Monday afternoon, two Sun Belt conference teams and rivals are set to meet in Birmingham, Alabama, in the JLab Birmingham Bowl. Despite losing its last five of six games, the 5-7 Appalachian State Mountaineers will take on the 6-6 Georgia Southern Eagles in the second meeting of the “Deeper Than Hate” rivalry. Along with the bowl being a standalone game on Monday, it should bring a highly competitive game between the two programs.
Let’s take a look at both teams and what is being brought to the table in Birmingham.
“Deeper Than Hate” Set for the Birmingham Bowl
Scouting the Eagles
Georgia Southern is coming to its second matchup against App State with a 6-6 record. It includes wins in the final three of four games to cap off the season. The Eagles are led by former USC head coach Clay Helton, who’s been at the helm in Statesboro since 2022 with bowl appearances in each of those seasons.
Now, looking at the 2025 campaign for Georgia Southern, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, it started 2-4 on the season, with blowout losses to Fresno State, USC, and James Madison. However, the Eagles found their footing in the middle of October. Notching wins over Georgia State, App State, and Coastal Carolina before closing it out with a win over Marshall.
Players to Watch
Like many teams in the Sun Belt, the Eagles rely on their passing attack on offense. Junior quarterback JC French led the passing attack with 2,758 yards on a 63.2 completion percentage with 19 touchdowns. French is slated to start at quarterback for Georgia Southern, which is a great sign for the success of the Eagles in the bowl game. The Junior is also a running threat with 277 yards and six touchdowns this season. Senior receiver Camden Brown was French’s top target with 63 catches for 1043 yards and 14 touchdowns. However, the status of senior running back OJ Arnold is unknown due to missing the regular season finale last month. If healthy, it will help out the Georgia Southern offense greatly against the Mountaineers. Arnold finished the regular season with 133 carries for 880 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 6.6 yards a carry.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Appalachian State is certainly lucky to be in this spot. Multiple six-win programs opted out of their bowl games, which allowed the Mountaineers to be in the postseason. It was a rough end to the season after a decent start, losing the last five of six games, including against Georgia Southern 25 to 23. Even if a losing record isn’t what you hoped for the first season under Dowell Loggains, it’s still good to get those extra practices, and you get another chance to take down your rival. However, it’s going to be tough without either of the starting quarterbacks.
Both sophomore quarterback JJ Kohl and junior quarterback AJ Swann announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal when it opens. Which probably means that the Mountaineers will be down to their third-string quarterback.
Players to Watch
With both Kohl and Swann out, that leaves either freshman quarterback Noah Gillon or senior Billy Wiles to step into the starting role. That isn’t ideal when your offensive identity relies on the passing attack. Either quarterback could be without leading receiver, junior Jaden Barnes, who missed the final two games of the season. However, if Barnes does suit up, the passing attack will get back a 600+ yard receiver, who also got seven touchdowns to go along with that. Senior running back Rashod Dubinion should be an interesting player to watch in the backfield for the Mountaineers. Dubinion finished the regular season with 174 carries for 868 yards and five touchdowns.
Who Will Win?
The last three of four Birmingham Bowls have been decided by one score, and this should live up to that expectation. This game could bring everything to the table, including it being the first meeting outside of Statesboro or Boone. Defenses could look bad, and the game looks ugly on both sides, or they show u,p and offenses struggle. With this also being a rivalry game, this has a lot at stake for both teams. Despite it being tough to beat a team twice in one season, Georgia Southern should be able to take advantage of App State’s lack of depth due to opt-outs or injuries. With that being said, the Eagles will take care of business against the Mountaineers, winning the rivalry game twice in one season.
Prediction: 34 to 21 Georgia Southern
How to Watch?
2025 JLab Birmingham Bowl
Date and Time: Monday, December 29, 1 p.m. CST
Location: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Alabama
Television: ESPN
Spread: -2.5 GASO with -298 ML
