ATLANTA, GA – In a commanding performance, the App State Mountaineers secured bowl eligibility with a resounding victory over the Georgia State Panthers with a final score of 42-14. The Mountaineers' offensive prowess was on full display, highlighted by a series of well-executed scoring plays.

The first quarter set the tone as running back Nate Noel exploded for a 61-yard rushing touchdown, propelling the Mountaineers to an early 7-0 lead. Quarterback Joey Aguilar continued the onslaught in the second quarter, connecting with wide receiver Makai Jackson for a 44-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 3-yard pass to Kaedin Robinson, bringing the score to 21-0. The third quarter saw Aguilar's precision as he unleashed a 77-yard bomb to Dalton Stroman, extending the lead to 28-0.

In the final quarter, the Mountaineers continued to dominate. Running back Anderson Castle added a 9-yard rushing touchdown, and Kanye Roberts contributed a 20-yard rushing touchdown. The Panthers managed to score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with Tailique Williams catching a 3-yard pass from quarterback Darren Grainger, and Robert Lewis securing a 1-yard pass.

The Mountaineers' ground game was a force to be reckoned with, led by the dynamic duo of Nate Noel and Kanye Roberts, who collectively rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Joey Aguilar showcased his passing skills, completing 14 of 21 attempts for 255 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, the Mountaineers were led by standout performances from linebacker Andrew Parker Jr., safety EJ Jackson, and cornerback Trenton Alan Yowe, who collectively contributed 23 tackles and one interception. The Panthers, despite a resilient effort, struggled to contain the Mountaineers' offensive onslaught.

With this victory, App State moves to 6-4 on the season with a 4-2 record in the Sun Belt Conference. The Mountaineers will take their three-game winning streak on the road next week at James Madison. ESPN’s College Gameday will broadcast from Harrisonburg next Saturday morning.

SALEM, VA – In a thrilling showdown for the CIAA Championship, Virginia Union took down Fayetteville State, 21-10, at Salem Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

The first quarter set the tone for the game, with Virginia Union taking an early lead. Jada Byers led the charge with a 1-yard rushing touchdown, putting Virginia Union ahead 7-0. The extra point by Brady Myers was successful. Virginia Union continued to dominate in the second quarter, with Christian Reid adding another touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0 after Myers' successful extra point. However, Fayetteville State quickly responded with a spectacular 91-yard kickoff return by Barry Elliott, bringing the score to 14-7 after Jacob Meneses's extra point.

Fayetteville State clawed its way back into the game in the third quarter. Jacob Meneses kicked a field goal, closing the gap to 14-10. However, Virginia Union's Jada Byers showcased his skills again with a 16-yard rushing touchdown, and Myers' extra point extended their lead to 21-10, the final margin for the day.

Key Statistics:

For the Panthers, Jada Byers rushed for an impressive 135 yards and scored two touchdowns. Christian Reid threw for 64 yards and rushed for a touchdown. Reginald Vick led in receiving with 42 yards. The Virginia Union defense, led by Armonii Burden and Jabrill Norman, made crucial plays, including sacks and tackles for loss. Barry Elliott's 91-yard kickoff return gave Fayetteville State a jolt before the half. Julian Milligan contributed 28 rushing yards with Kameron King leading the Broncos in receiving with 74 yards. The Fayetteville State defense, spearheaded by Shi Gaskin and Kobe Oldfield, held Virginia Union to 6-15 on third down.

Final Thoughts:

With this victory, 2023 CIAA Coach of the Year Dr. Alvin Parker earned his first championship title, the school’s first since 2001. The Panthers and Fayetteville State await Sunday’s Division II selection show to see their playoff fate.

CHAPEL HILL – Battle Holley’s East Duplin Panthers have scraped by in a few contests this season, including two against county rival Wallace-Rose Hill, but no game was closer for Holly’s squad than Saturday’s title game against Reidsville, the state’s winningest team. Guided by Avery Gaby’s 184 rushing yards and a timely play by safety Elam Moore, the Panthers were able to hang on for a 24-21 victory and the 2A state championship.

East Duplin took the opening kickoff and drove sixty yards down the field, with Avery Gaby’s clutch fourth down run extending the drive when it looked like the Panthers would be stopped. Gaby punched it in two plays later to give East Duplin an early 7-0 lead. Reidsville looked to respond but was forced to put after a penalty took the Rams out of a favorable fourth down conversion attempt. The subsequent punt was downed at the one-yard line.

East Duplin was able to put together a twelve-play drive, but two false start penalties stalled the Panthers’ progress and they were forced to punt. Reidsville’s offensive woes continued, and the Rams punted again. Playing out the script from the previous drive, East Duplin was methodically driving down the field, getting in the red zone, and looking to take a two-score lead before Reidsville defensive back Que’shyne Flippen ripped the ball out of the East Duplin runner’s arms at the four-yard-line and Jaden McCain picked it up for Rams, returning it sixteen yards. The Rams saw a chance to finally grab some momentum before the half and took it with a fourteen-play, eighty-one-yard drive, getting on the scoreboard with no time remaining on an Al Lee pass to Dionte Neal.

Reidsville seemed poised to ride the momentum into a lead on their first drive of the second half, but an East Duplin defense held the Rams to a field goal attempt. In what would be the most bizarre play on the day, the field goal was blocked and the ball bounced back to the Reidsville holder who did not seem to know that the ball was live. An alert Elam Moore grabbed the ball out of the Reidsville player’s hands and raced seventy yards the other way for the Panthers score.

As Reidsville looked to get back in the game, a Rams pass was tipped and hauled in by Breckin Bowles. The Reidsville defense stepped up and held the Panthers to a twenty-six-yard Darwin Bonilla field goal, keeping the margin at ten points going into the final quarter. The Rams defense stepped up again early in the fourth quarter, stopping East Duplin on downs and setting up a forty-yard Lee to Dionte Neal touchdown pass to make it a three-point game.

It was now up to the East Duplin offense to try and put the game away. In the first half, it was the Panthers’ penalties keeping them out of scoring position and keeping Reidsville in the game. On this final East Duplin drive, it was Rams penalties bailing out the Panthers. East Duplin thought they were putting the game out of reach when Zack Brown’s first completed pass found Kade Kennedy to put the Panthers up ten points, but Reidsville’s Dionte Neal ran the ensuing kickoff back for the Rams touchdown. An illegal touch penalty on the onside kick gave the ball to East Duplin who was able to run out the clock and claim the school’s first football state title.

CHAPEL HILL – Records fell in Friday night's 3A state championship game between the Dudley Panthers and the JH Rose Rampants. Fans in attendance were treated to an offensive spectacle as the two teams combined for 109 points, breaking a fourteen-year-old record. Dudley set the record for most points in a neutral site title game as the Panthers raced past the Rampants, 69-40, to secure their seventh state championship and first in five seasons.

Everything seemed to be going Dudley's way at the start of the game. A holding penalty on the first play of the game and a sack two plays later forced an early punt from deep in Rose territory. A good return set up the Panthers at the Rampant 29-yard line. Five plays later, RJ Baker rushed it in from three yards out. On the ensuing drive, a pass over the middle was picked off by Jaylan Richmond, who raced fifty-six yards for the pick-six and an early two-score lead. After forcing another punt, Dudley's Michael Shaw burst through the line and sprinted seventy-six yards down the home sideline for the Panthers' third score to open the game.

JH Rose responded with an eight-play drive on its next possession. After Will Taylor threw a pass where only his guy could get it, Jayden Grimes hauled in a catch in the left side of the end zone to give the Rampants their first points of the night. This seemed to give some momentum to the Rose defense as well, and the Rampant faithful were yelling ecstatically when sophomore safety Jameer Roach stepped in front of a Dudley pass and scooted fifty-nine yards down the field for the pick-six. At the end of the first quarter, things looked to be going Rose's way as the Rampants had cut the Panthers' lead to one score.

Dudley found its mojo again in the second quarter. After giving up the scoring interception the drive before, Jahmier Slade was determined to not let that be the deciding factor in the first half. The senior quarterback engineered a seven-play, sixty-five-yard scoring drive with Slade himself running it in around the left side to extend the Panthers' lead to 27-14. It was a short-lived momentum burst, though, as a bad snap on a punt attempt on Dudley's next possession set up Rose at the six-yard line. Senior running back Klavon Brown did the rest one play later and one score separated the two teams halfway through the second quarter.

In what seemed to be the critical turning point of the game, fortune favored the Panthers late in the quarter as the Panthers were able to add two touchdowns in the last minute of the first half. A recovered fumble set up a five-yard Mekhi Wall rushing score and a recovery on the ensuing kickoff helped Dudley go into the half with a 49-20 lead after Jahmier Slade's fourteen-yard scoring pass to RJ Baker.

What was supposed to be a football state championship game turned into a track meet of sorts in the third quarter as each team found new ways to score each time they held the ball. A big kickoff return got the Panthers started in Rose territory and the western regional champions took advantage of the great field position, scoring a minute and a half later on Jahmier Slade's second rushing touchdown of the evening. Rose refused to relent even in the face of a seemingly insurmountable Dudley lead. Will Taylor and Jayden Grimes connected for the second time of the evening, a forty-three-yard pass that picked up the mood on the Rampant sideline early in the third quarter.

The two teams kept trading blows like heavyweight fighters through the rest of the quarter. After Dudley scored on a Slade to Wall pass for the second time on the night, Rose got back on the board with a long pass from Taylor to Montez Green. Dudley went right back down the field, with Slade keeping it for his third score of the night. Just when it looked like the fireworks would slow down, RJ Baker took a Rose punt to the house to make it 69-34 going into the final quarter. Rose would add a late score to set the final tally.

MVP – Jahmier Slade (Dudley)

Dudley Def. MOP – Logan Wright (DE)

Dudley Off. MOP – Michael Shaw (RB)

JH Rose Off. MOP – Jayden Grimes (WR)

JH Rose Def. MOP – Klavon Brown (LB)

ATLANTA — Georgia State (1-2) won a defensive battle in Atlanta, 20-9, Saturday night at Center Parc Stadium to hand Charlotte (2-1) its first loss of the football season in the 49ers' first road game.

"They made the plays they needed to make to win the game," head coach Will Healy said.  "Missed an opportunity.  Humbled, frustrated, but not deterred. The response for what happened tonight is going to be the most important part."

Charlotte took a 9-7 lead early in the second half after forcing a safety but the Panthers scored the final 13 points to come away with the victory.

Charlotte benefited from two big turnovers in building its lead but their own fumble in the red zone kept GSU within striking distance.

"We missed some opportunities," Healy reiterated. "Credit to them for making it hard on us. (Panther head coach) Shawn (Elliott) did an unbelievable job. They're  0-2 and their backs against the wall."

Chris Reynolds threw a touchdown pass for the eighth straight game to give the 49ers a 7-0 lead in the second quarter but Georgia State answered with its own TD to knot the score by halftime.

The 49ers' TD was set up when Charlotte graduate student safety Jon Alexander, a transfer from Kansas State, chased down Panthers running back Destin Coates and forced a fumble at the five-yard line to stop a Panthers scoring opportunity.

Charlotte responded on the next drive and converted a pair of fourth downs to extend the possession before Reynolds hit freshman Elijah Spencer with a 36-yard crossing TD for the first score of the game.  Kicker Jonathan Cruz connected on the point after, breaking the record for consecutive PAT's made with 47 straight.

GSU answered with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Darren Grainger to Jamari Thrash with 4:03 remaining in the half.

Charlotte's defense came up big again on the Panthers' first drive of the second half.  After a false start on third and one sent GSU back to its 14, a bad snap sent Grainger into the end zone, where he recovered the snap but threw wildly as Kofi Wardlow applied pressure.  The intentional grounding call resulted in a safety and gave Charlotte a 9-7 lead.

After Charlotte failed to convert on 4th down on the ensuing drive, the Panthers took their first lead, 13-9, on a 28-yard pass from Grainger to Ja'Cyais Credle.  DE Markees Watts blocked the PAT to keep Charlotte within four.

Charlotte drove into the red zone late in the third quarter but fumbled to turn the ball over to the Panthers.

Alexander thwarted another promising Panther drive with an INT at the 49ers' 17-yard line early in the 4th quarter but the 49ers were not able to capitalize.

The Panthers scored again in the closing minutes to ice the victory.

Charlotte will host Middle Tennessee in the 49ers' Conference USA opener, Friday at 6:30.

The Blue Devils and Panthers will meet for the 22nd time Saturday with Pittsburgh holding a 12-9 advantage in the all-time series. The teams have met 11 times in the Bull City, with Pittsburgh owning a 7-4 lead. The Panthers have won the last four trips to Durham with Duke last capturing a home win against Pittsburgh with a 21-13 triumph October 9, 1965. Since Pittsburgh joined the ACC for the 2013 campaign, the Panthers have won three of the four meetings.

Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium

What the Coaches are Saying

Game Information