A first for ’26 … App State leaves N.C. Friday night

Passports won’t be required, but the App State football team will be crossing a border for the first time this season when they face Coastal Carolina in a Friday night Sun Belt Conference game.

Kickoff for the contest in Conway, S.C., will be 8 p.m., and the game will be carried nationally on ESPN2.

App State (3-2, 0-1) has not left North Carolina for a football game so far this season.

The Mountaineers have faced Maine, Charlotte and Old Dominion at home, with road games against East Carolina and N.C. State.

App State head coach Dowell Loggains, whose team has lost two in a row, said he’s not exactly expecting a welcoming ceremony Friday night in Conway.

“It will be a hostile environment,” he said. “They always have a good atmosphere down there, and their fans will be ready.”

The Chanticleers (2-4, 1-1) are coached by Ryan Beard, who is in his first season there after a stint at Missouri State.  Coastal Carolina has won the last four meetings with App State, including three in a row at home.

The Chanticleers are coming off their best performance of the season, a 27-21 victory last Saturday at Marshall.  They forced six turnovers and rushed for 235 yards.

The big question for App State is at quarterback.  Malachi Singleton was among the nation’s leaders in passing yardage, but he missed the end of last Saturday’s 10-3 loss to Old Dominion with a foot/ankle injury.

App State officials said Friday morning that Simpson is a “game-time decision” for playing against Coastal Carolina.  If he can’t go, Henry Hasselbeck is likely to get the call. Hasselbeck is the son of former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.  He is 6-of-9 passing in very limited action this season.

Loggains said the Mountaineers are working to improve what has been a sluggish ground game.

“That was a big emphasis in the bye week,” he said, referring to two weeks ago. “Obviously, we didn’t get what we wanted last week.”

Loggains said his team has moved on from last week’s disappointing loss, played in a driving rain in Boone.

“We put Saturday’s performance to bed,” he said. “We’re just excited to get back out there and play.”