BOONE, N.C. - Next Saturday’s (Dec. 6) NCAA Division I Football Championship quarterfinal between No. 2-seeded Appalachian State University and Richmond has been set for noon, the NCAA announced on Sunday. The game will be played at ASU’s Kidd Brewer Stadium.
The contest will be televised nationally as part of ESPN’s GamePlan package, as well as in local syndication. As local networks carrying the game are confirmed throughout the week, GoASU.com will compile a complete list of outlets where the broadcast can be seen. Additionally, the game will be shown live on ESPN’s ESPN360.com online platform.
Tickets, which cost $25 for adults, $15 for children ages 3-12 and $5 for currently enrolled ASU students, are available now by clicking here. Tickets can also be purchased Monday-Friday from 9 a.m-4 p.m. at the ASU athletics ticket office in the Holmes Center or by phone at (828) 262-2079.
The ASU-UR quarterfinal is a rematch of last year’s national semifinal, which the Mountaineers won, 55-35. In that game, Appalachian’s Armanti Edwards torched the Spiders for 313 rushing yards, an NCAA Division I (FCS or FBS) record for a quarterback, while setting ASU postseason records for rushing yards, total offense (495 yards) and touchdowns responsible for (seven).
Edwards added another chapter to his storied career on Saturday when he passed for a school-record 433 yards in Appalachian’s 37-21 opening-round triumph over SC State. The junior now holds the school records for both rushing and passing yards in a single game and, most impressively, accomplished both in win-or-go-home playoff situations.
Like last year when it featured current Arizona Cardinals’ standout Tim Hightower, Richmond is once again led by a top-notch running back in senior Josh Vaughn. A 232-pound bruiser, Vaughn has rushed for 1,503 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season.
The Spiders, who held the nation’s No. 1 ranking for a week early in the season and were No. 7 in The Sports Network's final regular-season media poll, bring a 10-3 record into the quarterfinals. Their only three losses came at the hands of FBS Virginia and fellow FCS quarterfinalists James Madison and Villanova. Like the Mountaineers, which squandered a 21-0 halftime lead in their 35-32 setback to James Madison, UR’s 38-31 loss to top-ranked JMU on Oct. 11 was a painful one, as the Dukes scored 15 points in the final 59 seconds, capped by a 69-yard punt return on the game’s final play.
Appalachian (11-2) holds a 4-2 all-time record versus Richmond and is 20-9 versus current members of the Colonial Athletic Association, including four-straight wins over CAA foes in the postseason.
NOTE: Saturday’s ASU women’s basketball game versus Davidson at the Holmes Center will tip off at 5 p.m. in order to enable fans to attend both events while on campus that afternoon.