App State Player Seen Shoving Georgia Southern Fan To Ground After Face-To-Face Altercation During Field Storm

Saturday's Sun Belt matchup between App State and Georgia Southern ended in triumph for the latter and heartbreak for the former. It also saw an ugly scene unfold on the field afterward.

The game came with extremely high stakes. Both teams were playing for bowl eligibility.

Whichever team won would make a bowl game. Whichever team lost would not.

While the Eagles entered at 5-6 and needed one win to reach the required total, the Mountaineers entered at 6-5 and needed one addition win to reach the required total because they played two FCS teams in 2022.

It did not disappoint.

App State took a 20-17 lead into halftime, but Georgia Southern kept pace and the game was tied 38-38 at the end of regulation. The first overtime period saw both teams find the end zone, so it went to double OT.

After the visitors could only muster a field goal, first-year head coach Clay Helton and the Eagles had a chance to win with six. On 2nd-and-10, a deep pass to the end zone put the nail in the coffin as the Mountaineers secondary collapsed and allowed a wide-open touchdown.

Immediately after the walk-off win, a massive crowd at Allen E. Paulson Stadium poured onto the field to celebrate. The storm was ON!

Unfortunately, amid all of the chaos, frustration boiled over for App State

Video from on the field during the field storm shows a Georgia Southern fan get in the face of the visitor's No. 9. That is either fifth-year redshirt junior Nick Hampton or fourth-year redshirt sophomore Jacoby Pinckney.

It appears to be Hampton, but it's not definitively clear.

After the Eagles fan stepped in front of his path, Hampton or Pinckney turned back as he walked away and shoved him to the ground. The fan got ROCKED.

It is unknown whether the fan said anything to the Mountaineers player at this time. The video does not seem to show that he made contact with the athlete.

Regardless, either Hampton or Pinckney's action will fall under a lot of scrutiny. If the retaliatory shove was not warranted (few triggers would justify the reaction), it is a bad look for the player and the program.