Georgia Southern football hosts Appalachian State on Saturday: Kickoff, how to watch and more
The Georgia Southern Eagles (5-6, 2-5 Sun Belt) have reached the final game of the regular season seeking a sixth overall victory, which would make them bowl eligible. Their opponent on Saturday, Appalachian State (6-5, 3-4 SBC), needs a seventh overall victory to become bowl eligible, as two of the Mountaineers' wins are against FCS programs The Citadel and Robert Morris. Only one win over an FCS school can count toward six wins in the regular season.
Here's how to watch and listen to the game between these big rivals, and more:
What time do the Georgia Southern Eagles play the Appalachian State Mountaineers?
Kickoff: 6 p.m. ET, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022.
Location: Paulson Stadium (capacity 25,000), Statesboro
How to watch Appalachian State at Georgia Southern on TV
Danny Waugh (play-by-play), Cole Neely (analyst) and Emily Grace McWhorter (sidelines) will have the call on the ESPN+ online streaming service.
Radio for Appalachian State at Georgia Southern
Danny Reed (play-by-play), Terry Harvin (analyst), Russ Brown (analyst) and Frank Sulkowski (sidelines) have the call on the Georgia Southern Sports Network. The pregame, in-game and postgame shows can be heard in Savannah on WIXV 95.5 FM and on the network's flagship station WPMX 94.9 FM in Statesboro.
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Betting: Over/under & point spread
As of Saturday morning, Appalachian State was a 6-point favorite, according to the Tipico Sportsbook. The over/under was 64.5 points. The moneyline was App State -230 and Georgia Southern +180.
Series history
Georgia Southern has played Appalachian State more than any other opponent — 37 times since 1932. They meet to end the regular season for the third consecutive year.
App State has won eight of the past 11 games and now leads the series 21-15-1. The Mountainers have won two straight.
The rivalry going back to when they were members of the NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) Southern Conference from 1993-2013. They played every year since 1993, including twice in 2001.
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Game notes
Georgia Southern has been hit with injuries all over the roster, particularly at wide receiver, on the defensive line and, of all things, long snapper. Running back could be a big focus if starter Jalen White (leg injury suffered against Marshall) and redshirt junior Gerald Green (injury suffered at practice Nov. 16) are unable to play. The next man up is true freshman OJ Arnold, who has 33 carries for 189 net yards, a 5.7 yards-per-carry average and a 17.18 yards per game. He also returns kicks.
White is fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing at 83.1 yards per game. He has 162 carries for 914 yards, a 5.6 average, and 10 touchdowns. Green, who missed the most recent game against Marshall, is 19th in the league at 47.5 yards a game. He has 86 carries for 475 yards, a 5.5 average, and six TDs.
Marshall's top two running backs also have been sidelined. Head coach Shawn Clark said Monday that he expects Nate Noel (16th in SBC at 54.1 ypg) to play and Camerun Peoples (ninth in SBC at 65.9 ypg) is trending in the right direction but no decision has been made.
The Mountaineers' standout outside linebacker Nick Hampton is a game-time decision, Clark said. Hampton leads the league in sacks (seven solo, two assists, 0.89 per game) and is second in tackles for loss (10.5; 1.17 per game).
The game features a pair of sixth-year players at quarterback, Kyle Vantrease of GS and Chase Brice of ASU. Vantrease is fourth in the FBS in passing yards (3,507) and passing yards per game (318.82), and second in completions per game (307 in 11 games, 27.91 per game).
Brice leads the Sun Belt and is 11th in the FBS in touchdown passes (27), with Vantrease tied for 22nd (22 TDs) in the FBS.
Vantrease is 308 of 507 (60.7%) and averages 319.3 yards per game to lead the SBC. Brice is fifth at 242.5 yards per game on 204 of 323 passing (63.2%).
The Eagles' Alex Raynor leads the Sun Belt in scoring by kickers, 87 points for a 7.9 avearge. He is 42 of 43 on extra-point attempts and 15 of 17 field-goal attempts. He's second in scoring average by all players (7.9 per game).
Georgia Southern ranks seventh in the FBS with just three lost fumbles on the season. If that number holds, it would be a school record for the fewest lost fumbles in a season.
The Eagles' offense has put up big numbers in total yards (league-best 466.9 ypg), passing (league-best 322.3 ypg) and in points (l32.1 points per game, fourth in SBC) while yielding the fewest sacks (seven).
The Eagles' defense is struggling in allowing 30.9 points (12th in SBC), total yards (last at 484.1 ypg), rushing defense (last at 227.6 ypg) and passing defense (13th at 256.8 ypg).
The Eagles have four players in the SBC's top 22 tacklers: linebacker Marques Watson-Trent (third at 97 total, 8.8 per game); safety Anthony Wilson (11th at 81, 7.4); defensive back Wylan Free (21st at 71, 6.5) and linebacker Khadry Jackson (22nd at 64, 6.4).
They said it
Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton on Appalachian State:
"Got two teams in Statesboro this week that love to compete against each other, both of us fighting for bowl eligibility where the winner gets to move on. That's what you want in life — you want a chance. I know our players are very excited about that opportunity. I would bet (Appalachian State head coach) Shawn (Clark's) group is, too. We look forward to a great Saturday night in Statesboro."
Appalachian State head coach Shawn Clark on Georgia Southern:
"Coach Helton's done a fantastic job. They've changed philosophy a ways from last year. They're going to throw the football quite a bit. It's a game you look forward to. It's a great rivalry. It's Georgia -Florida, Auburn-Alabama, and it's gone on for a long time. You go back to the Southern Conference days, now the Sun Belt. It's one of the best games all year long. It's going to be a heated rivalry. Our players know each other. Our coaches know each other. It's a fun game to play in.
"Whoever wins has a chance to go to a bowl game. It probably shouldn't happen any other way in this rivalry game with Georgia Southern-App State."
Twitter follows
Follow Georgia Southern beat writer Nathan Dominitz of the Savannah Morning News/savannahnow.com @NathanDominitz for Eagles updates.
You can follow the teams' official Twitter accounts at @GSAthletics_FB and @AppState_FB
Podcast
Listen to the new and previous episodes of the "Georgia Southern Extra" podcast at https://omny.fm/shows/georgia-southern-extra/playlists/podcast
Nathan Dominitz is the Sports Content Editor of the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com. Email him at ndominitz@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @NathanDominitz
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Southern football vs. Appalachian State: TV, radio, kickoff
