'Hate Week' is here, and other things to know about Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State

STATESBORO — The newcomers to the Georgia Southern football program are quick studies when it comes to "Hate Week."

They need to be, as the Eagles host their biggest rival, Appalachian State, in the regular-season finale at 6 p.m. Saturday at Paulson Stadium (ESPN+).

"I can tell it definitely means a lot to all of the players here," said defensive back Wylan Free, a sixth-year player who transferred this season from Fresno State.

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While California native Free came to Statesboro from the West Coast, sixth-year quarterback Kyle Vantrease was raised in Ohio on the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry and was a three-year starter at the University of Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference before transferring in January to GS.

He has listened to veteran teammates such as sixth-year defensive end Dillon Springer talk about the rivalry with the Mountaineers, which dates back to 1932. They've met 37 times, with App State winning the last two for a 21-15-1 series advantage.

"I know this is why you play football, these rivalry games," Vantrease said Monday. "You can feel the energy in the building completely change from any week we've had this year."

Vantrease said he's really looking forward to matching up with App State, and so is Georgia Southern's first-year head coach Clay Helton.

"I know how special it is to our players," Helton said. "Dillon Springer got in front of our team (on Sunday) and talked to them, especially the younger kids, about how special this rivalry is, what it means to our fan bases, how electric this crowd will be on Saturday night.

"I wish I could just say it's another game, but it's not. It's special. It gives me goosebumps thinking about it. This is my first opportunity of being involved in it. This is why we play the game. This is why you come to Georgia Southern to be a part of these type of games."

Shawn Clark, who has participated in this game as an Appalachian State player (Class of 1998), assistant coach and since 2020 as head coach, doesn't need a history lesson.

"To play in a game of this magnitude, the history we have with each other, I just think it's one of the best games in college football," he said Monday.

He compared the rivalry to Georgia vs. Florida, and Alabama vs. Auburn.

"It's going to be a heated rivalry," Clark said. "Our players know each other. Our coaches know each other. It's a fun game to play in."

Here are four other things to know when Georgia Southern (5-6, 2-5 Sun Belt Conference) plays Appalachian State (6-5, 3-4):

Bowl picture coming into focus

While Georgia Southern is seeking its fourth bowl game in five years, Appalachian State wants to prevent that by winning Saturday and qualifying for its eighth straight bowl berth.

"Whoever wins has a chance to go to a bowl game," Appalachian State's Clark said on Monday. "It probably shouldn't happen any other way in this rivalry game with Georgia Southern-App State."

GS needs a sixth win for bowl eligibility, while ASU requires a seventh victory, as two of its wins are over FCS programs, and only one counts.

The Mountaineers also need a win to be 4-4 in the SBC. They have the longest streak in the country with 37 seasons of a .500 or better conference record, whether they were in the Southern Conference (29) or their current membership in the Sun Belt (eight).

They have 14 more seasons than the nearest competitors in Boise State, Clemson and Oklahoma at 23 in a row.

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The Sun Belt Conference has five guaranteed invitations with the Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida; the LendingTree Bowl in Mobile, Alabama; the Myrtle Beach Bowl in Conway, S.C.; the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama; and the New Orleans Bowl. Eligible SBC teams also could receive at-large bids to other bowl games.

"The bigger the moment, I've always thought, the more focus you have to have on the little things," Helton said. "That's play to play, practice to practice. Living in the moment and not thinking about, 'oh what does this mean?' Obviously, all of us are human. We understand how special the game is, what it means for both teams. We're both competing for the opportunity to play in the postseason."

Georgia Southern's running back depth

For manning a position where every play can be a collision, Eagles running backs had been relatively healthy this season — as in healthy enough to play.

But that changed last week when redshirt junior Gerald Green was injured on Nov. 16 and junior starter Jalen White was hurt during the game against Marshall last Saturday.

They're two of the leading rushers this season in the Sun Belt, and among GS backs only a true freshman, Omari Arnold, has gotten significant carries after White (162 attempts, 914 yards, 83.1 ypg) and Green (86, 475, 47.5).

Arnold, with 33 carries for 189 yards and 17.18 ypg, would be the starter if the juniors cannot play. Helton said the pair were day to day, but it was not looking good for White and his knee.

"We have more running backs," said Helton, mentioning Arnold, AJ Brown (no attempts this season), Bryan County High graduate Terron Dixon II (two carries, 6 yards) and Tyler Jordan (no attempts), all redshirt juniors.

"We trust those kids. That's one of the things we told our staff," Helton said Monday. "We develop everybody on this football, all 134 men, because you just don't know when that time's going to come.

"If Gerald and Jalen can't go, it'll be Omari followed by AJ (Brown) and Tyler (Jordan) and TD (Terron Dixon II) and we'll keep rolling. We trust those kids. They've gotten a ton of reps (in practice). It's just their opportunity now."

Stopping Appalachian State's offense

Georgia Southern's struggles to contain opposing offenses this season have put the Eagles near the bottom of the FBS in total defense (129th of 131 teams at 484.1 yards per game), rushing defense (129th at 227.6 ypg) and passing defense (104th at 256.5 ypg).

GS has looked to glimmers of progress, such as in red zone defense or in holding Marshall — which chewed up time in the fourth quarter — to three second-half points in a 23-10 loss last Saturday.

"We've really tightened up when it comes down to it," said Free, who is one of the team's leading tacklers (6.5 tackles per game).

"I feel good about our defense right now, great, actually," Free said. "Coach (Will) Harris puts together a great game plan every week. I feel good about our defense. We are a bend but don't break (defense). At the end of the day, it's about putting points on the board."

Appalachian State is averaging 33.7 points per game — second in the 14-team Sun Belt — to 32.1 for GS (fourth). The Eagles are allowing 30.9 points a game (12th), to 24.5 for the Mountaineers (sixth).

App State features two of the league's top runners in Camerun Peoples (ninth at 65.9 yards per game) and Nate Noel (16th at 54.1). Both have been hurt, with Shawn Clark saying Monday that Noel was expected back for Saturday's game and the coach wasn't sure about Peoples' availability, though he was trending in the right direction.

The Mountaineers have the third-best offense in the league (439.5 ypg), third-best rushing game (188.8 ypg) and sixth-best passing offense (250.7 ypg). They are led by sixth-year quarterback Chase Brice, who is 204-of-323 passing (63.2%) for 2,668 yards (242.5 ypg), 27 touchdowns and six interceptions.

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The former Grayson (Ga.) High star played at Clemson and Duke before moving on to App State, where he was the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year and All-Sun Belt third team in 2021.

Clark was complimentary of Georgia Southern's defense.

"They're big," he said Monday. "They have a big defensive line. They have excellent linebackers. Their secondary is solid. Their corners are very aggressive in some ways. That presents some challenges for us."

Special game for Eagles seniors

Emotions already will be running high for a game between big rivals, one that will determine which team advances to a bowl game and which team packs up for the season.

It's also Senior Day, or Senior Night, as the kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

Helton has talked this week about Saturday being the last opportunity for 20-plus seniors to play at Paulson Stadium. He would like them to add one more highlight to a regular season featuring a road win over a Power 5 conference team in Nebraska of the Big Ten, and a home win over then-No. 25 James Madison.

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"A lot of them chose to come back this year after a three-win season last year. Now they sit on the precipice of having a chance to go to a bowl game," Helton said. "They've laid that foundation for us of leadership, of really building something for us that is going to sustain.

"We would love to be able to give them a reward," he continued. "We're very thankful to that group of seniors for what they have done for us this year."

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 Eagles football team plays Appalachian State Saturday