App State begins Charlotte’s 3-day college football feast with a huge win over ECU
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College Football Week 1
Scores, highlights analysis from around NC and SC this week
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Appalachian State provided the extra mustard Thursday at the Duke’s Mayo Classic, whipping East Carolina 33-19 on a pretty opening night for college football in Charlotte.
In front of a lively crowd of 36,752 at Bank of America Stadium that was split almost down the middle between fans of the two teams, Appalachian outplayed East Carolina in an entertaining game that also served as the first course in the Queen City’s three-day college football feast.
The game was the first of a trio of big football games in a stupendous three-day period for Charlotte, which is known in college circles as more of a basketball town. This weekend, though, it’s all about pigskins, as Appalachian State-ECU on Thursday will be followed by Duke at Charlotte on Friday night on Charlotte’s campus and Clemson-Georgia back at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night.
As I’ve mentioned a time or two, Charlotte has never seen anything quite like it on the college football side of things. And Thursday was a worthy beginning, with story lines, deep balls and perfect weather.
“Even the pregame was electric,” Appalachian coach Shawn Clark said. “I had chill bumps all over my arms.”
App State’s Chase Brice, on his third attempt at becoming a successful college quarterback after it didn’t work out at Clemson and Duke, had a great first day on the job. Then again, East Carolina is going to allow a lot of very good days on the job this year to opposing QBs. Miami, the Mountaineers’ next opponent Sept. 11, will be a far sterner test.
Brice, though, played well. He mostly avoided the big mistake except for an end-zone interception, thrown when App already had a 24-point lead. And he threw several gorgeous deep balls, including a 34-yard dime to Thomas Hennigan for App State’s first TD.
Said Brice afterward: “I’m thinking about what I could have done better … But I think for the most part I gave my guys a chance.”
Hennigan, one of those guys who seems to have played for App forever, also had a 68-yard crossfield reception later in the game that was part of a two-play, 86-yard touchdown drive unleashed by the Mountaineers.
Brice ended up 20 for 27 for 259 yards, two TDs and that one interception. “He doesn’t have to win the game for us,” Clark said of Brice. “He just has to not mess it up. ... I’m very proud of him and I’m very happy he’s on this team.”
Running back Camerun Peoples supplemented that output with 100 yards rushing and two TDs, and fellow tailback Nate Noel had 126 more yards rushing. App State threw a deep ball on the first play, and although it was incomplete, it showed ECU that the Mountaineers weren’t afraid to throw the ball a lot with Brice.
“A lot of teams like to stack the box against us,” Peoples said. “But we have a lot of weapons in that receiving room, and Chase has a great arm. ... When the pass game is clicking like that, it does wonders for the run game.”
One point about East Carolina: I normally stay away from complaining about officiating in this column for a variety of reasons. But in this case, East Carolina fans had a valid argument that it lost at least 10 points due to the officials and maybe as many as 17.
A dazzling run of 57 yards by Pirate quarterback Holton Ahlers to the Mountaineer 7 was brought back due to a phantom holding call. Later, Ahlers lofted a 40-yard Hail Mary on the final play of the first half that was tipped up in the end zone and then brought down into an absolute scrum.
It was called a TD on the field and then, despite what wasn’t indisputable video evidence, was overturned and called an interception for App State instead. And then another East Carolina TD was taken away in the fourth quarter, due to offensive pass interference. After that score was removed, the Pirates only got a field goal on the drive.
Despite all that, East Carolina still would have lost. App State was the better team and could have scored a little more if it wasn’t running the clock out late.
But the botched calls that hurt East Carolina would have made the game a lot closer, and East Carolina would have had more big-time highlights besides those created by speedy running back Keaton Mitchell and Ahlers to talk about.
There were some nice off-field moments Thursday, too. A lively pregame scene permeated uptown, and the schools’ two marching bands combined for James Taylor’s “Carolina in my Mind” at halftime while forming the state of North Carolina. Luke Combs, the ebullient country singer who attended App State, celebrated loudly in the locker room with the Mountaineers afterward.
It was a good night, for college football and for Charlotte. And on this long football weekend, it was only the beginning.
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 12:04 AM with the headline "App State begins Charlotte’s 3-day college football feast with a huge win over ECU."
