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

POSTGAME NOTES: App State 27, Georgia Southern 3

This was App State's 80th win as an FBS program since moving up in 2014. The Mountaineers' 80-22 overall record in that span is sixth-best among FBS programs behind Alabama (102-9), Clemson (98-13), Ohio State (92-11), Oklahoma (85-18) and Georgia (84-20).
 
The Mountaineers have won 10 games for the fifth time in eight FBS seasons. It was their third time reaching 10 regular-season wins as an FBS program (2015, 2019).
 
App State has outscored its opponents 103-17 over its last three games and 151-31 over its last four games, all Sun Belt wins.
 
The Mountaineers finished the regular season with a 7-1 league record for the sixth time in eight seasons as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (the other two seasons were 6-2).
 
App State achieved a perfect 7-0 home record. They went undefeated at Kidd Brewer Stadium for the first time since 2018, which at that time was the first time since 2006.
 
Officially finishing with an average of 30,441 fans per home game this season, App State has set a program record and a Sun Belt Conference record for average home attendance. The previous school record was 26,153 in 2016, and the previous Sun Belt record of 29,171 was set by Louisiana in 2011.
 
This game's attendance was a season-low 28,005 at The Rock.
 
App State won on Senior Day at Kidd Brewer Stadium for the 23rd time in the last 24 years.
 
App State has won five of last seven meetings with Georgia Southern and now leads the all-time series 21-15-1. Since the rivals began playing annually in 1993, the 24-point win tied for App State's second-largest margin of victory over Georgia Southern.
 
The win improved Shawn Clark's record as a head coach to 20-5. He is currently one of six active FBS coaches with an .800 winning percentage or better, including Ohio State's Ryan Day (.891), Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley (.859), Georgia's Kirby Smart (.831), Alabama's Nick Saban (.802) and Clemson's Dabo Swinney. His 19 wins in 2020 and 2021 are the most by an App State head coach in his first two seasons.
 
The Mountaineers have now won 17 of their last 18 games in the month of November.   

Super-senior wide receiver Thomas Hennigan extended his FBS record for career starts to 63. The previous record of 57 was held by Clemson OL Mitch Wyatt (2015-18) and Alabama OL Ross Pierschbacher (2015-18).  

DEFENSE
 
The App State defense has only allowed 17 points over the last three games. Before this game, the last time they didn't give up a touchdown was in a 30-3 win at South Alabama on Oct. 26 last year.
 
It was Georgia Southern's fewest points against App State since the Mountaineers' 19-0 Division I-AA playoff win in 1987.
 
App State limited Georgia Southern to just 194 total yards, the third time in the last four games the Mountaineers have held their opponent under 200 total yards. The 194 yards were a season low for the Eagles.
 
This was the seventh time this year App State has held its opponent under 100 rushing yards.
 
App State posted a season-high 12 tackles for loss and tied a season high with four sacks. Brendan Harrington had a career-high 2.5 TFLs (with 1.0 sack), and Nick Hampton tied his career high with 2.0 sacks. Hampton has 5.5 TFLs and 4.0 sacks over his last four outings.
 
Demetrius Taylor recorded a strip-sack in the first quarter, giving him 25.5 sacks in his college career (fourth-most in school history).
 
Kaiden Smith tallied a team-high nine tackles (one for a loss). In his last two games against Georgia Southern, he has totaled 21 tackles, a TFL, an interception and a pass breakup.
 
OFFENSE
 
Chase Brice completed 12 of 24 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Brice's 2,901 passing yards are fourth-most in a season in school history with two games left to play. The school record is 3,291 by Armanti Edwards in 2009.
 
Thomas Hennigan caught three passes for 111 yards (his third 100-yard receiving game of the year), including a 68-yard touchdown reception from Brice. It was Hennigan's 22nd career touchdown grab, which moved him into a tie for fifth place in school history.
 
Malik Williams caught a touchdown from Brice on a fourth-down play late in the first quarter for his 16th career touchdown catch (eighth in school history) and his sixth this season (second on the team behind Corey Sutton's seven).

SPECIAL TEAMS
 
With his third career kickoff return for a touchdown, Jalen Virgil tied former teammate Darrynton Evans' school record for career kickoff returns for a touchdown. It was Virgil's second touchdown return of the season (100 yards at Miami) and second straight against Georgia Southern (100 yards in Statesboro).
 
Chandler Staton became App State's all-time career scoring leader with 447 points, surpassing previous record holder Kevin Richardson, a running back who scored 444 from 2004-07. Staton made both field-goal attempts and all three PATs to give him nine points for the game. He has connected on 18 of 19 field goals and all 51 extra points this year.
 
Staton's 18 field goals made this year are tied for the second most in a season with Bjorn Nittmo's 1988 campaign. The school record of 19 (on 28 attempts) was set by Jason Vitaris in 2009.
 
Staton's total of 452 points moved him from 11th to sixth place in FBS history for points by a kicker.
 
Xavier Subotsch had a strong punting game with five punts for a 46.0-yard average, landing two inside the 20, including one that was fair caught at the 8-yard line and another that was downed on the 1-yard line.