App State release

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Sports Foundation announced Wednesday afternoon that the 2021 football game between Appalachian State and East Carolina, originally scheduled for Sept. 4, will be moved to Thursday, Sept. 2. The game will be played at Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.

App State and ECU will kick off the 2021 college football season ahead of Labor Day weekend in the teams’ first meeting since 2012. The Mountaineers will serve as the home team in Charlotte. The in-state schools will also play in 2024 (Greenville), 2025 (Boone) and 2026 (Greenville), as part of a four-game series that was announced in January 2017.

“Hosting an in-state opponent in Charlotte at an NFL stadium remains a tremendous opportunity for our student-athletes, alumni and fans,” App State Director of Athletics Doug Gillin said. “Charlotte contains our biggest alumni base and is a prime location for prospective Mountaineer student-athletes and fans. It will be a proud moment when App State and ECU kick off the 2021 college football season.”

App State leads the all-time series over ECU, 19-12, but the two programs have met only twice since 1979.

App State began spring practice Tuesday in preparation for the 2020 season. Last fall, the Mountaineers put together a historic 13-1 campaign and finished No. 18 in the final Amway Coaches poll and No. 19 in the final Associated Press poll.

App State has been the highest-ranked FBS team from North Carolina each of the last two seasons and achieved the most wins ever by an in-state FBS team last fall.