Appalachian State vs. Georgia Southern 2025 Preview: Must-Know Keys and Predictions

The Georgia Southern Eagles (3-5) head into the mountains of Boone, North Carolina to take on their rival, Appalachian State (4-4), on Thursday night. The Mountaineers opened as 5.5-point favorites, but the line has since moved up, to 6.5, reflecting early action on App State. The total opened at 62.5, according to Vegas Insider, and has not moved. Neither team is in a good position in the Sun Belt, as they both sit at 1-3 in conference games. Both teams will be coming off a bye week.

Appalachian State vs. Georgia Southern 2025 College Football Preview

Matchup History

This rivalry dates back to December 1987, where the Eagles lost 0-19 in the first contest. Overall, the Mountaineers are winning the rivalry with a 19-15 record over Georgia Southern, but the Eagles won the battle last year 29-20. The Eagles are 4-13 against the Mountaineers when traveling to Boone, but this rivalry is typically won by the home team. The away team has only won 10 of the 34 total meetings.

Key Players for App State

The Mountaineers have multiple quarterbacks they feel are worthy of the starting job, but most likely will start AJ Swann this week.

Swann is an LSU-transfer who just barely has more yards (1083) than his competition, JJ Kohl (979). Both quarterbacks have eight touchdown passes on the year, but Swann has six interceptions. Kohl started the last game against Old Dominion. However, after throwing his first two interceptions of the season, Swann was put in the game and almost led the Mountaineers to a comeback.

Although there is no telling who App State will start on Thursday, Swann is the more dangerous deep ball threat. With an Eagle defense full of injuries and an already questionable secondary, expect the Mountaineers to lean towards Swann.

App State’s best wide receiver is Jaden Barnes, who has an impressive 41 receptions on the year with seven touchdowns. Barnes is clearly a go-to player that the Eagles will need to keep their eyes on, especially in the red zone. Another weapon that the Eagles will need to keep in front of them is tight end Izayah Cummings. The six-foot-four, 240-pound redshirt senior has the second-most receptions on the team (37). In his last three games, Cummings has had 16 receptions for 172 yards, illustrating the Mountaineers are beginning to lean on the big man.

The biggest threat for the Eagles, however, will be App State star running back Rashod Dubinion. The Arkansas-transfer currently has 756 rushing yards on the year, which ranks him 21st in FBS. He’s also averaging 107.4 total yards per game, ranking 20th in FBS. Dubinion will be a handful for the Eagles defense, a unit that has struggled against the run all year. The only downside is that he has coughed up two fumbles, a trait that the Eagles will hope to capitalize on.

Key Players for Georgia Southern

Auburn-transfer, and Georgia Southern record-holder, Camden Brown will be the main focus for both teams. The Eagles will want to get their best player involved as much as possible, just as the Mountaineers will want to shut down their best player. Against a defense that allows 261.8 passing yards a game (123rd in FBS), Brown should be able to find some success.

A receiver can only be as good as his quarterback though, so JC French will need to come into the game with some confidence. Although he threw for over 200 yards with no interceptions against Arkansas State, French was sacked four times. App State has 18 sacks on the year, 48th in FBS, so French will need to be decisive.

The biggest key for Georgia Southern, however, will undoubtedly be their defense. A unit that is riddled with injuries will need to step up against an offense that averages 280 passing yards and 132 rushing yards, it could be challenging. In six of their eight games the Eagles defense has allowed their opponent to score more than 30 points and hold a 1-5 record in those six games. While it is not impossible for Georgia Southern to win a game while allowing 30+ points, it certainly takes pressure off French and the offense.

How The Eagles Win

Georgia Southern’s defense will need to have a good outing. Being on the road, it will be that much more difficult to play from behind. The Eagles must find a way to slow down Dubinion and force Swann, or Kohl, to make plays in the air.

JC French will also have to have one of his best games. An early lead could mean the world in a rivalry road matchup. If French can find his confidence quickly, Camden Brown and wide receiver Dalen Cobb could tear this App State secondary apart.

Prediction

There’s still reason to believe in Georgia Southern, and more specifically the offense. Camden Brown has already proven he is a Sunday guy and JC French knows that. If the defense can get a few stops, and hopefully a takeaway, this offense can take advantage.

In a rivalry game, it’s hard not to back the underdog. A 6.5-point spread feels like too much; and with both teams essentially eliminated from conference championship contention, this game will mean more to both teams than any game remaining on their schedules.

Final score prediction: 34-27 with the Eagles winning outright and the game total just falling short of the 62.5 point line.