By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP
Georgia Southern Eagles (7-6) defeated their rival Appalachian State Mountaineers (6-7), 29-10, to win the 2025 Birmingham Bowl.
Eagles quarterback JC French threw for 170 yards and one touchdown. Running back OJ Arnold had a strong performance, rushing for 143 yards on 14 carries.
Terrence Gibbs scored the first touchdown for the Eagles. He only had nine carries in the entire season. Wide receiver Marcus Sanders Jr led the receivers with five receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive lineman Jeremiah Ticket picked up a sack in the first quarter. Georgia Southern’s defense had an outstanding game, collecting four interceptions. Devin Collier, Tracy Hill Jr, and Dorrian Smith all combined for the four picks, two of them from Smith.
Mountsineers quarterback Matthew Wilson finished with 12-of-22 completions with two interceptions and 128 passing yards. Also, Wilson ran for 110 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. Wilson scored a rushing touchdown late in the second quarter to put App State on the board.
Backup quarterback Noah Gillon completed 4 of his seven passes and threw two interceptions. Defensive back Ethan Johnson had an interception for the Mountaineers.
Georgia Southern outscored App State 16-3 in the second half. The Eagles accumulated 413 total yards. The Miuntsineers had more passing yards (192 to 171), but the Eagles out-rushed them 242 to 187. The biggest difference-maker in this game was the thrnsovers. The Mountsineers’ quarterbacks made too many mistakes, which cost them this game.
It’s a big win for the Georgia Southern Eagles program. We witness a team that showcases a gritty performance. It’s the Eagles’ second win over the Miuntsineers this season – one in the regular season and now in the bowl game. It’s the first bowl victory for the program since 2020. The team has 25 seniors.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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