JC French IV threw for 171 yards and a touchdown as Georgia Southern defeated rival Appalachian State 29-10 on Monday afternoon in the Birmingham Bowl in Alabama.
In the third postseason meeting of the longstanding “Deeper Than Hate” rivalry, French guided the Eagles’ offense efficiently by completing 18 of 25 passes. He also rushed for 38 yards in the decisive win for Georgia Southern (7-6).
The Eagles’ offense was also boosted by OJ Arnold rushing 11 times for 152 yards. It’s the first bowl win for Georgia Southern since 2020 and first under fourth-year coach Clay Helton.
“(The win) was the culmination of some guys coming together and a team coming together through a season and really putting it all together today,” Helton said. “On a day that it was blowing pretty out there, not the easiest passing day in the world, it was about playing great defense, getting turnovers and then running the ball. …
“Really proud of the men that are in that locker room, what they represent. That’s three in a row against an archrival that we’ve got a lot of respect for.”
Matthew Wilson paced App State (5-8) with 238 yards of total offense. He piled up 110 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and completed 12 of 22 passes for 128 yards.
After forcing the Mountaineers into a three-and-out, the Eagles opened the scoring by finding the end zone on their first possession, capping off an 11-play drive with Terrence Gibbs scoring on a 1-yard run. Tripp Bryant tacked on two of his three field goals for Southern in the first half as the Eagles entered intermission ahead 13-7 following Wilson’s touchdown, a 6-yard run early in the second quarter.
Following Weston Bryan’s 3-yard scoring run early in the third quarter, the Eagles reached their biggest lead midway through the quarter. French took a snap on first-and-10 out of the shotgun and lofted a 32-yard pass over the head of two Mountaineers to find Marcus Sanders Jr. in the end zone to make it 26-7. Sanders finished with five catches for 72 yards.
Georgia Southern won the turnover battle 4-1. Dorrian Smith was the star on defense for the Eagles, coming away with two interceptions and one tackle for loss.
While App went 3-of-10 on third and fourth downs, Southern converted 5-of-11.
App State and Georgia Southern have played at least once a season since 1993, dating back to their days in the FCS ranks. The Eagles have won four of the past five meetings. Monday’s clash marked the teams’ first neutral-site matchup.
–Field Level Media
