Postgame Notes from App State's Win vs. Georgia State

POSTGAME NOTES: App State 17, Georgia State 13
 
App State's 60-13 record and 82.2 win percentage since the start of 2015 is No. 5 nationally behind just Clemson (76-6, 92.7%), Alabama (72-6, 92.3%), Ohio State (64-7, 90.1%) and Oklahoma (63-12, 84.0%).
 
App State improved to 47-5 in its last 52 games vs. Sun Belt teams since the program jumped to FBS in 2014. Since 2014, the Mountaineers' 87.0 winning percentage (47-7 overall) against league foes is No. 4 nationally behind Ohio State (93.2%, 55-4), Clemson (91.7%, 55-5) and Alabama (91.5%, 54-5).
 
The Mountaineers have won their last 18 games played in November or December. This was the 11th straight November/December home win.
 
This is the second straight year and fifth time in the last six years that App State has won its first four Sun Belt games.
 
Zac Thomas improved to 29-4 as a starter, which is No. 2 in active QB wins behind Clemson's Trevor Lawrence (31-1). Thomas was hit late out of bounds in the fourth quarter and had to be wheeled off the sideline with App State down 13-10. Fifth-year senior backup Jacob Huesman led App State to a game-winning drive that was capped by a Camerun Peoples 10-yard touchdown run with 4:55 left in the game.
 
App State has won all seven games it has played against Georgia State, dating back to 2014. The Mountaineers have allowed a total of 73 points to the Panthers (10.4 average per game).
 
This was App State's first win when scoring less than 20 points since last year's 17-7 road victory at Louisiana on Oct. 9.

This was the closest margin of victory for an App State win since the Mountaineers' 34-31 win at North Carolina on Sept. 21 last year.
 
DEFENSE
 
App State held the Sun Belt's second-leading offense (36.7 scoring average entering the game) to 13 points and just three in the second half.
 
The Mountaineers' swarming defense registered nine TFLs, three sacks, a season-high nine pass breakups and a season-high three forced fumbles. The Mountaineers entered the game ranked No. 2 in the nation with 7.7 passes defended per outing.
 
Shemar Jean-Charles, the nation's leader in passes defended, added one more to increase his season total to 14.
 
Caleb Spurlin forced a first-quarter fumble that D'Marco Jackson recovered for the Mountaineers' first fumble recovery of the season. App State opponents have now fumbled 12 times this season with one lost.
 
Demetrius Taylor tallied a career-high 3.5 TFLs with seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a QB hurry.
 
D'Marco Jackson racked up a career-high 2.0 TFLs with nine tackles, a sack, two pass breakups and a QB hurry.
 
OFFENSE
 
Before leaving the game, Zac Thomas completed 16 of 22 passes for 146 yards and his 61st career touchdown pass (which is third-most in school history). He passed Jamal Londry-Jackson into fifth place in school history with 6,075 career passing yards.
 
Tight end Henry Pearson's 9-yard third quarter touchdown reception was the third of his career and first this year. He led App State with four catches for 32 yards and the score.
 
Malik Williams' 55-yard catch that set up Pearson's score was the longest reception of his career and the longest reception by an App State player this season.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
 
Chandler Staton made his only field goal of the game, a 21-yarder in the first quarter.
 
In one of his first games as App State's primary kick returner, Steven Jones returned four kicks for a 26.5-yard average, including a career-long 41-yard return at the end of the first half.