App State will not be facing a Maine team coming straight out of preseason when the Black Bears arrive at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Sept. 5. The Black Bears opened the 2026 season with a 21-18 road victory over Towson on Aug. 27, giving App State a recent game to study before the programs meet in Boone. Maine enters the matchup at 1-0 after finishing 6-6 last season and being picked seventh in the 13-team CAA preseason poll.
The game will also be the latest chapter in a brief but memorable history between the programs. Maine leads the all-time series 2-0, with both previous meetings coming in FCS playoff games in 2002 and 2011.
A fast start at Towson
Maine's opener provided an early look at what the Black Bears will bring into their second game of the season. The Black Bears scored all 21 of their points in the second quarter against Towson and then held on for the three-point victory.
Quarterback Eddie Buehler connected with Malik McNeely for a 16-yard touchdown to open the scoring. Running back Rashawn Marshall followed with a 32-yard touchdown run as Maine built momentum before halftime.
Maine's defense then protected the lead as Towson mounted a second-half comeback. The Tigers cut the margin to three points, but the Black Bears closed out the 21-18 victory on the road.
The result gives Maine an advantage App State will not have entering the opener: a live-game evaluation of its new season.
Familiar names to watch
Maine entered 2026 with four players named to the CAA preseason all-conference team. Offensive linemen Anthony Iliano and Andrew Kocan were selected on offense, while defensive back Jamaree Gibson and defensive end Chris Bacon represented the Black Bears on defense.
Iliano was also named a preseason third-team All-American after earning second-team All-CAA recognition last season. Kocan returns from an offensive line that allowed 18 sacks in 2025.
On the defensive side, Gibson started 11 of Maine's 12 games last season and recorded 34 tackles with five pass breakups. Bacon enters the season as another key name on the defensive front after his preseason all-conference selection.
Marshall, meanwhile, was a CAA preseason honorable mention after earning Freshman All-American recognition in 2025. He finished last season with 831 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 12.3 yards per reception.
His touchdown against Towson offered an immediate reminder of his ability to produce big plays.
Picked in the middle of the CAA
Maine was selected seventh in the CAA preseason poll, receiving 88 points from league coaches. The Black Bears finished 6-6 in 2025, a season shaped in part by a slow start. They won four of their final five games but were unable to overcome an earlier stretch of losses.
That late-season improvement gives context to Maine's 2026 expectations. The Black Bears were not picked among the conference favorites, but they return several established players and opened the season with a road win over the team picked one place ahead of them in the preseason poll.
The challenge in Boone
Maine now faces a quick turnaround from its CAA opener to a trip south to play an FBS opponent. The Black Bears have already shown they can win a close game on the road. They also arrive with a little recent history on their side against App State.
But this meeting will be different from the previous two. App State has not lost to Maine since moving to the FBS because the teams have not played since 2011. The Mountaineers enter the game as the higher-division program and will be opening their season at home.
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