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For the second straight year, Appalachian State defeated a No. 1 ranked Eagles team as a late interception from QB Jerick McKinnon sealed Georgia Southern's 31-28 loss.
It looked like the Mountaineers had no answer for Georgia Southern's run game at first as William Banks scored his third touchdown of the first half to give the Eagles a 21-10 lead. But Appalachian State QB Jamal Jackson tossed two touchdowns in the final 3:30 of the half to give the Mountaineers the unlikely 24-21 halftime edge.
After all those first half fireworks, the second act was considerably more quiet. Georgia Southern scored on the opening drive out of the locker room (Ezayi Youyoute 12-yard rush) to recapture the lead but that would be their last points of the game.
A kick catching interference penalty on the punt set the Mountaineers up nicely early in the fourth quarter with the team trailing by four. Jackson then found Tony Washington for the game-winning 23-yard touchdown with a little over 11 minutes remaining in the game.
Georgia Southern went on a long, 12-play, seven minute drive towards the end but a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Johnathan Bryant pushed the team out of field goal range. And on the next play, McKinnon would throw that aforementioned interception to seal his team's fate.
Box Score Hero: Appalachian state WR Sean Price set a freshman record with 231 receiving yards on seven receptions (one touchdown as well). Banks had a huge game for the Eagles though as he chipped in 129 of their 386 rushing yards with three touchdowns on the ground.
Next Week's Schedule: The Mountaineers will look to carry the momentum from this huge upset as they head back home and finish their season out against Furman. The Eagles will not be going anywhere with Howard coming into town.
