Georgia Southern and Appalachian State will play in front of a national television audience Thursday night when the two teams meet at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The game will kick at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU.
Here's all you need to know about the game:
Game 9: Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017 • 7:32 PM
Location: Boone, N.C. (Kidd Brewer Stadium; 21,650)
Records:
Georgia Southern: 0-8, 0-4 Sun Belt
Appalachian State: 5-4, 4-1 Sun Belt
Broadcast Information
Online: ESPNU/ESPN App
PBP: Mark Neely;
Analyst: Jay Walker
Radio: Georgia Southern Sports Network
PBP: Danny Reed;
Analyst: Terry Harvin;
Sidelines: Russ Brown
WEATHER IN BOONE
GS: GAME NOTES (PDF)
The Series
• Georgia Southern and Appalachian State have met 32 previous times with the Mountaineers holding an 18-13-1 lead in a series that dates back to 1932. Appalachian State holds a 15-11 advantage in games played in the modern era (since 1982 when Georgia Southern re-started its program).
• Three of the past four games in the series have been on Thursday night.
• Last year, App State overcame an early 10-0 deficit to score the game's final 34 points en route to a 34-10 win in Statesboro on a Thursday night. In 2016, GS again jumped out to an early lead against the Mountaineers but fell 31-13 in Boone on a Thursday Night ESPNU broadcast.
• In 2014, in both team's first year in the Sun Belt Conference, the Eagles rolled past the Mountaineers 34-14 as Matt Breida (151), Kevin Ellison (135) and L.A. Ramsby (51) combined for 337 yards on the ground.
• The two schools battled as members of the Southern Conference from 1993-2013.
• GS interim head coach Chad Lunsford spent two seasons on the staff at ASU as a tight ends coach (2001-2002).
Trouble At The Rock
• Georgia Southern hasn't fared well at Kidd Brewer Stadium over the years, entering Thursday's game on a four-game losing streak. The Eagles haven't won at "The Rock" since 2007 and have been outscored 142-60 during that span. GS is just 4-10 all-time at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
High Altitude
• Kidd Brewer Stadium sits at 3,333 feet above sea level, making it the highest-elevated FBS stadium east of the Mississippi State, easily topping Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium (2,057 feet).
• Appalachian State boasts a 238-75-5 (.756) all-time home record at Kidd Brewer Stadium, 84-17 since 2003.
Thursday Night Lights
• Georgia Southern is 5-4 all-time in games played on Thursdays, 3-2 at home and 2-2 on the road. GS defeated Appalachian State and Troy in 2014 and Texas State in 2015. Last year, the Eagles lost to App State and Louisiana, both at home.
• The most memorable Thursday night game in program history came when the Eagles battled the elements for the victory over Middle Tennessee State in the 1989 "Hugo Bowl."
On Short Rest
• Georgia Southern will have a short week to prepare for the Mountaineers on Thursday night.
• The Eagles lost to Appalachian State on short rest (Saturday/Thursday) in 2015 and 2016. Georgia Southern fell to Louisiana on short rest last year. GS beat Troy and App State in 2014 and in 1983, the Eagles beat Savannah State on short rest.
• Georgia Southern is 3-3 all-time on short rest (less than seven days).
Interim Status for Lunsford
• Head coach Tyson Summers was relieved of his duties as the head coach of the Eagles on Oct. 22 following the Eagles' 55-20 loss at UMass. Athletic Director Tom Kleinlein appointed Chad Lunsford as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
• The 2017 campaign marks the ninth season overall, and fifth in his current stint at GS for Lunsford, who has worn many hats in his time in Statesboro. After working with the wide receivers in 2013, Lunsford worked two seasons with the tight ends and served as recruiting coordinator in 2014 and 2015. As he has since 2014, Lunsford continues to coach the Eagle H-Backs/tight ends and serves in the role of special teams coordinator, a title he added in 2016. He was also named the program's assistant head coach in 2017.
Countdown to Kickoff
10: Eagle opponents have scored first in 10 straight games dating back to last season.
9: Georgia Southern and Appalachian State combined to win nine FCS (I-AA) national championships.
8: Malik Henry had a career-high eight receptions in the loss to Georgia State last week.
7: The Eagles have lost seven of the 10 times they've ever played on ESPNU.
6: Shai Werts had just six incompletions in 28 attempts (22-28, 78.6%) last week against Georgia State.
5: In nine previous Thursday night games, the Eagles have won five of those contests.
4: Georgia Southern has lost its last four games at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone.
3: The Eagles have won three games and lost three games in program history when playing on a short week.
2: GS interim head coach Chad Lunsford spent two seasons on the staff at Appalachian State as the tight ends coach.
1: Cornerback Kindle Vildor made his first career start against Georgia State, becoming the 19th different player this season to make his career start for the Eagles.
