App State favored to win third straight Sun Belt championship

Hiring a new head coach at the end of each season has become as common as winning the Sun Belt Conference for Appalachian State.  

Heading into the 2020 college football season, the Mountaineers are favored to win the school’s third straight conference title, and must do so with Shawn Clark, the program's third coach since 2018.

Clark was a two-time All-American offensive lineman at the school and worked as an assistant for the Mountaineers from 2016-2019, under Scott Satterfield (now Louisville’s head coach) and Eli Drinkwitz (new coach of Missouri).

If Clark can repeat the type of success both Satterfield and Drinkwitz accomplished, he may be next in line for a promotion to a Power Five school. Fortunately for him, the transition should be smooth.

Defensive coordinator Dale Jones and five of Clark’s other primary assistants are experienced with App State’s program. Offensive coordinator Tony Petersen is new to the school but has called the offenses of Marshall, Minnesota, Louisiana Tech, and East Carolina. He’ll also inherit a seasoned group of playmakers, including third-year starting quarterback Zac Thomas (2,718 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, six interceptions) and four of Thomas’ top targets from last year.

In the backfield, Darrynton Evans (1,480 yards rushing, 18 rushing TDs, 5 receiving TDs) is gone. However, Marcus Williams Jr. (652 yards, 5 TDs), Daetrich Harrington, and Raykwon Anderson are back behind an offensive line with four returning starters.  

Last season, the Mountaineers ranked ninth in the country in points per game (38.5), and you can count on a lot more scoring with this talented group.

App State defense on the mend

The defense is an area of uncertainty. Last season, the Mountaineers ranked second in the conference in points allowed (20.2), but lost three of their top four tacklers, including outside linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither.

Demetrius Taylor, the team’s sack leader (seven) is back, as is linebacker D’Marco Jackson (60 tackles, three sacks), along with defensive backs Shemar Jean-Charles (45 tackles, nine passes defended) and Shaun Jolly (team-high five interceptions).

The defense may stumble through an adjustment period, but the opener against Morgan State shouldn’t be an issue. A road test at Wake Forest in Week 2 will be difficult, as well as a trip to Wisconsin the following week.

In the conference, App State’s biggest competition is Louisiana, which will visit the Mountaineers on Oct. 7. Appalachian State has defeated the Ragin’ Cajuns in back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championship Games.

Why the Ragin’ Cajuns will unseat App State

The Ragin’ Cajuns fell behind by 25 points in the third quarter of last year’s Sun Belt championship tilt against the Mountaineers, but surged late to cut the margin to seven when the clock ran out.

Louisiana won the West Division in 2019 with a 7-1 record, the same mark Appalachian State achieved in the East. The Ragin’ Cajuns’ two regular-season losses came in the season opener against Mississippi State (38-28) and at home against App State (17-7).

In Billy Napier’s third year as head coach, the Ragin’ Cajuns should see their best shot at a conference championship. Napier reportedly had the opportunity to coach at a Power Five school, after he led Louisiana to a school record for wins (11-3 in 2019), but he turned down the job and is back with a loaded arsenal.

He’ll see many of the same players on the field this season, including quarterback Levi Lewis (3,050 passing yards, 26 TDs, four interceptions), plus the running back duo of Elijah Mitchell (1,147 rushing yards, 16 TDs), and Trey Ragas (820 yards, 11 TDs). All five offensive linemen have started at least one full season, as well.

Last season, the Ragin’ Cajuns ranked first in rushing yards per game in the conference (257.4) and likely won’t miss a beat in 2020. On top of that, 16 of the 21 defenders who recorded double-digit tackles will return to a unit that ranked first in scoring defense (19.9 points per game).

Louisiana will need to improve some against the run, but it topped the conference in passing yards allowed (193.8) last year.

The school hasn’t beaten App State since the Mountaineers joined the Sun Belt in 2014, but this is the year for the Ragin’ Cajuns to get over the hump.

Napier brings consistency at head coach, and his defense will be ready to dominate from the start. Look for a new king of the Sun Belt in 2020.

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