App State Football Falls Short in Comeback Against Georgia Southern
App State Football mounted a late surge, scoring three touchdowns in the final 20 minutes, but fell just short as Georgia Southern held on for a 25–23 win at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Thursday night.
Defensive Standout Moments
App State’s defense kept the game within reach by forcing Georgia Southern to settle for four field goals of 21, 26, 23, and 24 yards. The strong red zone performance energized the crowd of 31,876 fans at the midweek rivalry game.
Key Plays and Scoring Sequence
- Trailing 19–0, kicker Dominic De Freitas put App State on the board with a 36-yard field goal before halftime.
- David Larkins’ 1-yard touchdown catch cut the deficit with 4:51 left in the third quarter.
- Jaquari Lewis added a 27-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth, narrowing the gap to 22–16.
- Georgia Southern extended its lead with a field goal at the 9:05 mark to make it a two-score game.
- AJ Swann connected with Jaden Barnes for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:56 remaining, keeping App State’s hopes alive.
Closing Minutes
After recovering the onside kick, Georgia Southern needed to run out the clock against an App State team that still had all three timeouts. The Eagles secured the win by earning a first down on an 11-yard run and converting a crucial fourth-and-inches play from the App State 27-yard line with 34 seconds left.
"Georgia Southern was able to run out the clock in a 25–23 victory at Kidd Brewer Stadium."
Author’s Summary
Despite a determined rally and strong defensive effort, App State’s comeback fell just short as Georgia Southern executed crucial late-game plays to seal a narrow 25–23 win.