appalachian State is favored by 10 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Underdog Dynasty, which should cover fans of all States Appalachian and Arkansas.
Three big things to know
1. This game could wind up determining the Sun Belt champion, thanks in part to the relatively weak schedules each team faces in the final three weeks of the season. If Appalachian State wins, they’ll only have to win two of their next three games against a lineup of teams that have only won nine of their 22 (40.9 percent) games this season. Things would be even easier for Arkansas State: their final three opponents have won just four of 23 (17.4 percent) in 2015.
2. Appalachian State sophomore quarterback Taylor Lamb is developing into one of the Sun Belt’s biggest offensive threats. He’s already thrown more touchdown passes through eight 2015 games (19) than he had in all of 2014, while giving his team a dynamic running threat (283 yards, 5.9 yards per carry) when he escapes the pocket.
3. The Mountaineers will have to stop Arkansas State's potent running game - something they've done well in 2015 while fielding the country's 26th-ranked rushing defense. That could all change when Michael Gordon, Warren Wand, and Johnston White, the Red Wolves' three-headed monster in the backfield, take the field on Thursday. The trio have combined for 1,483 yards and 19 touchdowns (6.3 yards per carry) so far this year.
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