Game Day Preview: App State at Georgia State

By Bret Strelow | App State Athletics

BOONE, N.C. — Taking a two-game winning streak to Atlanta, App State Football will look to dig even deeper to earn a Sun Belt Conference road victory.
 
The Mountaineers (5-4, 3-2) face Georgia State (6-3, 3-3) at Center Parc Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN+.
 
Still in the thick of the Sun Belt East Division title chase, App State is within one win of bowl eligibility thanks to consecutive home victories against Southern Miss and Marshall. Georgia State, coached by App State alum Shawn Elliott, jumped out to a 6-1 start prior to suffering back-to-back losses to Georgia Southern and James Madison in the last two games.
 
"I'm just really proud of our team and the way we've battled all season," App State head coach Shawn Clark said. "We have a really tight group that enjoys playing for one another and playing for this program. Saturday night, we had our best performance all year in all three phases, playing for 60 minutes. We have a challenging game coming up this weekend, and we have a lot to build on from last week."
 
The Mountaineers are coming off their best defensive performance of the season, as they intercepted three passes and had three sacks among their 10 tackles for loss while limiting the Thundering Herd to 252 total yards. Two big runs (the first by Rasheen Ali) and one big pass play accounted for 121 of those yards against a defense that played fast, physical and disciplined in its second game employing a 3-3-5 "Star" scheme that includes five defensive backs.
 
EJ Jackson delivered a tone-setting hit for a 5-yard loss when Marshall completed a quick screen on the first play, Trenton Alan Yowe posted a sack, Jordan Favors intercepted two passes and Tyrek Funderburk also contributed to a stop behind the line. App State defensive linemen and linebackers, meanwhile, did an effective job of pursuing quarterback Cam Fancher but not losing containment in a way that would allow him to reach the perimeter.
 
Like Marshall, Georgia State has a dual-threat quarterback (Darren Grainger) and a powerful, productive running back (Marcus Carroll).
 
Grainger has thrown 12 touchdown passes, tossed only four interceptions and rushed for 551 yards. Coming off a season-low 33 rushing yards against James Madison's stout defense, Carroll ranks third nationally with 1,039 yards (one spot ahead of North Carolina's Omarion Hampton, who rushed for 234 yards against App State).
 
In Sun Belt play, Carroll has rushed for 150 yards against Coastal Carolina, 159 against Marshall, 110 against Louisiana and 208 against Georgia Southern.
 
"Old Dominion, they spread us out from sideline to sideline, and Georgia State will do the same this week," Clark said. "You have to get the right kind of speed on the field to make plays. We went all in with this new package, and we're improving week by week, but it really starts with how we fit our gaps."
 
Georgia State's defense, led by inside linebacker Jontrey Hunter's 73 tackles, including 5.5 for loss, employs its own 3-3-5 scheme directed by former Coastal Carolina coordinator Chad Staggs. Opponents rush for only 134.4 yards per game and 3.9 per carry against the Panthers, who are allowing 285.4 passing yards per game. Despite that lofty number, they have intercepted eight passes, with at least one in seven of nine games.
 
App State quarterback Joey Aguilar has totaled 11 touchdown passes and one interception in the last four games after throwing at least one interception in four straight games before that stretch, and the Mountaineers will try to have more success in the running game after struggling against Marshall's big, tough defense.
 
Aguilar led App State in rushing against Marshall, but Nate Noel proved healthy enough to log double-digit carries after combining for four carries in the three games prior to that.
 
"They're very aggressive on defense," Clark said of Georgia State. "They're playing like Shawn played when he was here, with their hair on fire and having fun playing football."