Georgia Southern opened the 2026 campaign with a 31-0 shutout, their first in three years. Had this come against as FBS school there would be plenty to celebrate, against an 0-2 FCS squad in Charleston Southern the jury is still out.
“I thought there were some good things out there today and then we also left some meat on the bone,” said coach Clay Helton. “It’s a good start but we will be humble after a game like this as well. I think the biggest thing was on defense where I saw a lot of new guys come together. Offensively we started out fast and then had some chances we just couldn’t capitalize on.”
There was plenty to be excited about for Eagle fans through one quarter of play. The Georgia Southern offense looked crisp and mixed the pass and run together nicely. The defense created havoc stopping the run and getting pressure on the quarterback. The defense played a pretty complete game but the offense only managed 10 points the next three quarters.
On the positive side the Eagle offense did gain over 500 yards in the game and the defense went from statistically one of the worst in FBS to one who statistically should be among the tops in the country through one game.
“It feels really good for us to get a shut out in our first game,” said defensive lineman Rashon Miles who had six tackles and two for loss. “I feel like we had some ups and downs but we stayed consistent. Getting that big goose egg was nice and I think we will only go up from here.”
Behind quarterback Max Johnson the offense moved the ball down field on their opening drive with a mixture of short passes and runs. The first points of the 2026 season would come from Jamarian Samuel on a 10-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
Johnson finished the night 28-39 for 281 yards and one touchdown. After the game he reflected on the nice start to the game and playing his first game at Paulson Stadium.
“It was a great start for our offense,” Johnson said. “Our offensive line did a great job and we executed. We know what we are capable of and we need to finish a lot stronger. We had 11 new guys starting on offense and it was great to be out there all together with the crowd here.”
The Eagle defense gave the offense the ball right back after a three-and-out and on the first play from scrimmage Johnson hit Ashton Hollins on a 57-yard touchdown pass for a 14-0 lead. The Eagles added a two-yard score from Weston Bryan and took a 21-0 lead.
The offense had a chance to add more points in the second but one drive they were stopped on fourth and two, a fumble ended the next drive and their final drive stalled and they had to settle for a 32-yard Tripp Bryant field goal for a 24-0 halftime lead.
The second half saw the Eagle offense look as good as they had the entire first half as they went on a nine-play 90-yard drive capped by an 18-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Ty Cumming for a 31-0 lead.
That would be the end of the offensive production. Helton brought his son Turner in and the Eagles got a chance at a few more points but a field goal attempt by backup kicker Blake Ford missed after bouncing off the uprights.
The defense did manage a couple turnovers and held CSU to 110 total yard and only eight rushing yards in the game. Much of their production came in fourth quarter with reserves in the game.
Helton felt there were many positives from Saturday but knows it will be a much tougher test when they head to Clemson next Saturday night.
