BOONE, N.C. – This one didn’t quite live up to the hype.

Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards made a statement early with 304 yards through the air and three passing touchdowns complimented by 39 rushing yards in the first half alone as the Mountaineers cruised to a 52-16 win over rival Georgia Southern Saturday at Kidd-Brewer Stadium.

It was the most points allowed to FCS competition during a regular-season game in Georgia Southern’s program history, and the third most allowed to a team from any level. Florida scored 62 against the Eagles in 1995, and Miami (FL) scored 56 in 1994.

Massachusetts scored 55 in the 1998 national title game.

This time around, Edwards made it look easy.

After holding GSU to the first of eight three-and-outs on the game’s opening drive, the Mountaineers (5-2, 4-0 Southern Conference) scored on a 10-play, 79-yard drive on which Edwards completed five passes for 71 yards, including a 15-yard strike to Matt Cline for an early 7-0 lead.

“They’re the same as they’ve always been, so that probably attributed to (our) slow start,” said GSU coach Chris Hatcher, “but they came out fired up and they took it to us real early in the ballgame.”

The Mountaineers let GSU (4-4, 3-2) right back in it after another three-and-out when Edwards completed a pass to Brad Hardee, who proceeded to drop it, allowing Derek Heyden to scoop it up and return it 38 yards to fight his way into the end zone and knot the score at 7-7.

The Mountaineers broke the game wide open after that, holding the Eagles to negative 11 first-quarter yards while scoring at will.

A 53 yard pass to CoCo Hillary returned the lead to the Mountaineers, and a Devin Moore touchdown run from four yards out gave ASU a 21-7, second-quarter advantage.

Georgia Southern running back Adam Urbano (16 carries, 41 yards) fumbled on the next play to set up Moore’s second touchdown run which made it 28-7.

“We just came out in shock I guess,” Urbano said. “I don’t really feel good about the way we played. I know we can play much better. I don’t know – there’s just something about it. One bad play and we just hung our heads. We can’t afford to do that against a team like this.”

Georgia Southern didn’t put any more points on the board until 3:26 before the half when it was finally able to put together a drive, going 35 yards on seven plays to set up a 31-yard Adrian Mora field goal which cut it to 28-10.

The Eagles got it right back on the next play from scrimmage, when Hudson Presume hit ASU running back Cedric Baker from behind and jarred the ball loose. Markeith Wylie jumped on it to gain possession of the ball, but the Eagles lost a player in the process.

Presume stayed on the ground after delivering the hit until he was loaded onto an ambulance and taken to the Watauga Medical Center where reports indicated he was conscious and able to move. The tests came back negative and he remained under observation.

“It’s freaky, you know? It’s surreal because that could be anybody,” said GSU defensive lineman Harland Bower. “That could be me. I mean, I got hurt today, too. You don’t think about it until it happens. It’s bad seeing you’re teammate laying on the ground like that. We thank God that he’ll be able to ride back on the bus with us and he’ll be alright.”

The Eagles couldn’t capitalize on the turnover. After a GSU holding penalty and back-to-back sacks, Appalachian State punched it in again, this time on a nine-yard pass to CoCo Hillary for a 35-10 halftime lead.

“It kind of snowballed there and we just couldn’t get anything going,” said GSU quarterback Lee Chapple, who went 20-for-34 for 156 yards while getting sacked five times. “We just didn’t have it today.”

Georgia Southern put together its longest drive of the day in the third quarter, going 66 yards for its final touchdown of the day – a two-yard plunge by Urbano.

The two-point conversion attempt went incomplete.

NOTES: Appalachian’s 712 yards of offense fell 76 yards short of the team record of 788, set in 1936 against Piedmont. … ASU increased its Southern Conference winning streak to 16 games. The last time the Mountaineers lost to a SoCon foe was when Georgia Southern beat them 38-35 in 2007. … Charlie Edwards’ 68-yard punt in the first quarter was the longest of his career. … Heyden’s first-quarter fumble return was the third GSU defensive touchdown of the season. … GSU linebacker Tavaris Williams recorded his first-career interception. … Wylie’s fumble recovery ties him for fourth in GSU history for recoveries in a season with three. … Announced attendance was 26,215.

Matt Yogus can be reached at (912) 489-9408.