2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team

2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers football
Sun Belt champion
Sun Belt East Division co-champion
New Orleans Bowl champion
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
DivisionEast Division
Record11–2 (7–1 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinatorFrank Ponce (6th season)
Co-offensive coordinatorShawn Clark (3rd season)
Offensive schemeSpread option
Defensive coordinatorBryan Brown (1st season)
Base defense4–2–5
Home stadiumKidd Brewer Stadium
Seasons
← 2017
2019 →
2018 Sun Belt Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Appalachian State xy$   7 1     11 2  
Troy x   7 1     10 3  
Georgia Southern   6 2     10 3  
Coastal Carolina   2 6     5 7  
Georgia State   1 7     2 10  
West Division
Louisiana xy   5 3     7 7  
Arkansas State x   5 3     8 5  
Louisiana–Monroe   4 4     6 6  
South Alabama   2 6     3 9  
Texas State   1 7     3 9  
Championship: Appalachian State 30, Louisiana 19
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant

The 2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers were led by sixth-year head coach Scott Satterfield and played their home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium. They competed as a member of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 11–2, 7–1 in Sun Belt play to be co-champions of the East Division with Troy. Due to their head-to-head win over Troy, they represented the East Division in the inaugural Sun Belt Championship Game where they defeated West Division champion Louisiana to become Sun Belt Champions for the third consecutive year and first time outright. They were invited to the New Orleans Bowl where they defeated Middle Tennessee.

On December 3, head coach Scott Satterfield resigned to become the head coach at Louisville.[1] He finished at Appalachian State with a six year record of 51–24. Defensive line coach Mark Ivey led the Mountaineers in the New Orleans Bowl.[2]

On December 13, Appalachian State hired North Carolina State offensive coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz as their new head coach.[3]

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award Player Position Year
Maxwell Award[4] Jalin Moore RB SR
Doak Walker Award[5] Jalin Moore RB SR
John Mackey Award[6] Collin Reed TE JR
Jim Thorpe Award[7] Clifton Duck DB JR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[8] Tae Hayes CB SR
Wuerffel Trophy[9] MyQuon Stout DL SR

Sun Belt coaches poll

On July 19, 2018, the Sun Belt released their preseason coaches poll with the Mountaineers predicted to finish as champions of the East Division.[10]

East Division
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Appalachian State 46 (6)
2 Troy 44 (4)
3 Georgia State 26
4 Georgia Southern 22
5 Coastal Carolina 12

Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams

The Mountaineers had seven players selected to the preseason all-Sun Belt teams.[11] Defensive back Clifton Duck was selected as the preseason defensive player of the year.

Recruiting

The Mountaineers signed 24 recruits.

College recruiting information (2018)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kaleb Dawson
S
Moultrie, Georgia Colquitt County 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) May 28, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Zareon Hayes
OLB
Dillon, South Carolina Dillon 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jun 11, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Richard Tucker
WR
Inman, South Carolina Chapman 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 181 lb (82 kg) Jun 14, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Tyler Bird
OLB
Dallas, Georgia North Paulding 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Jun 19, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Michael Price
CB
Stockbridge, Georgia Stockbridge 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jun 22, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Logan Doublin
OLB
Largo, Florida Largo 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jun 24, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Trey Ross
TE
Randleman, North Carolina Randleman 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 227 lb (103 kg) Jul 10, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Christopher Washington
ILB
Newberry, Florida Newberry 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Jul 28, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Brock Mattison
OLB
Buford, Georgia Buford 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sep 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Hansky Paillant
DE
Hollywood, Florida Miramar 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Sep 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Trey Cobb
DE
Waycross, Georgia Ware County 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sep 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Nick Hampton
DE
Anderson, South Carolina Westside 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sep 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Luke Burnette
TE
Monroe, North Carolina Sun Valley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 241 lb (109 kg) Sep 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Stephon Brown
QB
Kernersville, North Carolina R. B. Glenn 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Sep 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Jordon Earle
OG
West Palm Beach, Florida Forest Hill Community 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 292 lb (132 kg) Sep 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Cooper Hodges
OT
Glen St. Mary, Florida Baker County Senior 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 280 lb (130 kg) Sep 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Braden Collins
WR
Knoxville, Tennessee Farragut 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Sep 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Jay Person
ILB
Cleveland, Tennessee Bradley Central 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Oct 11, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
A. J. Beach
CB
Milledgeville, Georgia Georgia Military College 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Oct 30, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Henry Pearson
TE
Paramus, New Jersey Paramus Catholic 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Dec 15, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Anderson Hardy
OT
Raleigh, North Carolina Jesse O. Sanderson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 260 lb (120 kg) Dec 20, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Harrison Taylor
OLB
McDonough, Georgia Eagle's Landing Christian Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 237 lb (108 kg) Dec 20, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Camerun Peoples
RB
Lineville, Alabama Clay Central 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Dec 20, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Josh Headlee
OT
Boone, North Carolina Watauga 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 270 lb (120 kg) Dec 20, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 111
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Appalachian StateFootball commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.

Roster

2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 2 Zeb Speir Sr
WR 2 Corey Sutton So
RB, WR 3 Darrynton Evans So
WR 4 Dominique Heath  Sr
WR 5 Thomas Hennigan So
RB 6 Camerun Peoples Fr
QB 7 Jacob Huesman So
QB 8 Stephon Brown Fr
QB 9 Jackson Gibbs  Fr
QB 10 Tanner Wilson  Fr
WR 11 Jalen Virgil So
QB 12 Zac Thomas So
QB 13 Peyton Derrick  Fr
WR 14 Malik Williams So
WR 15 Mock Adams Jr
WR 17 Trevion McCollum  So
WR 18 Brad Absher Sr
RB 19 Daetrich Harrington So
WR 20 A'Darius Purifoy So
WR 21 Dysaun Razzak Fr
RB 22 D'Andre Hicks  Fr
RB 25 Jalin Moore Sr
RB 26 Marcus Williams, Jr. So
RB 27 DeMarcus Harper So
RB 34 Nakendrick Clark Jr
TE 35 Miller Gibbs Fr
OL 51 Baer Hunter So
OL 52 Tobias Edge−Campbell Sr
OL 55 Matt Williams So
OL 56 Nate Haskins So
OL 58 Ryan Neuzil So
OL 60 Noah Hannon So
OL 62 Weston Gillespie So
OL 63 Ivan Reyes So
OL 64 Will Hardin So
OL 65 Gage Blackston  Fr
OL 67 Logan Wright So
OL 70 Cooper Hodges Fr
OL 73 Cole Garrison So
OL 74 Anderson Hardy Fr
OL 75 Victor Johnson Jr
OL 77 Josh Headlee Fr
OL 78 Chandler Greer Sr
OL 79 Luke Burnette Fr
WR 80 A. J. Hall Fr
WR 81 Braden Collins Fr
WR 82 Richard Tucker Fr
WR 83 Jake Henry  Fr
TE 84 Mike Evans Jr
TE 84 Joe Hartung  Fr
WR 85 Michael Queen So
TE 80 Trey Ross Fr
TE 87 Collin Reed Jr
TE 88 Henry Pearson Fr
TE 89 Devin Papenheim  Fr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 4 Clifton Duck Jr
DB 6 Desmond Franklin Jr
DB 7 Josh Thomas Jr
DB 8 Shemar Jean-Charles So
DB 9 Austin Exford Sr
LB 10 Tim Frizzell So
DB 11 Jeremy Level So
DB 12 Steven Jones Jr.  Fr
DB 13 Kaiden Smith So
DB 16 Shaun Jolly  Fr
DB 17 Tae Hayes Sr
DB 19 Mike Price Fr
LB 20 Noel Cook Jr
DB 21 Ryan Huff  Fr
LB 22 Jace Frisbee  Fr
LB 24 Akeem Davis-Gaither Jr
DB 25 Kaleb Dawson Fr
LB 26 Matthew McQuinn  Fr
DB 27 A. J. Beach Jr
LB 28 Jay Person Fr
LB 29 Devonte Harrison So
LB 30 Zareon Hayes Fr
LB 31 Nick Hampton Fr
LB 33 Jordan Mitchell Fr
DL 36 Brock Mattison Fr
DB 39 Zion Madden Fr
LB 40 Logan Doublin Fr
DL 42 Harrison Taylor Fr
DL 43 Hansky Paillant Fr
LB 44 Anthony Flory Sr
LB 45 Trey Cobb Fr
DL 46 Chris Washington Fr
DL 47 Okon Godwin Sr
DL 48 Demetrius Taylor So
LB 49 Blythe Hall So
LB 50 Keaton Forbes Fr
LB 51 Tyler Bird Fr
LB 52 D'Marco Jackson  Fr
DL 54 Jermaine McDaniel Jr.  Fr
DL 57 Elijah Diarrassouba So
LB 59 Jordan Fehr Jr
DL 66 Will Israel  Fr
DL 68 Brody Barrett Jr
DL 88 Cameron Pack So
DL 89 Dorian Pickett Fr
DL 90 Chris Willis So
DL 91 Tommy Dawkins So
DL 92 MyQuon Stout Sr
DL 94 Josh Houser Jr
DL 95 George Blackstock  Fr
DL 96 Markell Clark So
DL 97 Caleb Spurlin So
DL 98 E. J. Scott Jr
DL 99 Jordon Earle Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 29 John Gliarmis Fr
P 30 Clayton Howell  Fr
P 39 Xavier Subotsch So
K 41 Michael Rubino Jr
LS 53 Max Durshlag Fr
K 91 Chandler Staton So
LS 93 Elias McMurry Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: September 17, 2018

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 13:30 p.m.at No. 10 Penn State*BTNL 38–45 OT105,232
September 86:00 p.m.at Charlotte*ESPN+W 45–919,151
September 153:30 p.m.Southern Miss*ESPN+ Cancelled [a]
September 223:30 p.m.Gardner–Webb*
  • Kidd Brewer Stadium
  • Boone, NC
ESPN+W 72–721,084
September 293:30 p.m.South Alabamadagger
  • Kidd Brewer Stadium
  • Boone, NC
ESPN+W 52–725,862
October 98:00 p.m.at Arkansas StateESPN2W 35–921,421
October 203:30 p.m.Louisiana
  • Kidd Brewer Stadium
  • Boone, NC
ESPN+W 27–1727,082
October 257:30 p.m.at Georgia SouthernNo. 25ESPNUL 14–3419,252
November 35:00 p.m.at Coastal CarolinaESPN+W 23–713,004
November 104:00 p.m.at Texas StateESPN3W 38–711,482
November 172:30 p.m.Georgia State
  • Kidd Brewer Stadium
  • Boone, NC
ESPN+W 45–1722,315
November 242:30 p.m.Troy
  • Kidd Brewer Stadium
  • Boone, NC
ESPN+W 21–1020,410
December 1NoonLouisiana
ESPNW 30–1914,963
December 159:00 p.m.vs. Middle Tennessee*ESPNW 45–1323,942
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time
  1. ^ This game was canceled because of Hurricane Florence.

Game summaries

At Penn State

Appalachian State at Penn State – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Appalachian State 10 0 028038
No. 10 Penn State 7 3 1414745

at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania

Game information

At Charlotte

Appalachian State at Charlotte – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
App State 10 14 71445
Charlotte 0 9 009

at Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: September 8
  • Game time: 6:04 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 90 °F (32 °C); Partly Cloudy
  • Game attendance: 19,151
  • Referee: Stephen LaManti
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Bobby Rosinski, Jay Sonnhalter, Libby Clark
  • AppStateSports.com Box Score
Game information

Gardner–Webb

Gardner–Webb at Appalachian State – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Gardner–Webb 7 0 007
App State 28 24 14672

at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina

  • Date: September 22
  • Game time: 3:35 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C); Mostly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 21,084
  • Referee: Marshall Lewis
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Harrison Battle, Pierre Banks
  • AppStateSports.com Box Score
Game information

South Alabama

South Alabama at Appalachian State – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
South Alabama 7 0 007
App State 21 21 3752

at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina

Game information

At Arkansas State

Appalachian State at Arkansas State – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
App State 0 21 7735
Arkansas State 3 6 009

at Centennial Bank Stadium, Jonesboro, AR

Game information

Louisiana

Louisiana at Appalachian State – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Louisiana 7 3 0717
App State 7 10 7327

at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina

  • Date: October 20
  • Game time: 3:35 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C); partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 27,082
  • Referee: Kyle Olson
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Harrison Battle, Pierre Banks
  • AppStateSports.com Box Score
Game information

At Georgia Southern

Appalachian State at Georgia Southern – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 25 App State 0 7 0714
Georgia Southern 0 17 10734

at Paulson Stadium, Statesboro, Georgia

Game information

At Coastal Carolina

Appalachian State at Coastal Carolina – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
App State 7 7 0923
Coastal Carolina 7 0 007

at Brooks Stadium, Conway, South Carolina

Game information

At Texas State

Appalachian State at Texas State – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
App State 7 14 71038
Texas State 0 0 707

at Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, Texas

Game information

Georgia State

Georgia State at Appalachian State– Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Georgia State 7 0 3717
App State 14 3 141445

at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina

Game information

Troy

Troy at Appalachian State – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Troy 0 3 7010
App State 7 14 0021

at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina

Game information

Louisiana (Sun Belt Championship game)

Louisiana at Appalachian State – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Louisiana 3 3 10319
App State 7 7 61030

at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina

Game information

Vs. Middle Tennessee (New Orleans Bowl)

Middle Tennessee vs Appalachian State – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Middle Tennessee 3 3 7013
App State 0 24 14745

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: December 15
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Indoors
  • Game attendance: 23,942
  • TV: ESPN
Game information

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
APRVRVRV25RVRVRV
CoachesRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV
CFPNot releasedNot released

References