Off Topic » The first Top 25 ranking in Appalachian State’s history

STATESBORO Gardner Minshew II Jersey , Ga. (AP) —is something coach Scott Satterfield has relished this week.He’s also tried to keep that achievement in perspective as he prepares to face an old friend in an important game.That ranking will be on the line , as well as the path to a Sun Belt championship, when No. 25 Appalachian State visits Georgia Southern on Thursday night in a matchup of longtime rivals.“It doesn’t win you any football games and it’s not going to beat Georgia Southern,” Satterfield said of his team’s debut in the Top 25.The Mountaineers (5-1, 3-0 Sun Belt) and Eagles (6-1, 3-0) were former Southern Conference rivals who combined to win nine FCS (Division I-AA) national championships before making the move to FBS.There are close ties on the coaching staffs. Georgia Southern coach Chad Lunsford was App State’s tight ends coach from 2001-02 and lived in Satterfield’s basement for a year when Satterfield also was a Mountaineers assistant on coach Jerry Moore’s staff.Lunsford said he and Satterfield are still friends, even though busy schedules mean “you don’t spend a lot of time communicating.”“He was a huge influence on me as a young coach and did a lot for my family when I was up there also, so I’ve got a lot of respect for him,” Lunsford said. “I do consider him a friend to this day.”Lunsford hired his defensive coordinator, Scot Sloan, from App State, where Sloan worked from 2010-17.“He spent a long time here so obviously he’s very familiar with our personnel Christian Wilkins Jersey ,” Satterfield said, adding Georgia Southern operates “a very similar defense to what we’re running, if not the same.”Here are some other things to know about the App State-Georgia Southern game:HIGH-SCORING MOUNTAINEERSApp State leads the Sun Belt with its average of 44.8 points per game. It also has the league’s best scoring defense, allowing only 15.7 points.“This will be a big-time challenge,” Lunsford said. “On paper I don’t know if we’ve got a chance. I hope our players will step up and play over their heads and give us a shot.”Darrynton Evans, who has run for an average of 119.7 yards in conference games, has helped the Mountaineers overcome the loss of Jalin Moore to a season-ending ankle injury. Evans ran for 115 yards at Arkansas State and 183 yards against Louisiana.SECOND-HALF DEFENSEApp State’s 27-17 win over Louisiana last week included a rarity — points allowed in the second half. Louisiana scored with 1:03 remaining for the first second-half points allowed by the Mountaineers’ defense since a 45-38 overtime loss to No. 17 Penn State to open the season. The Mountaineers outscored Charlotte, Gardner-Webb, South Alabama and Arkansas State by a combined 65-0 in the second half.TRIPLE OPTION ATTACKSophomore quarterback Shai Werts provides dual-threat skills as he directs Georgia Southern’s option offense. Werts’ 542 yards rushing and nine touchdowns lead the team. He has passed for 491 yards with four scores and no interceptions. For his career, Werts has 1,264 yards rushing with 12 touchdowns and 1,420 yards passing and 11 scores.SUN RISES AGAINApp State is only the second Sun Belt team to make the Top 25. Troy made a one-week appearance in the 2016 Michael Deiter Jersey , also at No. 25.SOUTHERN RIVALRYThe Mountaineers lead the series 19-13-1, including a 16-11 advantage since Georgia Southern revived its program in 1982. The schools were Southern Conference rivals from 1993-2013. This will be the fifth straight game in the series played on a Thursday night. After drafting former Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley, Ravens G.M. Eric Decosta said in a visit to that McSorley could be doing a little bit of everything in Baltimore.“I think he’s a football player and everything that entails,” DeCosta said. “His skill set is varied and multiple. He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s tough, he’s a playmaker, he’s a football player. We’ve seen teams, for instance the New Orleans Saints with Taysom Hill, we’ve seen other teams find ways to play with players like this and they can help you win football games. He fits our defense, he fits our offense, he fits special teams.”Indeed he does. McSorley recently said that Daniel Jones Jersey , during the offseason program, he took reps as a punt returner.“It’s something that’s a new challenge for me, something that I hadn’t really . . . done,” McSorley said, via NFL.com. “So it’s just something interesting to be able to come in and learn and try and prove myself in a different way that I can be able to get on the field and make an impact. . . . It’s been interesting. It’s had its ups and downs, obviously the first couple times doing it, but it’s going well. I’m looking forward to be able to come out and do anything that I can, especially in the special teams aspect for the team. I want to prove myself there.”Technically a quarterback who will wear No. 7, McSorley could be a lot like the guy who wears No. 7 in New Orleans.