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The Appalachian State Mountaineers (0-0) will kick their 2023 season off against the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs (0-0) on Saturday, September 2 at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina.
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If you’re in the United States, the only way to watch the game is on ESPN+:
ESPN+ includes hundreds of college football games in 2023, plus dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year (or $13.99 per month for a bundle of all three of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu).
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch Gardner-Webb vs Appalachian State live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com.
Compatible devices for the ESPN app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Gardner-Webb vs App State Football Preview
After a hard-fought battle, redshirt freshman Ryan Burger will start at quarterback after competing with junior Joey Aguilar during camp.
“We felt right now, Ryan the last four or five days really taking a big step, so he’ll be the starting quarterback against Gardner-Webb,” App State head coach Shawn Clark said, adding: “Both quarterbacks can lead our offense and move us down the field and take care of the football.” Based on those comments, it’s quite possible we could see both quarterbacks during this game and in future contests.
The Mountaineers finished with a 6-6 overall mark last year, putting up just under 35 points a game on the offensive side of the ball and allowing 26.8 points a game on defense.
That defensive unit should be solid this year, led by linebacker Andrew Parker, who was second on the team in tackles last season. He’ll be joined by pass rusher Deandre Dingle-Prince, who leads a group that amassed 28 sacks last year.
The Mountaineers will be kicking their season off against a Gardner-Webb squad that went 7-6 last year. The Runnin’ Bulldogs averaged 32.5 points a game on offense and allowed 30.2 points per contest on defense. Gardner-Webb’s top offensive weapon, senior running back Narii Gaither, will be a focal point for Clark and company. Gaither had 154 carries for 1,019 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns.
“They’re going to make ways to give him the football,” Clark said in reference to Runnin’ Bulldogs head coach Tre Lamb and Gaither. “Either shift him out in the backfield, lineup as a receiver or unbalanced formations. I think Tre does a really good job of the way they shift and motion. It really puts your defense in a bind to make sure you’re gap sound.”
Television announcers for the game will be: Adam Witten: Play-By-Play, Brandon Turner: Analyst, Molly Cotten: Sideline
App State is 8-0 in the all-time series against Gardner-Webb. These two teams last met back in 2018, when Appalachian State won huge, 72-7.
Here’s a look at App State’s 2023 schedule, including this game and beyond:
- 9/2 vs Gardner-Webb
- 9/9 at North Carolina
- 9/16 vs East Carolina
- 9/23 at Wyoming
- 9/30 at Louisiana-Monroe
- 10/10 vs Coastal Carolina
- 10/21 at Old Dominion
- 10/28 vs Southern Miss
- 11/4 vs Marshall
- 11/11 at Georgia State
- 11/18 at James Madison
- 11/25 vs Georgia Southern