Appalachian State (1-0) vs. No. 22 Miami (0-1), Saturday at 7 p.m. EDT (ESPNU).
Line: Miami by 8 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Miami leads 1-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Miami needs a win to stay in the AP Top 25 and avoid its second 0-2 start in the last 43 seasons; the Hurricanes also opened 0-2 in 2019. For Appalachian State, it’s a chance to beat a ranked FBS team for the first time since that unforgettable win over Michigan in 2007; the Mountaineers are 0-9 in these chances since that day in the Big House.
KEY MATCHUP
Miami QB D’Eriq King will be facing an Appalachian State defense that gave up six completions of 15 or more yards last week against East Carolina, including scoring throws that went for 38 and 63 yards.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Appalachian State: WR Thomas Hennigan is 14 catches shy of 200 in his college career. He had a career-long 68-yard catch last week.
Miami: S Bubba Bolden was ejected in the first quarter of last week’s game against No. 1 Alabama for targeting.
FACTS & FIGURES
King is 241 yards shy of reaching 10,000 yards of total offense for his college career. … Appalachian State has 64 wins since the start of the 2015 season; only Alabama (80), Clemson (79), Ohio State (69) and Oklahoma (68) have more. … Appalachian State offensive coordinator Frank Ponce is a Miami native and used to coach in Coral Gables — not at Miami, but at Coral Gables High. … Miami had a total home attendance of 51,911 in last year’s pandemic-limited season and could eclipse that on Saturday alone. … Appalachian State said it was planning to take advantage of the trip to South Florida by seeing some high school games in the area on Friday, a common thing for visiting teams looking to recruit the talent-rich area. … Hurricanes DL Zach McCloud has now appeared in 53 games and counting at Miami, a school record. His appearance against Alabama broke a tie with Brandon Meriweather and Shaq Quarterman.
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