ATLANTA – Appalachian State first-year coach Eli Drinkwitz is keeping it real as his team visit Georgia State on Saturday in a Sun Belt Conference East Division showdown. The No. 24 Mountaineers are coming off a 20-15 victory at South Carolina last week for their second win over a Power Five conference team this season but remain void of superstars and aren't concerned with individual accomplishments.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: Appalachian State -16.5
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"As Jay-Z says ‘real recognizes real,’ and I think the real people out there understand that we have really good football players,'' Drinkwitz said at his weekly press conference. "But the reason why we’re successful is because of the team.” Appalachian State, which earned $900,000 for its trip to South Carolina, controls its own destiny in the Sun Belt with a one-game lead over Georgia Southern and Georgia State in the East. The Panthers had their four-game winning streak snapped and lost senior quarterback Dan Ellington in a 45-31 setback at Louisiana-Monroe last week despite 190 yards and two touchdowns from senior running back Tra Barnett. The Mountaineers have won all five meetings by a combined 174-33 since joining the Sun Belt in 2014.
ABOUT APPALACHIAN STATE (8-1, 4-1 Sun Belt)
Junior quarterback Zac Thomas (14 touchdowns, four interceptions) improved to 18-3 as a starter after passing for a season-low 105 yards against South Carolina. Junior running back Darrynton Evans (10 rushing TDs) totaled 117 yards from scrimmage last week, including two catches for 32 yards. Senior linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither has a team-most 71 tackles - 32 solo, shares the club lead with 3.5 sacks and has an interception.
ABOUT GEORGIA STATE (6-3, 3-2)
Barnett, who rushed for a school-record 242 yards in a 52-33 victory over Troy on Oct. 26, leads the Sun Belt with 1,118 yards and has 10 touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Cornelious Brown makes his first start as Ellington (1,813 yards, 18 TDs, four interceptions) suffered a knee injury that will sideline him indefinitely. Junior linebacker Trajan Stephens-McQueen paces the team with 82 tackles - 41 solo - and two interceptions.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Evans is 11th nationally in all-purpose yards at 141 per game and averages 31.6 yards on kick returns.
2. Panthers junior TE Aubry Payne has six touchdown catches among his 11 career receptions - all this season.
3. The Mountaineers are 23-11 on the road since joining the FBS in 2014, trailing only No. 3 Clemson (25), No. 8 Oklahoma (24) and No. 19 Boise State (24).
PREDICTION: Appalachian State 38, Georgia State 24