Two Sunbelt squads are playing one another in the Birmingham Bowl on Monday, with the Georgia Southern Eagles taking on the most surprising team to play a Bowl game this year, the 5-7 Appalachian State Mountaineers, who somehow managed to make it. App State managed to squeeze in after several other teams refused to play in a bowl game this year.
As usual, there are a lot of players expected to be either injured or opting out, though App State is expected to have more of them coming into the Birmingham Bowl. Being from the same conference, these two schools already met earlier this year, with Georgia Southern escaping with a 25-23 win earlier this season in a close one. However, App State seeks to prove that they do belong in a bowl game and not just a backup team.
Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Southern vs Appalachian State Opt-Outs And Injury Report
Georgia Southern Eagles
- RB OJ Arnold: Injured, Questionable
- WR Dalen Cobb: Injured, Questionable
- DT Devan Lowe: Injured, Questionable
The Eagles do not have many injuries, though player losses due to the transfer portal or the NFL draft have not been officially listed yet. They are coming into this game refreshed and possibly even more complete than their Sunbelt rivals.
Appalachian State Mountaineers
- QB AJ Swann: Opted out, transfer portal
- QB JJ Kohl: Opted out, transfer portal
- Starting S DJ Burks: Opted out, transfer portal
- Starting WR Davion Dozier: Opted out, transfer portal
- Starting CB Elijah Mc-Cantos: Opted out, transfer portal
- Starting DT Rondo Porter: Opted out, transfer portal
- LB Brayshawn Littlejohn: Opted out, transfer portal
- EDGE Thomas Davis (220 snaps: Opted out, transfer portal
- OT Denell Nix Jr.: Opted out, transfer portal
- DT Bucci Farmer: Opted out, transfer portal
- WR Jaden Barnes: Injured, Questionable
- RG Trent Ramsey: Injured, Questionable
- TE Izayah Cummings: Injured, Questionable
App State does not have an injury problem. What they do have is a problem in retaining players every time the transfer portal opens, and this is seen in how many they may be losing once it opens on Jan. 2. That being said, the team does have a quarterback problem coming into the Birmingham Bowl, with its top two QBs entering the transfer portal.
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