The Georgia Southern Eagles currently sit at 2-2, which is probably where most of Eagle Nation thought they would be after four games.
The Eagle offense has shown steady progress, while, after three sub-par efforts, the defense finally took a huge step forward Saturday, allowing only 10 points in the Eagles 45-17 win over Maine at Paulson Stadium.
The victory over the winless Bears, who play in FCS, was actually tight in the first half before the Eagles finally got thigs on track and pulled away, outscoring Maine 28-3 in the second half.
Georgia Southern opens up Sun Belt play Saturday in Virginia at James Madison and coach Clay Helton knows the Eagles will need to play much more like they did in the second half against Maine in order to contend with JMU.
“Among the positives from Saturday is the way we were able to run the ball effectively, as we rushed for 206 yards,” Helton said. “The way we played on third down on offense and defense was great, as we were 9-15 on offense and held them to just 1-12 with our defense. We finally got some pressure and some hits for losses on defense and also our guys up front did a good job on offense, as well. We have a couple areas we need to improve as we had two turnovers and some costly penalties we can’t have in our conference opener.”
One of the strengths the Eagles have shown is the ability to score in many different ways. Last Saturday, the Eagles got a touchdown pass from running back O.J. Arnold and nearly got another from receiver Dalen Cobb. Quarterback J.C. French threw for 253 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 43yards, while freshman quarterback Weston Bryan continues to shine with some crucial first down runs on third down and scored his first collegiate rushing touchdown.
“I thought coach Ryan Aplin called a great game,” Helton said. “I loved how we started the second half going out there with basically no running back and threw a swing screen to Dalen Cobb, then you get a check down to get a first down from J.C. After that, we went with the pass to Dalen Cobb who has a great arm and hit Camden Brown. We brought Weston in and he ran for a score and then O.J. has shown he can throw the ball and connected for another score. The creativity of our offense will never stop and we will stay aggressive.”
The Eagles will have a lot tougher time gaining yards and putting up points this week in going up against James Madison, who has proven to be one of the toughest defensive teams in the league, as well as the country, where they rank first overall against the pass.
“I am so impressed by their defensive scheme and their coordinator Colin Hitschler,” Helton said. “They provide a variety of coverages and are a high-pressure team. They have done a stellar job of just confusing quarterbacks. They have a terrific front who can put pressure on you and their defensive backs are elite. Jeff Brohm at Louisville is one of the top play callers in the country and they gave him trouble all night.”
As far as the defense goes ,the Eagles still rank among the worst teams in the NCAA in many categories, but Helton hopes they can carry over some of their confidence from a solid effort against Maine. JMU has plenty of offensive weapons the Eagles will have to contend with, especially at quarterback. Alonza Barnett has been the primary passing quarterback, while Matthew Sluka led the team in rushing with 21 carries for 83 yards and one score against the Cardinals.
“Their offense is rushing the ball for over 222 yards per game,” Helton said. “They have two really good quarterbacks and they are actually very similar. Both are athletic and can run the ball along with having great arms so it is going to be a challenge. This is one of the best teams we will play all season so we also have to play ultra clean football. This is going to be an electric atmosphere and we have to be ready for that."
