The Eagles travelled to Boone, North Carolina to take on the Mountaineers in this heated rivalry matchup. The Eagles defense came out strong holding the Crapp State team to back to back field goals. But leaving the ball in French's hands is a mistake we should be well aware of by now. French threw 8 interceptions and fumbled in the pocket. Miserable qb performance. Proud of the defense for playing their tails off and looking forward to wrapping the season up with Coastal Carolina next game.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers delivered a commanding performance in their 30-13 victory over the Georgia Southern Eagles on a cold evening at Kidd Brewer Stadium. This Sun Belt rivalry lived up to its "Deeper than Hate" billing, but App State capitalized on Georgia Southern's mistakes, forcing a staggering nine turnovers to secure the win.
The game began with Appalachian State leaning on kicker Michael Hughes, who opened the scoring with a 20-yard field goal at 4:24 in the first quarter. Hughes added another from 19 yards as time expired in the quarter, giving the Mountaineers a 6-0 lead. Both times Georgia Southern stopped Appalachian State inside the 5 yard line, forcing the FG attempts.
In the second quarter, the Mountaineers' defense took over. Shawn Collins pounced on a Georgia Southern fumble, returning it 37 yards for the game's first touchdown with under a minute remaining. Hughes closed the half with a 36-yard field goal as time expired, extending the lead to 16-0.
Georgia Southern showed life in the third quarter when Jalen White broke loose for a 37-yard touchdown run, narrowing the score to 16-7. App State immediately responded with Joey Aguilar connecting with Eli Wilson for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds left in the third. Moments later, Brendan Harrington intercepted JC French and returned it 33 yards for another touchdown, closing the quarter with a dominant 30-7 lead.
The Eagles managed one more score in the final seconds of the game, a short 8-yard touchdown pass from French to White, but a failed two-point conversion left them with 13 points on the day.
While the Eagles gained more total offense (363 yards to App State's 251), their inability to protect the ball was their undoing. French's eight interceptions, including three by Ronald Clarke and two by Harrington, crippled Georgia Southern's chances. The Mountaineer defense consistently set the tone, highlighted by Thomas Davis, who tallied two sacks and a forced fumble.
Offensively, App State kept it balanced. Kanye Roberts led the rushing attack with 112 yards on 17 carries, while Aguilar struggled through the air, completing just seven of 20 passes for 114 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
Despite uneven offensive production, the Mountaineers thrived on special teams and defense. Hughes' three field goals and Collins' fumble recovery touchdown emphasized the team’s efficiency in all phases of the game.
1st QUARTER
(APP) Michael Hughes, 20 Yd FG, 4:24
(APP) Michael Hughes, 19 Yd FG, 0:06
2nd QUARTER
(APP) Shawn Collins, returned fumble 37 Yds (Michael Hughes kick), 0:50
(APP) Michael Hughes, 36 Yd FG, 0:00
3rd QUARTER
(GASO) Jalen White, 37 Yd run (Gavin Stewart kick), 3:58
(APP) Eli Wilson 17 Yd pass from Joey Aguilar (Michael Hughes kick), 0:37
(APP) Brendan Harrington, returned interception 33 Yds (Michael Hughes kick), 0:09
4th QUARTER
(GASO) Jalen White 8 Yd pass from JC French (2-point conversion failed), 0:05
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