Southern Mississippi 21, Appalachian State 20: George Payne rushed for two touchdowns and caught a 31-yard scoring pass with 2:22 left, and the host Golden Eagles blocked an extra-point attempt in the closing seconds to preserve the victory.

Payne had 35 yards on 12 carries and the one catch, which gave the Golden Eagles (2-2) a 21-14 lead. Taylor Lamb threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Simms McElfresh with six seconds remaining before Zach Matics' failed point-after bid.

Appalachian State (1-2) tied the game with 5:08 remaining when Lamb, who was 28-of-40 for 266 yards, threw 10 yards to receiver Malachi Jones. The game-tying drive was aided by a Southern Mississippi penalty for pass interference and the Mountaineers nearly fumbled away the scoring chance when Marcus Cox lost the ball at the Golden Eagle 10, but it was recovered by McElfresh.

Payne scored on the game’s first drive with a 15-yard touchdown run after Mullens, who finished 22-of-35 for 268 yards, hit Michael Thomas for a 24-yard gain. Payne scored his second touchdown on a 3-yard run 1:32 into the second quarter.

Cox cut the lead Southern Miss lead to 14-7 midway through the second on a 5-yard scoring run that capped a 10-play, 79-yard drive. Cox, who finished with 119 yards on 22 carries, rushed six times for 60 yards on the drive.