Appalachian State-Michigan football game to be televised on ESPN2

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University football’s 2014 season opener at Michigan will be televised nationally on ESPN2, ESPN announced on Wednesday. The Aug. 30 contest will kick off at noon ET at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Appalachian State is a perfect 7-0 all-time in games shown on ESPN2. The last time the Mountaineers played on ESPN2, they stomped former conference rival Wofford, 70-24, in a matchup between teams ranked No. 2 and No. 3 nationally in NCAA Division I FCS on Oct. 31, 2008.

The first meeting between Appalachian State and Michigan — the Mountaineers’ historic 34-32 victory over the No. 5-ranked Wolverines on Sept. 1, 2007 — was televised live on the Big Ten Network.

“It’s exciting to know that a national audience will be tuned in for Appalachian State’s first game as an NCAA Division I FBS program,” Appalachian State director of athletics Charlie Cobb said. “One of the many reasons that we chose to return to the Big House was the probability that the game would be televised nationally. Along with our Sun Belt Conference opener at Georgia Southern (Sept. 25 on ESPNU), we now have two regular-season games that will be shown on over-the-air ESPN networks this year — a first in Appalachian State history. The exposure to a national audience that these televised games affords our football program, athletics department and University is worth millions of dollars and also gives our students, alumni and fans that can’t be at the games the opportunity to cheer on the Mountaineers wherever they might be.”

In other television news, the Sun Belt Conference and ESPN announced an expansion within their agreement on Wednesday that will result in the exclusive distribution of up to an additional 50 Sun Belt events on ESPN3. The 50 events will include several football, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball regular-season games as well as the Sun Belt men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball championships.

Events shown on ESPN3 as a result of the expanded agreement between the Sun Belt and ESPN are in addition to those already in place to be carried on the ESPN platform of networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3) as part of the original agreement between the conference and the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast (via the WatchESPN app), Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The network is currently available in more than 92 million homes (via high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider), as well as to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel.