CONWAY, S.C. – The top spot in the Sun Belt Conference East Division standings will be on the line Saturday, Nov. 21, as the No. 15/18 nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (7-0, 5-0 Sun Belt) will host the Appalachian State Mountaineers (6-1, 4-0 Sun Belt) at Brooks Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
 
  • For the fifth-straight week and just the fifth time in the program's young FBS history, the Chanticleers were ranked in the top 25 nationally.
 
• CCU came in this week at No. 15 in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 18 in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA Today Sports.
 
  • The then-No. 15/16 nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina football team made history on Nov. 1, 2020, as the Chanticleers became the highest nationally-ranked football team in Sun Belt Conference history.
 
• The Chanticleers were ranked No. 15 overall in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll in Week 9, eclipsing the previous Sun Belt record of No. 19 set by Appalachian State last season and Louisiana twice this year.
 
• In the Amway Coaches Poll presented by USA Today Sports, the Chants came in at No. 16 overall, surpassing the previous Sun Belt high of No. 18 set last year by Appalachian State in the Week 16 (Final) poll on Jan. 14.
 
  • With last Saturday afternoon's contest at Troy (Nov. 14) postponed, this week's game versus Appalachian State (Nov. 21) will be the Chants' eighth-straight game on national television.
 
  • Coastal is off to a 5-0 start in conference play for the first time since joining the Sun Belt as a full-time member in 2017.
 
• The Chants are looking to go 6-0 in Sun Belt play for the first time in program history with a win on Saturday versus Appalachian State (Nov. 21).
 
• Prior to this season, Coastal had not won more than two conference games in any season since joining the Sun Belt in 2017.
 
YEAR                  SUN BELT        OVERALL
2017                              2-6                   3-9
2018                              2-6                   5-7
2019                              2-6                   5-7
2020                              5-0                   7-0
 
• Coastal is breaking through this year in a big way, as the Chants have outscored their conference foes by 114 points (184-70) and are averaging 36.8 points per game in conference play.
 
  • Coastal's 7-0 start this season tied Appalachian State (2019) for the best start in Sun Belt history.
 
  • Coastal's current seven-game winning streak this season is the longest single-season winning streak for the Chants since moving to the FBS level in 2017.
 
2020
09/12/20         at Kansas                      W, 38-23
09/18/20         Campbell                       W, 43-21
10/03/20         Arkansas State             W, 52-23
10/14/20         at #21 Louisiana           W, 30-27
10/24/20         Georgia Southern         W, 28-14
10/31/20         at Georgia State             W, 51-0
11/07/20         South Alabama               W, 23-6
 
• The last time the Chants' won seven games in a row was in 2016, their last season playing a full FCS schedule when they won seven-straight games to end the season.
 
• If you go back to the 2019 season, Coastal Carolina has won eight-straight games and will be going for its ninth-straight win this week versus Appalachian State (Nov. 21).
 
11/30/19          Texas State                 W, 24-21
09/12/20          at Kansas                     W, 38-23
09/18/20          Campbell                     W, 43-21
10/03/20          Arkansas State            W, 52-23
10/14/20          at #21 Louisiana         W, 30-27
10/24/20          Georgia Southern       W, 28-14
10/31/20          at Georgia State            W, 51-0
11/07/20          South Alabama             W, 23-6
 
  • Coastal Carolina's defense, the "Black Swarm", has been superb over the last two weeks in wins at Georgia State (Oct. 31) and versus South Alabama (Nov. 7).
 
• The Chanticleers did not allow a touchdown in either win and has not allowed a touchdown to their opponents since the second quarter of the home win over Georgia Southern (Oct. 24).
 
  • Coastal Carolina is 0-6 all-time versus the Appalachian State Mountaineers, including dropping each of the last three meetings as Sun Belt foes.
 
09/17/2005      at Appalachian State                 L, 3-30
11/25/2006      at #1 Appalachian State ^        L, 28-45
09/29/2012      at #17 Appalachian State        L, 14-55
10/21/2017      at Appalachian State *             L, 29-37
11/03/2018      at Coastal Carolina *                  L, 7-23
09/28/2019      at Appalachian State *             L, 37-56
 
^ - NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs
* - Sun Belt Conference game
 
  • The four-time Sun Belt Conference Champions entered the season as the Sun Belt Conference favorites once again in 2020.
 
• Under first-year head coach Shawn Clark, App State is 6-1 overall and 4-0 in Sun Belt play this season.
 
• The Mountaineers rank second in the league in scoring defense, allowing just 16.9 points per game this year, and third in scoring offense with an average of 32.1 points per contest.
 
• The experienced offense has relied heavily on the run game this year, as the Mountaineers are second in the Sun Belt with an average of 261.4 rushing yards per game.
 
• App State has four players that have rushed for 275 yards or more this season led by running back Daetrich Harrington with a team-high 595 yards and seven touchdowns.
 
• Camerun Peoples (366 yards, 4 TDs), Marcus Williams Jr. (350 yards, 2 TDs), and quarterback Zac Thomas (275 yards, 2 TDs) all have found pay dirt multiple times on the ground this season.
 
• Senior quarterback Zac Thomas leads the aerial attack, completing 66.5 percent of his passes (111-of-167) for 1,285 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
 
• Thomas' favorite targets have been Malik Williams with 25 catches for 291 yards and two touchdowns and Thomas Hennigan with 22 receptions for 367 yards and a score.
 
• Defensively, the Mountaineers are allowing just 324.7 yards of offense to their opponents per game and have recorded 43 tackles-for-loss, 17 sacks, and 10 interceptions, all of which rank in the top five in the Sun Belt.
 
• Linebacker Trey Cobb leads the team with 54 total tackles, including 7.5 tackles-for-loss, while defensive back Ryan Huff and linebacker Brendan Harrington have a team-leading three interceptions each.
 
  • Coastal Carolina is 5-0 in the Sun Belt this season but will have to beat four-time defending Sun Belt Champions Appalachian State in order to help secure itself a spot in the 2020 Sun Belt Football Championship game on Dec. 19.
 
• The Mountaineers went 7-1 to repeat as co-Sun Belt Champions in both 2016 and 2017 before posting back-to-back 7-1 conference records and Sun Belt Football Championship game wins over Louisiana in 2018 and 2019.
 
  • Something has got to give in Saturday's contest with Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State.
 
• The contest will feature the top two scoring defenses in the Sun Belt in No. 1 Coastal Carolina at 16.3 points per game allowed and No. 2 App State at 16.9 points per contest surrendered.
 
• However, the East Division showdown also features two of the top three scoring offenses in the Sun Belt this season in No. 1 Coastal Carolina at 37.9 points per outing and No. 3 App State at 32.1 points per game.
 
  • The punters for both the Chanticleers and the Mountaineers might have the day off on Saturday, as the two teams are No. 1 and No. 3 in the Sun Belt in fourth-down conversion percentage this season.
 
• Coastal leads the Sun Belt and ranks 18th nationally with a fourth-down conversion percentage of 77.8 percent (7-of-9) on the season.
 
• Appalachian State is third in the Sun Belt in fourth-down conversion percentage at 60.0 percent (6-of-10) on the year.
 
  • The Chanticleers sit atop of the Sun Belt East Division standings at 5-0 entering Saturday's contest versus Appalachian State (Nov. 21) who is 4-0.
 
• Coastal is 2-0 over its East Division foes this season posting dominating wins over Georgia Southern (Oct. 24) and at Georgia State (Oct. 31).
 
  • The Chanticleers are 3-0 this season versus the Sun Belt West Division with wins over Arkansas State (Oct. 3), at then-No. 21 Louisiana (Oct. 14), and versus South Alabama (Nov. 7).
 
• The 52-23 home win over the Arkansas State Red Wolves was the Chanticleers' first in the all-time series.
 
• The 23-6 Homecoming victory over South Alabama was also the Chanticleers' first-ever over the Jaguars.
 
  • Coastal will be looking for the program's first-ever win over Appalachian State (0-6) on Saturday afternoon.
 
• What bodes well for the Chants is that 2020 has been a season of firsts for the men in teal.
 

• First Time Ever Ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll
• First Time Ever Ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll         
• First-Ever Win over Arkansas State (Oct. 3)             
• First-Ever Win over South Alabama (Nov. 7)            

 
  • The Chanticleers' winning percentage of .714 (75-30) at home in Brooks Stadium ranks 28th overall among all FBS schools and their winning percentages at their current home stadium.
 

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