Two notorious FCS programs, now graduated to the FBS ranks, face off Thursday night when Appalachian State travels to Georgia Southern. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage on ESPNU and a live streaming broadcast on WatchESPN.
How to watch Appalachian State vs. Georgia Southern: Game guide, TV/streaming, odds
It’s the team that embarrassed Michigan against the team that embarrassed Florida. LET’S DO THIS.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Appalachian State gained national fame for defeating Michigan in the 2007 season opener. The Mountaineers have been a top-notch FCS program for years, though, and their recent move to the FBS and the Sun Belt Conference was not a surprise. Appalachian State has struggled early on, with losses to the aforementioned Wolverines and Southern Miss sandwiching a dominant win over FCS non-scholarship program Campbell, but freshman quarterback Taylor Lamb has added a spark to the Mountaineers' offense.
Georgia Southern's famous upset victory is more recent, a 2013 win in The Swamp against Florida that doomed the Gators to a bowl-free season. The Eagles are 2-2 in their first FBS campaign, but have impressed in close losses at NC State and Georgia Tech. Georgia Southern's option attack is second nationally in rushing yards per game, with sophomore running back Matt Breida and sophomore quarterback Kevin Ellison combining for 772 yards and nine touchdowns already this year.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Our Sun Belt site
Our Sun Belt site
The numbers
Rankings and records: The Mountaineers come into Thursday’s game at 1-2. Georgia Southern sits at 2-2. Neither team is ranked.
Vegas: Georgia Southern is a 19-point favorite at home.
Weather forecast: The weather should be perfect: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the mid-70s at kickoff.
Two things at stake
Georgia Southern already has a Sun Belt win this season, and a 2-0 start in conference play could put the Eagles in contention for a Sun Belt title in their first season of eligibility. The Eagles are not eligible for a bowl trip until 2015, but the lack of a postseason performance would be a small loss from an auspicious debut.
Appalachian State has yet to defeat an FBS opponent since that fateful day in Ann Arbor, a losing streak of eight games extended in last week’s loss to Southern Miss. That could be broken with a win Thursday. Appalachian State is also protecting a three-game winning streak over Georgia Southern stretching back to 2011.
One big matchup
Georgia Southern running game vs. Appalachian State’s front seven: Everyone in the world knows what Georgia Southern will do on offense: Run, run, and run some more. The Eagles have attempted just 55 passes through four games, and runs outnumber passes by a 3.5-to-1 ratio. That could be problematic for Appalachian State, which gave up 350 rushing yards to Michigan’s pedestrian attack. The Mountaineers have improved since then, though, holding Southern Miss to 68 rushing yards last week.
Further reading
Underdog Dynasty has Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, and the rest of college football’s mid-majors covered.
See More:
