1-2. That's the record. That's the season right now, teetering on the edge of a cliff in late September.
Saturday night, 7:30, Carter-Finley, ESPNU. Appalachian State comes to Raleigh 3-0 for the first time since 2019 — you know, the year they finished 13-1. This is not Richmond. This is not a body-bag game. Anyone treating it like one hasn't watched a snap of Mountaineer football this year.
Let's talk about the quarterback, because that's where this game gets uncomfortable. Malachi Singleton. Third school in four years, landed in Boone via Purdue, and he has been surgical: 70-of-94, 74.5 percent, 889 yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception. He's thrown for at least 267 yards in every start. Last week against Charlotte: career-high 331 yards and Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week. Two weeks ago at ECU: 20-of-28, 267 yards, zero picks, road win. Remember what Virginia's quarterback did to us? The one who mostly runs? Now imagine a guy who mostly throws…accurately, on time, and doesn't give the ball away. Our secondary has been a rumor through three weeks. Singleton is exactly the kind of quarterback that keeps defensive coordinators up at night, and I pray DJ Eliot has had some restless nights this week in preparation.
Here's the history nobody in red should find comforting: we're 6-0 all-time against App State. Last meeting was 2006. Twenty years ago. You know what App State does to streaks like that? Ask Michigan. Ask UNC. Ask South Carolina. Ask Texas A&M. The Mountaineers collect power-conference scalps the way Doeren collects moral victories.
Vegas has us -14.5 against an undefeated team getting better quarterback play than us (while spending far less) through three weeks. That number is either free money or the setup for the most embarrassing loss of the Doeren era; and after the Vanderbilt fumble, the bar for "most embarrassing" is in hell's basement.
So yeah. Must-win. Lose this game, at home, to fall to 1-3 with the meat of the ACC schedule still ahead, and the season is over before October.
The "Fire Doeren" crowd myself included goes from a grumble to a protesting on Hillsborough Street. The administration's "peaceful exit" planning starts Monday morning.
Win? It's what you're supposed to do. Nobody throws a parade for beating App State at home as a two-touchdown favorite.
That's the deal in Year 14. The wins are obligations and the losses are referendums. Beat App State or else.