Game Day Preview: App State Seeks Bowl Eligibility in Statesboro

On By Littum


Makai Jackson



Soccer






BOONE, NC — The stakes are clear for each side, with spoiler roles only of secondary importance.

However, these cannot be completely ruled out in a rival game.

App State (5-5, 3-4 Sun Belt) closes the regular season Saturday night at Georgia Southern (7-4, 5-2) and needs a win to become bowl eligible. Reaching that six-win benchmark would also prevent the Eagles from possibly earning a share of the Sun Belt’s East Division title and appearing in the Sun Belt Championship Game.

Georgia Southern can accomplish both of those things by winning at home and causing division-leading Marshall (8-3, 6-1) to lose on the road against James Madison (8-3, 4-3). Georgia Southern won the head-to-head game against Marshall in the event of a tie, but the Marshall-JMU game will start two hours after kickoff at 18 at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga., so no need to look at the scoreboard. if App State comes through with its first conference road win of the season.

Two years ago, App State arrived in Statesboro with a 6-5 record but needed one more win to become bowl eligible because two of its wins had been against FCS opponents. The Mountaineers lost in heartbreaking fashion, missing an opportunity to win in regulation before falling 51-48 in double overtime.

This year, a five-loss App State team faces another win-or-no postseason scenario in Statesboro given its 11-game regular season — the Mountaineers’ home opener against Liberty scheduled for Sept. 28 , was canceled due to the impact of Hurricane Helene’s arrival on Sept. 27.

App State picked up its 100th win as an FBS program last weekend, making it one of only 10 programs in the country to reach triple-digit wins since the Mountaineers and Eagles made the FCS-to-FBS jump in 2014. App State’s 7-11 record in Statesboro includes a 2-3 mark in Sun Belt matchups.

Under head coach Shawn Clarkwhose first full season began in 2020, the Mountaineers are 20-1 when they win the turnover game. The 34-20 win against an eight-win JMU team last weekend was just the second time this season that App State has won the turnover game.

Meanwhile, Georgia Southern has posted similar numbers since the 2020 season, going 23-5 when winning the turnover game and 4-22 when losing it.

Continuing its trend under head coach Clay Helton, the Eagles are averaging 246.6 passing yards per game, with quarterback JC French totaling 15 touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season. Derwin Burgess Jr., Dalen Cobb and Josh Dallas all have at least 500 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season, while Jalen White has scored nine rushing touchdowns. He is averaging a team-high 48.1 yards per carry. fight on the ground.

Defensively, the Eagles are coming off a 26-6 road win in which they limited Coastal Carolina to 280 yards of total offense.

When App State runs back Ahmani Marshall rushed for 115 yards against Georgia State on Oct. 26, it was App State’s fifth straight game with another leading rusher, but it started Marshall’s active streak of four straight 100-yard rushers. He followed the Georgia State win with big plays against ODU (120 yards), Coastal Carolina (124 yards) and JMU (108 yards).

Joey Aguilar rows 14th nationally with an average of 271.3 passing yards per battle, and Makai Jackson had five catches for 162 yards against JMU in the Mountaineers’ first game without a standout receiver Kaedin Robinson. In the second quarter alone, Jackson had gains of 52 yards, 29 yards and 64 yards (touchdown).

App State has trailed in the first five minutes in six games this season, while Louisiana also jumped ahead with points on its opening drive, but the Mountaineers were able to erase an early 14-0 deficit against JMU and take a lead in the break. Not playing from behind affects the play calling on both sides of the ball, contributing to App State’s 19 sacks in its five wins and one total sack in its five losses.