Georgia Southern entered Thursday’s game vs. longtime FCS rival Appalachian State trailing only Wisconsin in terms of rushing offense. Indeed, it was the Eagles’ ground attack that set the pace for a 34-14 win over the Mountaineers at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. Georgia Southern rushed for 408 yards and scored all but one of its four touchdowns on the ground.
Appalachian State vs. Georgia Southern: 3 things we learned from the Eagles’ 34-14 win
Georgia Southern took down its second Sun Belt foe with yet another impressive rushing performance.
Todd Bennett
Eagles quarterback Kevin Ellison led all players in rushing, gaining 151 yards on 21 carries. The sophomore has now eclipsed 100 rushing yards in three of Georgia Southern's five games. Running back Matt Breida also put up triple-digit rushing numbers -- for his third straight game -- with 135 yards on 12 carries. Fifty-six of those yards came on one play, Georgia Southern's first score, as Breida surged straight up the gut of Appalachian State's defense barely more than two minutes into the game.
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By halftime, Georgia Southern had opened up a 24-14 lead. Appalachian State opened the second half with a nine-play, 67-yard drive, but was unable to put any points on the board after failing to convert a 4th-and-4 from Georgia Southern's 9-yard line. The Mountaineers gathered more momentum before long, blocking the Eagles' punt on their next drive and taking over at the Georgia Southern 30-yard line. Five plays later, however, Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb tried forcing the ball into the end zone on a 2nd-and-Goal and was intercepted by Georgia Southern cornerback Nick Wright.
Three things we learned
1. Georgia Southern is acclimating nicely to Sun Belt life. The Eagles made the jump to the Sun Belt Conference -- and thus, the FBS -- before this season, and they’re now 2-0 after previously taking down South Alabama. Georgia Southern entered the game as the top-ranked Sun Belt team in the F/+ rankings and will obviously stay there now. Even against tougher competition, the Eagles have fared OK; they lost by one point to N.C. State in the season opener and then played Georgia Tech tough to a 42-38 loss two weeks ago -- both on the road.
Local fans are also taking note -- Thursday’s attendance of 24,535 was the most this season and the second-most in school history.
2. The Eagles won’t stop running anytime soon. That was already a given, as the Eagles entered Thursday’s game with a 3.5-to-1 run/pass ratio. Against Appalachian State, Georgia Southern passed 12 times and ran 60 -- a 5-to-1 run/pass ratio for you non-math majors. On the ground, Georgia Southern averaged 6.8 rushing yards per carry.
3. Georgia Southern will be fun to watch, even without bowl eligibility. The Eagles aren’t bowl-eligible until 2015, but they’ve already started off their Sun Belt membership in style. Next up is a road game at New Mexico State, which is 2-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play. That game will air on ESPN3.
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