The Georgia Southern Eagles struggled through their non-conference schedule at 1-3, but were able to start Sun Belt play off on the right foot with a 31-24 win on the road at Coastal Carolina.
Head coach Clay Helton knows how important a road win in the Sun Belt conference is and despite not playing to his standards he felt there was plenty to be proud of.
“We went on the road and were able to start the season 1-0 in conference play which is huge,” Helton said. “When you play in such a competitive conference, the games are usually close. Turnovers and penalties can usually be the difference. We were able to get two turnovers that could have easily resulted in points and played clean football on offense. We also committed zero penalties on offense which will help you win a lot of games.”
One of the keys to the success the Eagles have had on offense the past couple week has been the continued improvement from quarterback Max Johnson and the extended role of fellow signal caller Weston Bryan. Bryan had a 67-yard touchdown run and now leads the team with four scores on the ground, while Johnson has had six touchdown passes in the last two games and only has one interception this year.
“He carries the team and was the player of the game for us last weekend,” Helton said. “He has six touchdowns the last two games and the only interception he has was one that bounced off the facemask of a freshman running back. What I appreciate most is he is taking what the defense is giving him. He is giving his guys a chance to make plays. He is letting the playmakers make the plays.”
It wasn’t that long ago that Georgia Southern was the gold standard in the Southern Conference but after early success have struggled to reclaim that throne in the Sun Belt. The team that currently holds that distinction in this week’s opponent, the James Madison Dukes who since moving up to FBS in 2022 are 45-11 and last year made it to the College Football playoffs.
“They are playing the best of any team in our league right now,” Helton said. “When I look at them on tape, I think they are a Top-25 team. You have a great offensive mind with coach Billy Napier and they have an extremely high-tempo offense that is tough to stop. They believe in spreading you out and take what the defense gives them. They can run the ball or throw it which makes them very dangerous. They rush for 220 yards a game but if you pack the box, they can beat you with their RPO game.”
Since moving up in 2022 James Madison has had three different coaches but have been able to keep their calling card of shutting down opponent's run games and being physical up front. This will also mark the return to Paulson Stadium for former Eagle defensive coordinator Brandon Bailey who is currently coaching the JMU safeties.
“This is a team that doesn’t even give up a total of 100 yards rushing per game,” Helton said. “This is probably the best defensive front in our league. They had nine sacks against Old Dominion so we have to find a way to keep them off of our quarterback and we are going to have to play our best football to move the ball on them.”
Coach Napier has won his last 16 Sun Belt conference games but the Dukes come to Statesboro where they have yet to taste victory and are 0-6. Coach Helton is happy to have the game at Paulson Stadium and thinks the crowd could help provide the difference.
“In our last four meetings the home team has won the game,” Helton said. “The power of Paulson is real and our fan base has been unbelievable in the first two home games for us. With a nationally televised game we need them to come out and be loud.”
In order for Georgia Southern to pull off an upset of the favored Dukes, Helton feels it is going to be a total team effort.
“It starts on offense by keeping the ball away from them,” Helton said. “You have to be successful on third down and give them limited opportunities. You can’t turn the ball over and give them good field position with special teams. On defense if we can find a way to get those two takeaways goal that we have every game that is huge. Last week we kept them to 3-13 on third down and things like that are huge. This team will put up points, they’ve done it against everyone they’ve played so we have to do the same on offense,”
Georgia Southern and JMU are set for a 7:30 start at Paulson Stadium and will be televised on ESPNU.
