After a week of licking its wounds, Georgia Southern returns to the field tonight - and plays under the lights of Paulson Stadium for the first time in 2019 - as it welcomes Maine to town for a 6 p.m. kickoff.

The Eagles rolled into Baton Rouge last weekend with hopes of making some noise and proving themselves against the No. 6 team in the nation. Instead, Georgia Southern was overwhelmed from the opening kick and spent four quarters watching LSU put on a show as it rattled off a 55-3 victory.

"I think our guys were ready to play that game, but LSU threw the first punch and we never threw one back," GS coach Chad Lunsford said. "But that game doesn't define us or our season. The guys have a chip on their shoulder and I think you'll see a better football team against Maine."

That was a tough pill to swallow, but even a loss that was embarrassing at times will ultimately have no bearing on whether or not this year’s Eagle team achieves its goals. That said, one of those goals is to return to a bowl game - which will require at least six wins. Tonight’s game against Maine is expected to be one of those wins, but nothing should be taken for granted against a perennial FCS power that won’t be too concerned about the Eagles’ goals once things kick off tonight.

Maine currently sits at No. 6 in the FCS coaches poll and produced plenty of fireworks during a Week 1 whitewashing of Sacred Heart by a count of 42-14.

And while the quality of opponent doesn’t jump off of the page, Maine was able to notch its win using plenty of the spread and aerial tactics that gave the Eagles all sorts of trouble against LSU. Maine quarterback Chris Ferguson probably isn’t on the same level as LSU’s Joe Burrow, but Ferguson’s 23-for-29, 423-yard, 3-touchdown performance last weekend should definitely have the Eagles’ full attention.

While Eagle defensive backs should be better suited to match up with Black Bear receivers as opposed to last week, there is also the issue of pressure. The Georgia Southern defensive front rarely blitzed against LSU and never created any pressure. The Eagles will have to make Ferguson much more uncomfortable in the pocket if they want their stats to improve tonight.

On the other side of the ball, there will be plenty of uncertainty until the hours before kickoff.

Even more damaging than the final score at LSU was the fact that GS starting quarterback Shai Werts was knocked out of the game in the second quarter and spent the remainder of the game with his throwing arm in a sling. X-rays on his arm were negative and Werts was cleared to return to action, but there is still plenty of lingering pain and he will be a game-time decision.

"It's just a thing where we look at it from day to day," Lunsford said. "

Whether or not Werts can go, the real focus will be on how well the Eagles can block and force the issue with their running game. LSU’s defensive line repeatedly disrupted the blocking and timing of the Eagles’ option attack as Georgia Southern gained just 98 yards of total offense.

"We learned a lot playing against LSU," GS receiver Colby Ransom said. "It was a tough loss, but it left us with plenty to learn and grow on. We're going to take that and use it to get better."

Maine’s ‘Black Hole’ defense also prides itself on having a stout rushing defense, but they are notably smaller than the LSU defenders and will be without the services of star linebacker Deshawn Stevens as the All-American suffered an Achilles injury in Maine’s opener.

Regardless of whether or not Werts is a factor in today’s game, it’s the Georgia Southern offensive line that will dictate the Eagles’ success. Backup quarterback Justin Tomlin did what he could against LSU’s defense following Werts’ injury and the Eagles are stocked with skill position players that can do damage when they have the ball in space, but all of that starts with an offensive line that can execute its blocks at a far greater clip this time around.

"When we looked back at the LSU tape, we saw a lot of places where we just got beat in one-on-one situations," Lunsford said. "Obviously, that's something we have to fix, but I feel like — when we do that — we're going to execute a lot better."

Another hurdle stood between the Eagles and getting down to the business of preparing for Maine in that Hurricane Dorian inserted itself into the game week preparations. Georgia Southern didn't lose any practice time due to the storm, but canceled classes led to an altered practice schedule and did throw a wrench into the consistency and continuity of game preparation that so many coaches cherish.

But the Eagles didn't appear to show any ill effects of the schedule shakeup and Lunsford made it clear that weather couldn't be something that affected his team's ability to be ready for tonight.

That said, the Eagle coaching staff also understood the farther-reaching ramifications of a storm that evacuated thousands of people from areas that many of their players called home before coming to Statesboro.

"We preach football as a business and as a family business," Lunsford said. "That's not something we just pay lip service to. We make sure that we're talking to our guys and making sure everything is ok in their family life, but then we get to the business of winning a game on Saturday."