Appalachian State (5-2, 2-1 Sun Belt) @ Georgia Southern (3-4, 2-1 Sun Belt)
Saturday, October 31st, 2026
TV/Video: ESPN+
Radio: FLAGSHIP 97.3 FM (North Wilkesboro), 730 AM & 97.5 FM (Charlotte), 950 AM & 92.7 FM (Greensboro), 980 AM & 96.7 FM (Winston-Salem), 107.7 FM & 1450 AM (Hendersonville), 93.7 FM & 790 AM (Johnson City, TN) 87.7 FM (In-Stadium)
Paulson Stadium
Capacity: 25,000
Surface: FieldTurf Vertex Prestige with CoolPlay
Jeff Sagarin Ratings
App State: 60.27
GS: 61.95
Home: 3.65
Georgia Southern is favored by the Sagarin ratings by 5.33 points
VegasInsider Consensus: App State +5.5
Series: App State leads 21-19-1
Last Meeting: Georgia Southern 29, App State 10, December 29, 2025, Birmingham, AL
Near the end of last season, when bowl hopes were grim to almost nonexistent, I am sure there were App fans that wanted the long odd season to be over, and some that wanted another chance to play. Did we want to play Georgia Southern again? Well if given the chance, we had to. And maybe going in to that game shorthanded helped create the narrative for this season that we were not ready for. This season feels like a redemption tour. Or at least the beginning of one. We had the flag planting. We had the embarrassment at Bridgeforth. This week we’ll try to get payback for losing two. That gave Georgia Southern for a chance this year to do something they have only done once before in this series by winning four in a row. The last streak also included a postseason game at the turn of the century. And that was a long time ago when this rivalry looked a lot different than it does today. Georgia Southern has played more games against Appalachian than any other school. There is a lot rival talk anymore with just about half the schools App plays in a given year. But this one is it, and nothing else is close to it.
As much as last week was about Billy Napier and the return to his house of horrors, this week is more focused on the opponent we all love to hate. Just like previous weeks this season, this game is about making up for what happened last year. Sadly, we lost two games to Georgia Southern last year. Losing the last game of the season to those guys probably did not feel too good, but even with a skeleton squad of a roster in bowl game, you still lost. Both teams look completely different this year than either of those games last year, so as always, it’s the fans that keep these memories dear to them. It’s why last week was more about Napier than James Madison. Although Clay Helton is 4-1 against App State, it’s not about him. It’s about those Eagles. It has not been the best start to a season for Southern, as they stand at 3-4 overall. The Jacksonville State loss probably stands out the most besides playing two high major programs. Those games account for three of the four losses, and the other was James Madison. The strength of the Southern’s losses are actually pretty strong, but their wins over Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina and Old Dominion don’t tell us much.
It’s been awhile since Southern has taken the field. Their last game was on October 15th on the road at Old Dominion on a Thursday night short week after playing James Madison in Paulson. Starting quarterback Max Johnson left that game with an injury and did not return and his status for Saturday night is “between questionable and probable”. I fear some gamesmanship, and would say it’s pretty likely he’ll start on Saturday. Johnson is a three-time transfer in his 7th season where he made stops at LSU, Texas A&M and North Carolina. Max is the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson who played 15 seasons in the league for four different teams and grew up in Black Mountain, NC. Max is a pro-style quarterback who has completed a high percentage of his passes on the season, has thrown eleven touchdown passes and only two interceptions. If Johnson cannot play, it appears son-of-the-coach Turner Helton would get the nod. Helton got some mop up playing time in the first game against Charleston Southern before finishing out the game against Old Dominion. Helton was 23/30 against the Monarchs with a touchdown pass and one interception.
There have been plenty of memorable finishes at Kidd Brewer Stadium over the years. Last Thursday will fall into that category. The Mountaineers managed to find an answer each time James Madison attempted to take control of the game. The Mountaineers were clean throughout. Sure, there were a few penalties, but otherwise where the Mountaineers trailed Madison in offensive production, they made up for it in key areas. App State executed better on third down which led to a six minute advantage in possession. James London made all four field goals attempts, including the walk-off winner in overtime while James Madison had one field goal attempt blocked, and the potential go-ahead kick carom off the goal post. In games where teams are pretty even, it always comes down to a play or two that defines the result. Colton Phares may have had his best game ever in black and gold amassing 13 tackles, nine of them solo stops, a tackle for loss and one huge interception that set up the go-ahead scored late in the fourth quarter. Trigg Lewis was his steady self in the run game and is showing signs of increased workload and efficiency. Lewis had his longest run of the year of 32 yards and for the first time all season logged consecutive weeks with thirteen carries. His 159 yards in the last two weeks are the most yards he has gained over any two week stretch this season.
If there is anything that last week can tell you, its that life in the Sun Belt conference is tough to predict. Any day of the week can bring angst and turmoil to your football fandom. Last week was about as wild as I have ever seen it. Troy lost at home to winless UL-Monroe despite leading by eleven points with under three minutes remaining. Louisiana Tech took a commanding lead in the West race with a blanking of Old Dominion. The Monarchs are now 2-6 overall and the Tech is 3-0 in conference play. Southern Miss also has two wins on the season after a stunning fourth quarter comeback over Louisiana that included an interception return for a touchdown and another scoring drive with less than a minute to play. Finally Arkansas State held off an improved Georgia State squad that rallied from a seventeen point deficit on the road. And of course App State spoils James Madison’s perfect record and ends their conference winning streak. All this is said for one reason. If you think you know what is going to happen in the Sun Belt, trust me, you do not. Five teams in the West have two conference losses. Three teams in the East have just one conference loss. And that leads us to why it’s so important for App State and Georgia Southern to be playing in October again. It means something because one of these teams will have a leg up on the other for the rest of the season. So let us all ignore the overall records for the time being. Both the Eagles and Mountaineers are 2-1 in conference play. The winner will be 3-1 and the loser will be 2-2. Georgia Southern has already lost to James Madison, who sits at 4-1. They need help to win the East, but will need even more if they sit at 2-2 with losses to the teams that are in front of them. The message is clearer for the Mountaineers. They control their own destiny for now, and obviously cannot afford a loss the rest of the way with James Madison’s remaining conference games of Troy, Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina in front of them. But then again, anything is possible. Georgia Southern’s 3-4 record could be a lot different had they not played Clemson & Houston this year. Trade either of those games for a winnable G6 game and then take care of business against Jacksonville State and then they are sitting at 5-2. Georgia Southern is better than their record and I was actually impressed with how their speed matched up with Houston at times. The Eagles look the best I have ever seen throwing the ball. It’s crazy to think that these two schools who have made their living running the ball in the past are now both Top 30 passing offenses in the country. Southern prefers the shorter passes, and they run a lot of screens with intent to get the ball to their playmakers. App State has more of a downfield intermediate passing game. Both teams take care of the football pretty well, but the Mountaineers are better at intercepting passes. That might be neutralized if the Eagles stick to their current offensive strategy. It feels like another game that might come down to a couple plays, and recently the Mountaineers have made those plays.
The First Pick
The Stink 27
Mountaineers 35