Georgia Southern slips to .500 with loss to Appalachian State

When Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb and running back Marcus Cox took a page out of the Georgia Southern playbook and executed a perfect option pitch for a 12-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, only one question remained, and it didn’t have anything to do with the outcome of the game.

The big question was whether the Eagles would pick up 100 yards of total offense against the Mountaineers.

At that point, Appalachian State held a 27-10 lead with 11:53 to play against a Georgia Southern offense that was in total disarray with 52 yards.

The Eagles wound up hitting three figures on offense as they finished with 159 yards, but before they crossed that threshold Appalachian State had added another touchdown and finished up with a 34-10 Sun Belt Conference win Thursday night at Paulson Stadium before 23,474 fans.

The loss all but eliminated Georgia Southern (4-4, 2-2) from the conference race, while the Mountaineers (6-2, 4-0) moved into a first-place tie with Troy while becoming bowl eligible.

Appalachian State rolled up 498 yards against a Georgia Southern defense that was on the field for 74 plays. The Eagles had only 65 yards on 26 rushing attempts, and they added 94 yards passing.

Three who mattered

Lamb: Although the junior Mountaineers quarterback was intercepted twice, he completed 16-of-27 passes for 199 yards and added 94 yards rushing on 10 carries. Lamb scored two touchdowns on runs of 14 and 30 yards.

Shaedon Meadors: The junior wide receiver hauled in six of Lamb’s passes for 126 yards, marking his third straight game with 100 or more yards receiving. He now has 29 catches for 482 yards this season.

Ukeme Eligwe: The Georgia Southern junior linebacker who transferred from Florida State had the Eagles’ only touchdown when he picked up a fumbled snap on a field goal attempt and returned it 90 yards for the score. It was the second longest returned fumble for a touchdown in school history. Rodney Oglesby had a 91-yard return in a 17-10 win over Valdosta State in 1990. Eligwe finished the night as the game’s leading tackler with 10.

Turning point

It was tied at 10 at the half, and on the Mountaineers’ second possession of the second half they were facing a fourth-and-24 when Georgia Southern elected to put on an all-out rush in hopes of getting a block and gaining some momentum. Instead, the Eagles’ Ironhead Gallon was called for roughing the punter, giving Appalachian State an automatic first down. From there, the Mountaineers went on to get a 28-yard field goal from Michael Rubino for a 13-10 lead they never relinquished.

Observations

Softening front: Offensively Georgia Southern has digressed, and it’s 65 yards rushing is a clear indication of the difficulties it is having on the offensive line. The Eagles simply couldn’t block the Mountaineers, who have given up only one defensive touchdown in four Sun Belt Conference games. The Eagles’ four longest runs were 15, 13, 8 and 7 yards, which means on their 22 other rushing attempts they had only 24 yards.

Race to the top: Appalachian State plays at Troy in two weeks in a game which will in all probability determine the conference champion. Both teams are now 4-0 in conference play, but the Mountaineers got a real boost with the return of starting running back Marcus Cox, who ran for 115 yards while Jalin Moore rang up 126. Cox had missed five games prior to lighting up the Eagles.

Shuman’s debut: The future of Georgia Southern football offensively was put on display when true freshman Seth Shuman made his Paulson Stadium debut. Shuman, who played at Valdosta last year under current Georgia Southern co-offensive coordinator Rance Gillespie, lost his redshirt year last week against New Mexico State. Shuman was pressed into service when Favian Upshaw was idled by an undisclosed injury. Upshaw also did not dress out against Appalachian State, and Shuman exhibited a strong arm while completing 7-of-23 passes for 73 yards. He was intercepted twice.

They said it

Georgia Southern head coach Tyson Summers: “The defense kept us in the game. They played well in the second half, and it was 20-10 going into the fourth quarter. Last week, we scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to beat New Mexico State, but (Thursday) we couldn’t make anything happen. We couldn’t establish a running game, and that’s what we do at Georgia Southern. When we can’t run the football, we’re forced to do something we don’t want to do, which is throw the ball.”

Lamb: “The defense makes it easy for us. They encouraged us (the offense), and they said they (Georgia Southern) was not going to score on us. Offensively we just had to stay patient and not get frustrated.”

Eligwe: “The defense took care of business in the first half. We had to come out and dominate in the second half to beat them, but we didn’t get it done. We still have the will to win. On the touchdown I had my head down and didn’t see what happened. I just saw the football and picked it up and saw that I only had to beat the kicker.”

What’s next?

Georgia Southern heads to Mississippi for a noon kickoff on Nov. 5 in a game televised by ESPNU. Appalachian State hosts Texas State at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 5.

This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 1:50 AM with the headline "Georgia Southern slips to .500 with loss to Appalachian State."