Appalachian State's 2015 season was its FBS breakout in just its second season. The Mountaineers won 11 games, their first ever bowl game and their only losses came to a team that played for a national title and another that won a conference title.
They were one bad quarter from it being even better, though.
In a game between Sun Belt unbeatens, Appalachian State was leading Arkansas State 21-17 at half-time in front of an ESPNU audience last year in Boone, N.C. Then ASU scored 23 consecutive points en route to a 40-27 victory. Neither team lost to another Sun Belt team. ASU won a Sun Belt title and reached the New Orleans Bowl, while Appalachian state settled for the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Coach Scott Satterfield deflected any lasting impact from that game at Sun Belt media days last month, but it's clear in which direction he feels the next step in his program needs to be taken.
“We did validate our program by winning a bowl game,” he said. “But for us, most importantly, we want to win the Sun Belt.”
Based on returning pieces at key positions, the Mountaineers will likely be in position to do so again.
Appalachian State returns 12 starters, including quarterback Taylor Lamb, who completed 60.1 percent of his passes and threw for 31 touchdowns last year, and running back Marcus Cox, who has rushed for 2,838 yards the last two seasons.
They lost three starters on the offensive line and their top two receivers, but Barrett Burns, who had eight touchdowns among his 15 catches, is back.
Seven starters return from a defense that led the Sun Belt in total defense and pass defense and was second in scoring defense and against the run. That group took a hit when cornerback Latrell Gibbs, who had a Sun Belt-best seven interceptions last year, was ruled academically ineligible. But the Mountaineers still return linebackers John Law, named the preseason Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, and Eric Boggs, who had 104 tackles.
It’s enough for Satterfield, who helped Appalachian State to three FCS national titles as an assistant, to accept all the high praise thrown the team's way. Appalachian State edged ASU as preseason Sun Belt favorites and earlier this week received four votes in the USA Today’s coaches preseason top 25 poll.
“It comes with the territory of being a good program,” said Satterfield, who is 22-15 in three seasons. “We’ve got a great program and we don’t shy away from that. In a great program, you’re going to have high expectations. … We embrace it. We don’t shy away from it.”
FOOTBALL PREVIEWS
Arkansas State reporter Troy Schulte previewed each team in the Sun Belt conference. Read each one below:
Appalachian State at a glance
2015 RECORD 11-2 overall, 7-1 Sun Belt
ALL-TIME SUN BELT RECORD 13-3 in two seasons
COACH Scott Satterfield (22-15 in three seasons at Appalachian State and overall)
RETURNING STARTERS 12 (five on offense, seven on defense)
2015 OFFENSE (SB RANK) 36.7 points (second), 467.3 yards (first), 271.5 rushing (second), 195.8 passing (10th)
2015 DEFENSE (SB RANK) 19.1 points (first), 314.5 yards (first), 131.5 rushing (second), 182.9 (first)
KEY PLAYERS QB Taylor Lamb, RB Marcus Cox, OL Parker Collins, LB Eric Boggs, LB John Law
KEY LOSSES WR Simms McElfresh, WR Malachi Jones, OL Jesse Chapman, DE Ronald Blair, CB Latrell Gibbs
TITLE SCENARIO Appalachian State has gone 13-3 in its first two Sun Belt seasons with all the traditional heavyweights on its schedule. The last two years its had to play Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette, which had won the previous three titles in some manner, and Georgia Southern, which won the league in 2014. Some relief has come this season now that it doesn't have to play ASU, which earned just as many preseason first-place votes and was picked second in the Sun Belt. But, the Mountaineers do have to go to Georgia Southern for another Thursday night ESPNU game on Oct. 27. They travel to Louisiana-Lafayette, too, but get Georgia State at home on Oct. 1. They'll likely be heavy favorites in the other three Sun Belt home games in Idaho, Texas State and Louisiana-Monroe. Their remaining road trips are to Troy and New Mexico State. Unless Appalachian State runs the table in the Sun Belt, another 11-win season could be difficult considering the nonconference schedule. Last year, the Mountaineers beat Howard, Old Dominion and Wyoming while losing to Clemson. This year, the open at Tennessee and host Miami.