BOONE, N.C. — A rivalry win triggered the return to postseason eligibility.
Senior quarterback
Taylor Lamb threw two touchdown passes and a stingy defense kept Georgia Southern out of the end zone as Appalachian State recorded a 27-6 victory in front of an ESPNU audience on Thursday night at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
With the victory, which came hours after 1989 alumnus Mark Ricks made a $10 million commitment to support the university's A Mountaineer Impact initiative, the Mountaineers (6-4, 5-1 Sun Belt) are 3-for-3 in becoming bowl eligible as a full-fledged FBS member.
"They were really focused this week," said
Scott Satterfield, who improved to 38-22 and moved into a fourth-place tie for victories by an App State head coach. "Had a great week of practice. Just a mental type of practice all week, and that paid dividends tonight because I thought our guys played fresh and they played hard. I'm really proud of our defense and how they bounced back."
Tee Sims increased his season total to 9.5 sacks by posting one of three by App State's defense, which limited the Eagles (0-9, 0-5) to 191 yards of offense and prevented them from scoring an offensive touchdown for the second straight year.
It was the first time since Appalachian's 19-0 playoff victory in 1987 that Georgia Southern didn't score a touchdown of any kind against its former Southern Conference rival.
"We had to get a feel for the game," senior defensive end
Caleb Fuller said. "After that, we just communicated and executed."
Special teams also played a significant role for the Mountaineers, as
Chandler Staton's two field goals included a 53-yard kick to end the first half and they moved ahead 20-6 early in the fourth quarter after the 241-pound Fuller rushed for 23 yards on a fake punt.
It was the first career rush for Fuller.
"We've been practicing that for a couple weeks in a row, and I've been waiting on a home game to run it," Fuller said. "An opportunity presented itself, and Coach trusted me to get it done. I tried to score, but it didn't work out like that."
Three plays after Fuller advanced to the Georgia Southern 27 on his fourth-and-3 carry from midfield, Lamb threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to
Ike Lewis to give the senior receiver his seventh touchdown in the last five games and push the quarterback's season total to 21 TDs with only four interceptions. True freshman
Daetrich Harrington produced his first career touchdown on a 3-yard run to cap the scoring with 9:40 left.
After the Eagles opened the scoring with a 29-yard field goal, Lamb gave App State the lead for good on a 27-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Collin Reed midway through the second quarter.
Trailing 7-3, Georgia Southern used a fourth-down stop to begin a drive at App State's 36 with 2:20 left in the half, but Sims' first-down tackle in the backfield facilitated a three-and-out possession that ended with a punt from the 42. Seemingly content to enter halftime with a four-point lead, App State let the clock run before Lamb gained 44 yards to the Eagles' 35 on a third-and-9 draw. The Mountaineers called a timeout with three seconds left, and Staton followed a Georgia Southern timeout by drilling the 53-yard field goal as the half ended.
"I took off, and if I was any faster, I might have scored," Lamb said with a laugh. "It worked out well to get down there and get tackled there within field goal range. ... I was looking up at the clock as I was running. I see the safeties coming together, and if I was going to split them, I was going to stay up, but if I wasn't, I was going to get down as quick as possible and try to get within the 35."
It was the sixth-longest field goal in school history and the longest successful attempt since Mark Wright set a school record with a 57-yard field goal against Troy in 2000.
"I wasn't sure by the time it got through — I was covered and I couldn't really see much," Staton said. "It was a solid strike from what I could tell. I kind of always enjoyed being iced — it brings you down and gives you time to think."
Staton added a 28-yard field goal early in the third quarter, making him 5-for-5 in the last three games, and the Eagles converted a 44-yard field goal before App State successfully executed the fake punt from midfield with a 13-6 lead.
Lamb completed seven of his 13 passes for 161 yards, and redshirt freshman
Marcus Williams Jr. rushed for a career-high 130 yards in his third straight start for the Mountaineers, who played without injured back
Jalin Moore.
Austin Exford and
Rashaad Townes joined Sims in recording a sack, and
A.J. Howard had seven solo tackles to lead App State, which gave up 159 yards of offense in its 34-10 victory against Georgia Southern last season. The Eagles scored their only touchdown that night on the 90-yard return of a field goal miscue, and they had 141 yards of offense when they started their last drive with 1:35 remaining Thursday.
"To be able to hold them to 111 yards rushing, that's incredible," Satterfield said. "If you can stop them from running the football, you have a great chance of winning."
