BOONE — Joey Aguilar threw four touchdown passes and Appalachian State blew past Georgia Southern 55-27 on Saturday, clinching a berth in the Sun Belt Championship in the process.
The Mountaineers (8-4, 6-2 Sun Belt Conference) fell behind by 11 points in the first quarter then outscored the Eagles 52-13 over the final three quarters.
Aguilar threw second quarter touchdown passes of 27 yards to Kaedin Robinson and 41 yards to Christan Horn, leading the Mountaineers to a 27-17 lead at halftime.
Aguilar hit Eli Wilson from 2 yards and Anderson Castle scored on a 15-yard run to extend the lead to 41-17 after three. Aguilar and Robinson hooked up again, from 10 yards, and Maqueul Haywood capped the scoring with a 27-yard run late in the fourth.
Georgia Southern’s only highlight in the second half was a 100-yard kickoff return by DeAndre Buchannon.
Aguilar finished 23-of-36 passing for 296 yards with the four scores and one interception. Kanye Roberts had 109 yards rushing and Robinson caught eight passes for 108 yards.
Davis Brin was 24-of-34 for Georgia Southern (6-6, 3-5) but threw three interceptions.
Appalachian State finished second in the East Division but advances to the championship game because first-place James Madison is not eligible for the postseason while the Dukes transition to the FBS. Appalachian State will play Troy, which clinched the West Division with a 35-17 victory over Southern Miss on Saturday.
Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana and Troy are the only teams that have played in the championship game that began in 2018.
