# 2023 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team

The 2023 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers were led by fourth-year head coach Shawn Clark. Appalachian State played home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium on the school's Boone, North Carolina, campus, and competed as a member of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. The Appalachian State Mountaineers football team drew an average home attendance of 34,734 in 2023.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

On November 28, 2022, defensive coordinator Dale Jones left the program.
On January 13, 2023, the Mountaineers hired Scot Sloan to be their defensive coordinator.
On January 16 Appalachian State hired Frank Ponce to be their offensive coordinator after 2022 offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay left to become the offensive coordinator at Mississippi State.

### Media poll

In the Sun Belt preseason coaches' poll, the Mountaineers were picked to finish in second place in the East division.
Media poll (East division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | James Madison | 78 (4) |
| 2 | Appalachian State | 75 (4) |
| 3 | Coastal Carolina | 71 (1) |
| 4 | Marshall | 68 (1) |
| 5 | Georgia Southern | 52 (1) |
| 6 | Georgia State | 31 |
| 7 | Old Dominion | 17 |
Offensive lineman Isaiah Helms and right safety Milan Tucker were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team. Offensive lineman Damion Daley was named to the second team.

## Schedule

The football schedule was announced on February 24, 2023.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 25 (FCS) Gardner–Webb* | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | W 45–24 | 36,075 |
| September 9 | 5:15 p.m. | at No. 17 North Carolina* | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ACCN | L 34–40 $^{2OT}$ | 50,500 |
| September 16 | 3:30 p.m. | East Carolina* | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | W 43–28 | 40,168 |
| September 23 | 7:00 p.m. | at Wyoming* | War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY | CBSSN | L 19–22 | 21,169 |
| September 30 | 8:00 p.m. | at Louisiana–Monroe | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPN+ | W 41–40 | 19,919 |
| October 10 | 7:30 p.m. | Coastal Carolina | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN2 | L 24–27 | 34,252 |
| October 21 | 7:00 p.m | at Old Dominion | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA (Oyster Bowl) | NFLN | L 21–28 | 20,017 |
| October 28 | 3:30 p.m. | Southern Miss | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | W 48–38 | 32,601 |
| November 4 | 6:00 p.m. | Marshall | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC (rivalry) | NFLN | W 31–9 | 34,057 |
| November 11 | 2:00 p.m. | at Georgia State | Center Parc StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPN+ | W 42–14 | 14,260 |
| November 18 | 2:00 p.m. | at James Madison | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA (College GameDay) | ESPN+ | W 26–23 $^{OT}$ | 25,838 |
| November 25 | 3:30 p.m. | Georgia Southern | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC (rivalry) | ESPNU | W 55–27 | 31,248 |
| December 2 | 4:00 p.m. | at Troy | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL (Sun Belt Championship Game) | ESPN | L 23–49 | 20,183 |
| December 16 | 3:30 p.m. | vs. Miami (OH) | FBC Mortgage StadiumOrlando, FL (Cure Bowl) | ABC | W 13–9 | 11,121 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||