What we learned from Appalachian State’s win over Charlotte in Duke’s Mayo Classic
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Swann threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns in his debut as Mountaineers QB.
- Appalachian State recorded 586 total yards and 17 chunk plays versus Charlotte.
- Charlotte's offense failed to recover after early lead, scoring only one late TD.
An offseason of change came to fruition under the lights at Bank of America Stadium on Friday night, with first-year head coach Dowell Loggains’ Appalachian State Mountaineers smothering the Charlotte 49ers from start to finish, grabbing a 34-11 season-opening victory.
Totaling 586 yards of offense and scoring on five consecutive possessions, the Mountaineers overcame an early three-point deficit to rout Tim Albin’s 49ers in front of 35,718 fans.
“It would have been hard for us to not be excited about the game when you walk out and see how much gold and black was in the stands. We’ve got a lot of room to improve,” Loggains said after the game. “Really proud of the way our kids played and was pleased with the way AJ Swann performed. Got a lot of things to clean up, but always good to be 1-0.”
Appalachian State quarterback AJ Swann, who found out he was starting yesterday, connected on his first pass of the season and didn’t look back, dicing up the 49ers’ secondary for 368 yards and three touchdowns, completing 67% of his attempts.
After scoring the game’s first points, capitalizing on a circus Mountaineers turnover, Charlotte’s offense was rendered lifeless for much of the night. North Carolina transfer Conner Harrell, who was named the 49ers’ starting quarterback to start game week, didn’t find his stride until the game was out of reach, throwing a crucial interception before the half and struggling through three quarters.
“Offensively – no rhythm. Through three quarters, we had nine series. Four or five of those, we started with a penalty on the first play of the drive. When we’re off-schedule, we struggled. Give (Appalachian State) credit,” said Albin. “I’d like to sit here and say that if we played clean and had zero turnovers and zero penalties, we’d probably still lose the game, because of up front — offensive and defensive line. Just honest.”
Loggains added: “I agree with what (Albin) said, because we recruited really well at those two positions. We wanted to build this thing from the inside out. We’ve got to put people away. We let them hang in the game way too long. At one point they cut it to a two-score game, and it shouldn’t have been that close.
”Harrell finished the night 13 of 24 for 142 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in his fourth career start, the first at Charlotte.
“(Harrell) showed some grit. He battled, and he didn’t want to leave the game. We’ve got to get some guys around him to help him. The running game wasn’t very good today, and it’s not fun to play quarterback when you don’t have a running game,” Albin said of Harrell
.The redshirt sophomore signal-caller tossed his lone touchdown in the game’s final quarter, finding Samford transfer E. Jai Mason on a 16-yard catch-and-run slant pattern, pulling the 49ers within two possessions following a successful Philly Special-style two-point conversion.
But continuing their trend from the game’s first three quarters, the Mountaineers’ offense responded, shutting the door on any late-game heroics with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, punctuated by Swann’s third and final touchdown pass.
Appalachian State’s offense was explosive, resulting in 17 chunk plays, which made up 327 of their 586 total yards. It was also methodical, resulting in four touchdown drives of nine plays or more. It was a combination of taking what Charlotte’s defense would give and imposing their will at the line of scrimmage, resulting in 6.7 yards per play.
The third-career 100-yard game for Arkansas transfer tailback Rashon Dubinion came on 22 carries for 111 yards and the Mountaineers’ first touchdown.
It was total domination for the final three quarters.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT
After shaking off the offseason rust in the first couple of possessions, Swann settled in and launched a jump ball to wideout Jaden Barnes, who mossed a Charlotte defender and slowed down to walk into the end zone. Thinking the play was a highlight for years to come, the tables quickly turned as Charlotte safety Ja’Qurious Conley ripped the ball from his hands as he crossed the plane, resulting in a touchback, keeping the game scoreless in the first quarter.
“We’ve been practicing this for the last six or seven months. You’ve just got to hustle to the ball, and that’s what I did. Great play, but we’ve got to finish as a team,” Conley said of the takeaway. “I like celebrating with my team, so anything I can do to contribute to the team, that will always make me happy
.Following the turnover, Charlotte scored the season’s first points with a 42-yard field goal from kicker Liam Boyd to grab its only lead. Responding to his fumble on the goal line, Barnes snagged a 10-yard touchdown pass from Swann midway through the second quarter, on his way to a six catch, 134-yard performance — marking the fourth 100-yard game of his career, his first at the FBS level after transferring from Austin Peay.
THE GAME CHANGED WHEN
Trailing 14-3 with all momentum swinging to the visitors’ sideline, Harrell rolled to his right and, rather than burning the ball to live another down, fired a dart across his body to Mason. Mountaineer defensive back Ja’Den McBurrows read Harrell’s eyes the entire way, undercutting the desperation throw and making a diving interception.
Appalachian State added a 47-yard kick from Dominic De Freitas to extend its lead to 17-3 at the halftime break. Charlotte would never pull within 14 points in the game’s final two quarters.
MOVING FORWARD
Charlotte: After falling to the first of two in-state opponents, Charlotte (0-1) now sets its sights on Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels, who come to Richardson Stadium on a short week after facing TCU on Monday night. It will be the second time the two programs have met, with the Tar Heels defeating Biff Poggi’s Charlotte team 38-21 in Week 2 of 2024.
“I know that you make your biggest jump from first game to second game. They had the same number of new faces that we do, but we’ll see our most improvement. We’ve got a lot of things to clean up.
”Appalachian State: Following a lopsided victory over the 49ers to restart an in-state series that runs through 2030, the Mountaineers’ (1-0) home opener will feature a bout with FCS Lindenwood Lions (0-1).
NOTES
— 368 passing yards is Swann’s career high in his first game after transferring from LSU.
— Appalachian State defensive back Elijah Mc-Cantos and defensive lineman Thomas Davis were both ejected for targeting calls on Harrell in the third quarter. Neither resulted in Harrell’s injury, which sidelined him for three plays on the penultimate play of the third quarter.
— Charlotte tailback and kick returner Henry Rutledge was available Friday night but didn’t see the field because of a lower-body injury.
— Charlotte offensive lineman Mitchell Mayes is still awaiting his NCAA waiver ruling and will remain with the program until a final eligibility decision is made.
— The Mountaineers outgained the 49ers 568 yards to 218, and converted all five redzone trips.
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 10:54 PM.