According to head coach Clay Helton, the Georgia Southern football team has still not played a full solid four quarters of football.
They have put together a couple of impressive halves of football though, and last Saturday, the fourth quarter may have been the best they’ve played, as they outscored Georgia State 21-0 and turned a tight game into one that looked a lot more lopsided with a 41-24 win.
“It was an electric crowd and the fourth highest in history and we really fed off of that,” Helton said. “I thought both teams played well in the first half and credit to coach Dell McGee’s kids as they played their hearts out. I thought the difference in the game was the fact that our offense had their best game of the season as far as third down efficiency on Saturday.”
The Eagles have struggled to run the ball this season but looked pretty good on the ground Saturday, as they rushed for over 200 yards. Quarterback J.C. French actually led the way with 85 yards and one touchdown, while O.J. Arnold added 74 yards.
“There were only eight drives for us in the game and we scored on seven of them,” Helton said. “I thought J.C. played his best game, especially with his decision making on when to run and when to pass. He saw when they were in coverage and pulled the ball down and picked up some good yards by running the ball. I also felt like we blocked really well up front.”
The Eagles now hit the road once again where life has been pretty tough. This year, Georgia Southern is 0-3 away from the friendly confines of Paulson Stadium and have been outscored 136-44. Saturday, the Eagles head to Jonesboro to take on the 3-4, 2-1 Arkansas State Red Wolves.
“This is a tough place to play and we know that,” Helton said. “We have never won in Jonesboro and it will be homecoming so we expect a good crowd. I feel like our problems on the road haven’t necessarily been playing away from Paulson Stadium but rather our run game, and lack of it. We have to establish the run. Every game we have rushed for over 200 yards we have won the game.”
The Red Wolves are coming off back-to-back one-point conference wins. They beat Texas State, 31-30, in a shootout two weeks ago and last week won a defensive battle with South Alabama, 15-14.
“Butch Jones has been doing this a long time and we know they will be well-coached,” Helton said. “I have been really impressed by their quarterback Jaylen Raynor. He is not only their leading passer with nine touchdowns, he is also their leading rusher. He is a dual threat athlete and he is electric.
"They won with offense two weeks ago and then found a way to win behind their defense last week at South Alabama. Both of us are fighting to get back to 4-4 so it is an important game for both teams.”
Georgia Southern and Arkansas State are scheduled for a 7 p.m. eastern time kickoff Saturday in Jonesboro.
