We have a super strong momentum angle that favors App State that is 666-492-26. Yes I am very aware that Georgia Southern also has momentum, but I ran several queries that asked if their opponent is coming off five straight blowout wins, does it cancel out the angle? Nope, it does not. In fact, most raised the winning percentage, albeit with a substantially smaller sample size.

The Mountaineers lead the conference in total defense, while Latrell Gibbs is tied for the conference lead with five interceptions, including two he returned for touchdowns. Ronald Blair is second in the conference with four sacks.

That is bad news for a Georgia Southern offense that struggles to pass. Appalachian State is the better team because of defense and a more balanced offense. ASU was the favorite to win the conference after showing drastic improvement with young players last season, finishing the year 6-0 straight up. Clearly they are for real and ready to make a statement in a revenge game. But App State is substantially better than when they met last year and playing at home.

GA Southern was shutout by the best defense they faced all season Clemson. Of course App State is not as dominant, but is the second best defense they have faced. They allow just 11.8 points per game to teams averaging 20.3 on 3.2 yards per rushing attempt to 3.5 and 5.9 yards per pass to 6.9. The matchups indicate decent success on the ground but little in the air for Southern as they get a mere 5.7 yards per pass to teams normally allowing 8.