Analyzing App State: Q&A with Winston-Salem beat reporter Ethan Joyce

What to expect at 3:30

Another week, another chance to talk football to one of my former colleagues.

In the lineage of the Appalachian State beat at the Journal, Ethan is my spiritual grandson. For his work in answering a few of my questions, I rewarded him with a butterscotch and pat on the head.

As always, Ethan did great work setting up this week's matchup and you can find his work here, including a neat story on Sparky Woods. Give him a follow on Twitter, too, where he'll provide plenty from Chapel Hill and much content from the mountain in the future.

Mack Brown and Sparky Woods were two coaches who came to App State at the right time. Both will be on North Carolina’s side for App-UNC.

Read what each had to say about their times in Boone as first-time head coaches: https://t.co/jp2gE61n6s

— Ethan Joyce (@ByEthanJoyce) September 20, 2019

Here's how he broke down today's matchup with Carolina and what it means for the Mountaineers.

Much has been said and written about what this game means to App State right now and in the big picture of the program. Some fans have disagreed with a few things. What’s the real story here?

I think you’re seeing a few different views. This matchup is big because it’s the first between the two in almost 80 years. It’s big because App State is finally getting a shot at the flagship. At the end of the day, App State wants to claim it’s the best FBS program in the state. A win against one of the Big Four would further prove that. UNC hasn’t been consistently strong these last couple seasons, but they’re a Power Five opponent at the end of the day. And App State has to start winning against Power Five opponents to sniff a New Year's Six bowl.

The Mountaineers have had one of the nation’s best offenses in recent seasons, and it seems the running game is still the bread and butter. What are the more subtle changes to what Eli Drinkwitz is doing?

No doubt the run game remains huge, and it has to when you have a talent like Darrynton Evans in the backfield. The running back room is deep, even with a season-ending injury to Cam Peoples in the season opener. Drinkwitz’s offense has variation. It wants to move fast and it makes quarterback Zac Thomas process quickly. It also gives receivers a chance at a lot of catches in space. With Satterfield, you knew how things would look pretty often set-up wise. But I also watched that offense for two years, and it was a diesel engine that just kept churning.

What does the return of Corey Sutton mean to the offense, and just how vanilla has App State kept things early on?

Corey Sutton’s return means the Mountaineers have more certainty in their vertical passing game. And even though the offense may have been more simple in the first two games, it’s flashed how receivers could be used going forward. Two receivers have already caught career high receptions this season. This game will really provide more clarity.

Giving up 41 points to Charlotte was a very un-App State performance a few weeks back. What went wrong, and is it likely to change?

Much like No. 3, I think this will be determined a bit more against UNC. One thing you have to consider is Charlotte’s improvement. Will Healy has energized that program, and I’m buying what he’s selling. But the most troubling thing with the defense was the explosive run plays. Charlotte had two runs of 50 or more yards in the game. Players said it came down to poor communication. They called it a wake-up call. I don’t expect to see big plays like that again.

What are a few things you’ll be watching as keys to this game?

I think it comes down to line play for App State. Both lines are made of smaller guys, comparatively. UNC, as you know, is massive up front. Charlotte had a few big bodies that gave App’s O-line the occasional issue. And the Tar Heels always seem to have NFL-quality talent on their D-line, and that could provide problems.

Without predicting a final score or outcome, how do you think things play out on Saturday?

Two new staffs mean anything could happen. I think Scott Satterfield would’ve steamrolled Larry Fedora. I don’t know what Saturday might look like. But I think those at Kenan Stadium might get a really good show. I think we might see a high-octane boat race, and I’m all for that this early in the season.