Georgia State Rushes for 267 and Pulls Away from Appalachian State
Fifty carries for 267 yards. That is how Georgia State beat Appalachian State 39-23, and it did it while throwing for just 115. Ayden Pereira completed 10 of 17 passes and still found the end zone three times, so you can guess where the yards were coming from.
The first half was a trade of leads (four lead changes, nobody ever tied). Georgia State went up 3-0 on a 45-yard Samer Layous field goal, Appalachian State answered with a 3-yard Malachi Singleton touchdown pass to Dillon Galloway, and Pereira hit Grant Hollier from 22 yards to flip it back with 38 seconds left in the first. Then came the odd one: Chris Lofton, a receiver, threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Jamel Howse, and the Mountaineers led 14-13. They never led again. Coby Owens took an interception back 23 yards for a touchdown less than four minutes later, and DJ Riles caught a 10-yarder just before the half to make it 26-14.
Appalachian State's passing game piled up 297 yards and still came out with 23 points. The reason is on the turnover line: two interceptions and a lost fumble, against none for Georgia State, and Singleton's six carries lost 22 yards (a polite way to say it). The Mountaineers got a field goal in the third, Georgia State answered with a 17-yard Rodshaun Dorsey touchdown and another Layous kick, and a Lofton touchdown catch with 5:46 left only cut it to 36-23 because the two-point try failed. Layous put in a 45-yarder with 4:33 to go. Four field goals for him, 12 of the 39 points.
Both teams are 5-4 now, which is about as even as a 16-point result can leave two programs. For fantasy, Lofton had the best day of anyone, 32.3 points, and he did it with a pass, a carry and six catches.