Charlotte to play at Appalachian State in season opener

The Charlotte 49ers and Appalachian State will meet for the third straight season after the two schools agreed to a game at Appalachian State, Sept. 12, in what is now the 49ers’ 2020 season opener.

The schools decided to play the game in Boone due to the larger seating capacity at Kidd Brewer Stadium in a year in which attendance may be limited due to the pandemic.

“This game has been our number one scheduling priority,” said 49ers Director of Athletics Mike Hill. “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 nonconference schedule in history.”

Last week, Charlotte confirmed a pair of ACC games would be part of the 2020 nonconference schedule. The 49ers’ originally scheduled road game at Duke remains but was moved to Oct. 31. A road game at 19th-ranked North Carolina, Sept. 19, was added. Appalachian State and Duke are both receiving votes in the Amway Coaches Poll presented by USA Today. Charlotte will host Georgia State, Sept. 26, in nonconference play.

The move gives Charlotte its 11th game of the season, despite the loss of three previously scheduled games. Charlotte’s season-opener at Tennessee and its home-opener vs. Norfolk State were both canceled due to respective conference decisions surrounding the pandemic. Conference USA foe Old Dominion recently announced the cancellation of its fall season, removing that league game from the 2020 slate.

As part of the agreement, Charlotte will host App State in 2030. Charlotte and Appalachian State already had a four-game series from 2026 to 2029 on the schedule for upcoming campaigns, so the two teams will be set to play in five straight seasons, beginning in 2026.