Who won the college football game last night? A closer look at App State vs South Alabama Week 4 matchup

The App State versus South Alabama showdown on Thursday was the start of the Week 4 games of the 2024 college football season. Both teams from the Sun Belt conference put up a strong fight on the gridiron.

Here's a deeper dive into the Appalachian State Mountaineers game against the South Alabama Jaguars.

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Who won the college football games last night?

After a 21-19 victory against East Carolina last week, the Mountaineers were the favorites heading into their Week 4 showdown against the Jaguars. However, South Alabama shocked everyone by securing the victory against their Sunbelt rivals as the away team.

The sold-out Kidd Brewer Stadium was left in a state of shock after App State fell to a 48-14 defeat. Quarterback Gio Lopez led the South Alabama offense efficiently on the gridiron, creating chances for his team to keep the pressure on the Mountaineers. He recorded a total of 259 passing yards and three TD passes along with 105 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Following the game, Gio Lopez said that the road win against App State would help increase the morale of the team as the season progresses (via AL.com):

"It means a lot, going into somebody else's house and not just winning, but executing all game. It was a good team win for our first road win of the season," Lopez said.

On the other hand, the Mountaineers struggled to keep up with South Alabama's offensive firepower. QB Joey Aguilar managed to complete 21-of-40 passes he attempted and put up 266 passing yards along with one TD pass and one interception.

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South Alabama HC Major Applewhite heaps praise on his team following Week 4 win over App State

For Major Applewhite, his team's victory against the Mountaineers is another feather to his cap during his debut campaign with the Jaguars as head coach. Following their victory, Applewhite heaped praise on his players and commended them for their splendid performance.

He also said that he had faith in his team to pull off a victory like this and talked about how he is hoping for a great season ahead:

"I think everybody on our team knew they were capable of this. But to be able to come and do it on the road against a quality opponent, a traditionally really good program, kind of the standard bearer for our conference along with a couple of other schools, there's a lot of excitment in the locker room," Applewhite said.

"There is a lot of time left in the season, but it's great that we call came tonight and had this type of win," he added.

The Jaguars are scheduled to face the LSU Tigers on Sept. 28. On the other hand, App State will play another home game against the Liberty Flames. It will be interesting to see who emerges as the Sun Belt conference champion this season.