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The Appalachian State Mountaineers are 4-1 against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks since October of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. Appalachian State and Louisiana-Monroe will face off in a Sun Belt battle at 3:30 p.m. ET at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Both teams might be coming in a bit winded after having run the length of the field multiple times in their most recent games.
The Mountaineers ran circles around the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers last Wednesday, and the extra yardage (572 yards vs. 346 yards) paid off. Appalachian State had just enough and edged out Coastal Carolina 30-27. The win came about thanks to a strong surge after the first quarter to overcome a 14 to nothing deficit.
Meanwhile, the South Alabama Jaguars typically have all the answers at home, but last week Louisiana-Monroe proved too difficult a challenge. The Warhawks took their matchup against the Jaguars 41-31. Louisiana-Monroe's QB Chandler Rogers was on fire, passing for four TDs and 369 yards on 35 attempts in addition to picking up 39 yards on the ground. Rogers' 81-yard touchdown toss to WR Will Derrick in the third quarter made for one of the most memorable moments of the night.
The Mountaineers are the favorite in this one, with an expected 27-point margin of victory. Those who got lucky with them against the spread last week might want to hold off on placing bets this time since the team has yet to string together back-to-back wins against the spread.
The wins brought Appalachian State up to 5-2 and the Warhawks to 4-3. A pair of defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Appalachian State is stumbling into the contest with the 201st most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 11 on the season. Louisiana-Monroe has experienced some struggles of their own as they are 236th worst in the nation in passing touchdowns allowed, with 16 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
