The Georgia Southern football team started the season with some California dreaming that turned into a nightmare. A pair of tough losses on the road to Fresno State and USC were followed by a come-from-behind win at home against Jacksonville State and a victory against FCS member Maine.
The Eagles had finally looked good on both sides of the ball when they entered their Sun Belt opener against James Madison, but last Saturday, the Dukes pounded the Eagles, 35-10, in Harrisonburg, Va.
The Eagle offense has had its moments this year, but was held to only 10 first downs and 165 yards passing, while the running game was non-existent, managing just 27 yards on 26 carries. The Eagles also allowed seven sacks and 10 tackles for a loss.
“We knew we had to play good offense to keep our defense off the field and we just did not get that done,” head coach Clay Helton said. "We had a good run game the past two games and we thought we could do that, but it did not happen. That created tremendous pressure on the passing game against the No. 1 pass defense in the country, which isn’t good. We got in the red zone twice and only came away with three points.”
The Eagle defense has been a problem in all but one game this season. Their struggles continued Saturday, allowing 29 first downs and nearly 500 yards of offense, including 331 yards on the ground with no sacks.
The Georgia Southern defense currently ranks among the bottom of all NCAA teams in nearly every statistical category, including last in first down defense, second to last in rush defense and sacks, and 129th out of 134 teams in total defense.
“The quality of defense we played against JMU does not represent Georgia Southern or what we are about,” Helton said. “We have to get that corrected between now and our game (against Southern Miss). We have seven more opportunities to show who we are and what we can be. I believe in this team, but the way we played Saturday does not represent Georgia Southern football and the toughness and discipline of it.”
Helton has said pressure is a privilege and right.
Now Eagle Nation seems very upset with the way Georgia Southern took a big step backwards against JMU, which is something Helton says he is in tune with.
“I don’t blame the fans for being frustrated or disappointed. We are disappointed and I’m disappointed,” Helton said. “We have the opportunity with this off week to put our best foot forward to correct some things and get healthy and move on. We have played one game in conference and still have seven left and I believe in this team and where we can go. There are a lot of corrections to make and we look forward to making those.”
The Eagles will host Southern Miss. (3-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) for an 8 p.m. Thursday night kickoff at Paulson Stadium that will be nationally televised on ESPN.
