That win was for you.

            That one was for the folks who couldn’t believe the option was gone but still came to every game from 2006 until 2009.

            You dressed in blue on Saturdays and cheered at the top of your lungs even though everything that was happening felt just a little bit off.

            You kept cheering for the tight ends, the pocket passers and that thing called “shotgun” that you still haven’t really figured out.

            You still honked your horns for the busses when the team pulled up, you still watched the GSU scramble and you still yelled “One More Time!” along with everyone else.

            That win was for everyone who knew deep down that in Statesboro, Ga., you run the football and let somebody else air it out.

            That win was for the fans who cheered at the top of their lungs on the first play of Saturday’s game even though it was just a little seven-yard sweep to J.J. Wilcox. You yelled and screamed and cheered because, even though it wasn’t anything spectacular, it happened after two slotbacks and a fullback surrounded a quarterback who lined up under center.

            That was for those of you who during Saturday’s game thought, just for a second, that Robert Brown reminds you of a certain someone when he gets in that three-point stance and runs between the tackles.

            It was for everyone who was there for the first ring in the Tacoma Dome and the last ring in Chattanooga.

            That win was for the students, who showed up in masses when “There is no option” and “Hatch Attack” were the battle cries of the hour.

You’ve been loyally showing up for your Eagles even though you’ve never sniffed the playoffs and don’t know what beating Furman in Paulson Stadium feels like.

You heard about the legendary players, the national titles and the domination of the past, and you never saw it on the field. But you figured out early in your academic career that there was just something different about Georgia Southern, even though you couldn’t quite put your finger on it.

You just got your first taste.

            That win was for the players, who, despite coaching changes, scheme changes and some embarrassing losses along the way, decided to stick it out to see what all this option talk was about.

            It was for the seniors who, until Saturday, had never ended a game before halftime, it was for the freshmen who are hoping to build a solid foundation, and it was for every player in between who finally got a taste of what Georgia Southern football is all about.

            Yes, that win was for you.

            But now, it’s in the books.

            Everyone who was around for the good old days knows Georgia Southern is supposed to plaster the teams they’re supposed to plaster.

            Saturday’s win was a breath of fresh air, but now you need to exhale and brace yourselves.

            Georgia Southern got just exactly what it needed in the opener, but now, with the game against Navy on the road just six days away, it’s time to really get to work.

            Saturday was just the beginning. Now the rebuilding can really start.

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