After one half of dominance and one of survival, the University of Maine football team is 1-0. Now, after a 21-18 win last Thursday at Towson, the Black Bears face a far tougher test against Appalachian State.

Maine, a 19.5-point underdog, is on the road against the Mountaineers (0-0) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+). Here are three storylines to follow as the Black Bears look to pull a massive upset against an Football Bowl Subdivision team.

Can Maine establish the run early?

Playing in his first collegiate game, Maine quarterback Eddie Buehler (17 of 27, 199 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) enjoyed a solid night. That was against a middle-of-the-road Towson team. Now comes an FBS road environment.

To help a young quarterback settle, establishing the ground game early would be a wise move. Rashawn Marshall had 81 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries against Towson, and the Black Bears could call on him often against Appalachian State.

Pass rush looks to shine again

The Black Bears did plenty right against Towson, but the pass rush truly shined. Maine wreaked havoc on the Tigers in the form of six sacks, two from Chris Bacon, 1 1/2 each by Derek Berlitz and Bryce Purnell, and one from Brayden Isaiah.

Appalachian State had major roster turnover, but the Mountaineers have continuity on the offensive line, where two starters (and another who missed most of last season to injury) return. Saturday could show us how good Maine’s pass rush truly is.

A bit of history

Before Appalachian State moved to FBS, the Mountaineers were a power at Maine’s level. The program won three straight titles in the Football Championship Subdivision (known as Division I-AA prior to 2006) from 2005-07, with the last of those three seasons featuring a historic upset of Michigan.

The Mountaineers’ FCS/I-AA era included two playoff battles with Maine, which defeated Appalachian State 14-13 in the first round in 2002 and 34-12 in the 2011 second round. Those games were both in Boone, North Carolina, where the Black Bears look for a trifecta.