By MIKE BROWN
Herald Correspondent

Five years ago Georgia Southern ended what proved to be its last season in FCS with a stunning 26-20 win at Florida.
Although the Eagles moved up to FBS the following year when they joined the Sun Belt Conference, the win over the Gators has served as a rallying cry for Power 5 conference coaches ever since.
Georgia Southern meets Auburn at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Jordan-Hare Stadium and Tigers Coach Gus Malzahn has constantly reminded his team of that win, and how the Eagles have fared against Power 5 teams since.
“We’re playing a very challenging team in Georgia Southern,” Malzahn said in a press conference earlier this week. “It’s a team that’s had a lot of success when they have played some bigger teams, obviously like beating Florida at Florida a couple of years back, going to Georgia and going into overtime, and, of course, last year playing Ole Miss and they were beating them (21-10) so this ought to be a good game.”
The Tigers enter the game ranked No. 12 in the nation and are a five-touchdown favorite against the youngest team in FBS.
No one in FBS has fewer seniors than the Eagles who have only eight on the roster.
While the Eagles have not beaten a Power 5 team since the win over Florida they have fared reasonably well.
In its last six games against Power 5 teams Georgia Southern has a minus 4.3 point differential average per game with no loss by more than 11 points.
Auburn, however, is expected to be a stronger test than any of those teams the Eagles have faced.
The Tigers are considered to be Alabama’s biggest challenger in the Southeastern Conference’s West Division.
Auburn has feasted on Sun Belt teams, going 11-0, and winning by an average margin of 32 points per game.
Malzahn finds himself on somewhat of a hot seat after his team lost three of its last four games last year: to Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl while beating Alabama State to finish 8-5. Auburn began the season ranked sixth.
“The main thing is how excited I am about this team,” Malzahn said at SEC media days. “We have a lot of experience back…more returning starters than we’ve had the last 12 years at Auburn. “I feel like we’ve got quality depth. We’ve got really good leadership. Probably the biggest thing to me is we’ve got a hungry team. They’ve got something to prove. The last time I felt like this was 2013.”
That was the year Cam Newton, as a transfer quarterback, led the Tigers to the national championship.
This year Auburn will again have a transfer at quarterback as sophomore Jarrett Stidham, a transfer from scandal-plagued Baylor, has been named the starter in place of junior Stan White who was the starter last year.
Malzahn said he believes running backs Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson are two of the best in the SEC. Pettway was voted to the second team All-SEC pre-season team as were defensive lineman Marton Davidson, linebacker Tre Williams and defensive backs Tray Matthews and Carlton Davis.
“I’m anxious to see how we do,“ Malzahn said. “The fans are focused on Clemson, but all we’re thinking about is Georgia Southern.”