Taylor Lamb takes aim at Georgia Southern

Taylor Lamb is no stranger to Georgia Southern football. He has been hearing about and experiencing Eagles football since he was young.

Lamb's family has a history with the Eagles. Taylor's father, Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb, played quarterback and was the head coach nine seasons at Furman.

The Paladins' most bitter rivalry was with Georgia Southern beginning with when the Eagles beat Furman, with Bobby Lamb at quarterback, in the 1985 FCS national championship game. Three years later, with Bobby Lamb as an assistant coach, the Paladins turned the tables and beat Georgia Southern for Furman's only national title.

When the Eagles joined the Southern Conference, the rivalry intensified as the two teams, along with Appalachian State, dominated the conference.

The final game Bobby Lamb coached at Furman was a 32-28 loss to Georgia Southern in 2010, while the Georgia Southern-Furman rivalry came to an end when the Eagles left for the Sun Belt Conference following the 2013 season.

The Lamb-Georgia Southern rivalry is still alive, however, as Taylor Lamb is now the starting quarterback at Appalachian State. The sophomore will lead the Mountaineers (5-1, 2-0 Sun Belt) against the Eagles (5-1, 3-0) on Thursday night in Boone, North Carolina, in a pivotal Sun Belt game.

Lamb got his first of the rivalry last year when the Eagles handed his Mountaineers team a 34-14 thrashing. That loss left Appalachian State with a 1-3 record, and the Mountaineers lost their next two games before rallying to finish the season with a six-game winning streak.

"We started playing together offensively and defensively," Lamb said of the turnaround. "We started believing in ourselves, and we did a good job rallying around one another. We played well the last six games."

That play has carried over to this season with the only loss coming at the hands of No. 6 Clemson in the second game of the season. Georgia Southern's lone loss was in its opener at West Virginia. Other than losing to their Power 5 conference opponents, neither team has experienced a truly competitive game. In their lone common opponent game, the Eagles beat Louisiana-Monroe 51-31, while the Mountaineers beat the Warhawks 59-14 last week.

Lamb became the starter in the third game of the season last year at Southern Miss. He went on to win conference's freshman of the year honors, throwing for 2,381 yards and 17 touchdowns to break ­Armanti Edwards' freshman records. Lamb also ran for 436 yards and led the conference with a 142.1 pass efficiency rating.

This year Lamb, has continued his excellent play as he is 68-for-115 passing for 1,131 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has five interceptions, with three coming against Clemson.

"I think I've progressed each season," Lamb said. "I learn quickly, and this season, we're not turning the ball over a lot. I've got a great offensive line, and we can run and throw it. We do a good job of running the intermediate routes, and we're playing with confidence."

Georgia Southern and Appalachian State rank first and second in the Sun Belt in nearly every major category with the Mountaineers first in total offense and total defense and the Eagles second in both categories. The Eagles lead in scoring at 40.3 points per game while the Mountaineers are allowing only 11.8.

Matt Breida is the Sun Belt's top rusher at 145.8 yards per game, but Appalachian State counters with Marcus Cox at 115.2. Lamb gives the Mountaineers a big edge in the passing game.

"I take what the defense gives me," Lamb said. "I've learned to be patient. There's pressure in playing quarterback, but I put it on myself."

Lamb was committed to South Alabama, but a late push by then Mountaineers assistant Justin Stepp got him to flip to the Mountaineers.

"Coach Stepp had played for my dad at Furman," Lamb said. "When they offered a scholarship, I didn't hesitate. I had been up here a lot with my dad's teams, so I knew about the tradition and the winning program.

"I had heard some talk about them moving up to FBS, but that didn't influence my decision at all."

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 10:24 PM with the headline "Taylor Lamb takes aim at Georgia Southern ."