For Georgia Southern fans, a date with Wofford can’t be much different than looking at the calendar to see a scheduled dentist appointment.

You’ve got to do it once each year, and even if you can escape with good news — such as the Eagles’ 17-9 win over the Terriers on Saturday evening — it’s still a few hours that are mostly uncomfortable and spent on pins and needles.

Other GSU rivals like Appalachian State and Furman often produce high-flying, high-scoring affairs that feature plenty of ups and downs. With Wofford, it’s best to just dig in and hope to get through four quarters of grinding football.

Georgia Southern has proven time and time again that it can win with the big plays and gaudy offensive performances. Racking up over 600 yards against Western Carolina and pummeling Jacksonville were great for the Eagles’ egos, but a win like the one against the Terriers is the kind of victory that builds champions.

Not only were the two teams matched evenly in terms of top-10 rankings, but also in styles of play. Both teams wanted to run the ball, control clock and dominate defensively. While neither team was able to pull away, only the Eagles could check off all of their objectives at the end of the night.

The offense did just enough to get ahead, and the Eagle defense punished just about everything that the Terriers could throw at it. Usually known for the high-powered triple option that can light up scoreboards, Georgia Southern is also becoming a team that can demoralize offenses.

That kind of complete effort is exactly what the Eagles needed against the likes of Wofford.

For the better part of a decade, the Terriers have been a near twin to the Eagles. Both have gone through streaks and slumps and they mirror each other on both sides of the ball. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the yearly meetings.

No matter which team is favored, both squads are always sure that only a great effort for four full quarters will be enough to pull out a win.

On Saturday, the Eagles were simply the team that was better prepared for that trip to the dentist. They endured a turnover and an early deficit, strapped themselves in for the long haul, and were able to endure all of the little swings in momentum that come in a low-scoring defensive struggle.

In the end, GSU proved to be prepared for that yearly appointment and can now look to its spot atop the Southern Conference standings as its clean bill of health.