BOONE, N.C. (Interstat) — Appalachian State defeated Charlotte 26-21 on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Mountaineers improved to 3-0, while the visiting 49ers fell to 0-3. Appalachian State scored 26 points and Charlotte scored 21.

Charlotte scored seven points in the first quarter and 14 in the third. Appalachian State scored 10 in the first, six in the second, seven in the third and three in the fourth.

Appalachian State quarterback Malachi Singleton completed 28 of 42 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns. He ran five times for 14 yards and caught one pass for 14 yards. Singleton’s touchdown passes went to Chris Lofton and Jackson Grier. Lofton caught six passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. He also had one punt return for minus 3 yards. Sam Pickett III added six receptions for 67 yards. Alexander Sanchez had four catches for 56 yards. Jamel Howse caught two passes for 50 yards. Grier finished with two receptions for 23 yards and a score. Nate Branch had four receptions for 16 yards. Darrin Fugitt caught one pass for 16 yards. Daz James had one reception for nine yards. Ja’Quez Cross caught one pass for three yards and ran twice for seven yards.

The Mountaineers’ running attack was led by Jaquari Lewis, who carried 11 times for 46 yards and a touchdown. He also caught one pass for one yard. Treyaun Webb added eight carries for 24 yards. Cross ran twice for seven yards and had one kick return for zero yards. Daz James ran once for four yards. Jaxson Dunn punted four times for 145 yards.

Charlotte quarterback Cole Gonzales completed 22 of 35 passes for 211 yards. He ran three times for five yards. Jaden Barnes was Charlotte’s top receiver with 10 catches for 97 yards. Jaylen Hampton had four receptions for 50 yards. Derrick Eley caught two passes for 26 yards. Logan Mauldin had two receptions for 22 yards and one tackle. Khamani Alexander caught two passes for 14 yards. Jason Jeffares had two catches for two yards.

Alexander led the 49ers on the ground with 13 carries for 18 yards and two touchdowns. Henry Rutledge ran seven times for 29 yards. Ian Kelly punted five times for 211 yards.

Defensively for Charlotte, Kadin Schmitz recorded nine tackles. Collin Gill had seven tackles, one interception and one touchdown. Dy’Lon Womack and Devin Ancrum each finished with five tackles. Curtis Simpson had four tackles and one quarterback hurry. Chase Usher and Gavin Willis each had four tackles. Jaylon Johnson recorded three tackles and two quarterback hurries. Cornell Allen and Jameel Croft Jr. each had three tackles. DeQuinder Williams II, DJ Burgess, Jamarrion Solomon and Jerry Wall III each had two tackles. Jonathan Patterson had one tackle and one quarterback hurry. Devon St. Clair, Calif Spencer, Shaku Sangarie, D’Nas White and CJ Clinkscales Jr. each had one tackle.

For Appalachian State, Devin Henderson made eight tackles. Colton Phares had six tackles. Kaleb Purdy and Juan Berchal each recorded four tackles. Ki’Shawn Harvey had one tackle.

The first quarter included a 41-yard field goal by J. London for Appalachian State at the 9:50 mark. With 2:53 remaining in the first quarter, Singleton connected with Nate Branch on a 70-yard pass that reached the end zone, but the touchdown was nullified by an Appalachian State holding penalty. At the 2:30 mark, another 70-yard scoring pass to Branch was wiped out by an ineligible downfield on pass penalty. In the second quarter, Jaquari Lewis scored on a 2-yard run with 4:34 remaining, and London made the extra point. With 35 seconds left before halftime, Khamani Alexander answered with a 1-yard touchdown run for Charlotte, and Ian Kelly kicked the extra point. In the third quarter, Singleton threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Lofton with 4:28 remaining, and a 2-point attempt failed. In the fourth quarter, Singleton later found Grier for a 7-yard touchdown with 12:08 remaining, and London added the extra point. With seven minutes remaining, Alexander scored again on a 1-yard run and converted a 2-point attempt. London made two extra points in the win.

Charlotte entered the game after a 41-9 loss at Ole Miss on Sept. 12 and a 43-41 home loss to Citadel on Sept. 5. Appalachian State entered after a 27-24 win at East Carolina on Sept. 12 and a 55-3 home win over Maine on Sept. 5.

Charlotte will host Louisiana on Sept. 26 and Memphis on Oct. 3 before visiting North Texas on Oct. 10. The 49ers will visit Temple on Oct. 17 and host Tulane on Oct. 30. Charlotte will visit UAB on Nov. 7, host East Carolina on Nov. 14, visit Tulsa on Nov. 21 and host Navy on Nov. 28.

Appalachian State will visit North Carolina State on Sept. 26 before hosting Old Dominion on Oct. 10. The Mountaineers will visit Coastal Carolina on Oct. 16 and host James Madison on Oct. 22. Appalachian State will visit Georgia Southern on Oct. 31, host Georgia State on Nov. 7, visit Marshall on Nov. 14, host Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 21 and visit South Alabama on Nov. 27. Both teams return to action on Sept. 26. Charlotte’s next game is against Louisiana in Charlotte. Appalachian State’s next game is at North Carolina State in Raleigh.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Appalachian State 42, Charlotte 25. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Appalachian State with a 93.8 percent probability to win. Charlotte had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +17.5. The total score of 47 was paired with an over/under line of 52.5.