Charlotte 49ers, Appalachian State to play nonconference game Sept. 12 in Boone
A much-anticipated college football game between the Charlotte 49ers and Appalachian State — although coming under unfortunate circumstances — is set for September.
The 49ers and Mountaineers, both looking for nonconference games after others on their schedules were wiped out by coronavirus concerns, will play Sept. 12 in Boone’s Kidd Brewer Stadium. It was also announced the teams have added another game against each other in 2030 in Charlotte.
As it stands, this year’s game would be the season opener for both teams, who played in 2019 in Boone, a 56-41 Mountaineers victory. The game was scheduled to be played in Boone because of the the larger seating capacity at Kidd Brewer Stadium (21,650) than Charlotte’s Richardson Stadium (15,314) in a year in which attendance could be limited due to the pandemic and social-distancing standards would need to be met.
“This game has been our number one scheduling priority,” 49ers athletics director Mike Hill said in a statement. “We have tremendous respect for App State’s football program and look forward to another great game against them. Without a doubt, we have our most exciting non-conference schedule in history.”
Charlotte has had nonconference games against Norfolk State and Tennessee canceled, as well as a Conference USA game against Old Dominion, which announced earlier this week that it was calling off all fall sports. The 49ers had already replaced one of those cancellations with a game Sept. 19 at North Carolina, and a game at Duke was rescheduled to Oct. 31. Charlotte has a game against the Sun Belt’s Georgia State scheduled for Sept. 26 and opens C-USA play Oct. 3 at Florida Atlantic.
Appalachian State, which opens Sun Belt play at home Oct. 7 against Louisiana, had yet to replace canceled nonconference games against Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Morgan State and Massachusetts.
Conference USA and the Sun Belt Conference have both said they will play conference schedules, with teams permitted to play up to four nonconference games.
“We know the history of that program and what kind of team they have coming back,” 49ers coach Will Healy said in a statement. “(First-year coach) Shawn Clark is a really, really good person and he does a great job. I know he’s going to keep them rolling.”
The 49ers and Mountaineers also played in 2018, a 45-9 App State victory in Charlotte. The teams are scheduled to begin a four-game series beginning in 2026 before the return game of the home-and-home (from this season) in Charlotte in 2030.
“We look forward to playing Charlotte on September 12,” Clark said. “Our team wants to play. Our medical staff, coaching staff and administration have been working tirelessly to implement protocols that provide a safe environment for our players, and we will continue to put their health and safety first as we prepare for the 2020 season.”
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 7:45 PM.