Georgia Southern’s defense has had its issues this season. That can’t be denied.

The numbers – the Eagles are allowing 481.5 yards per game which is third from the bottom in the Sun Belt Conference – don’t lie but senior defensive back Justin Meyers believes better days are ahead.

Meyers believes the Eagles defense may be turning the corner after it gave up only 248 yards, 109 rushing, to Maine last Saturday in a 45-17 win. The Black Bears are a winless FCS team but Meyers liked what he saw of his unit.

And, the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Meyers knows what the Eagles are in for this Saturday when they square off against a high-powered James Madison offense in the conference opener for both teams. Game time is 1:30 p.m. in Harrisonburg, Va. The game will be televised on ESPN+.

This will be Meyers’ fourth go-around against the Dukes who came into the Sun Belt for his redshirt freshman season. Georgia Southern has won two of those matchups including a 28-14 win last year at Paulson Stadium.

“I feel like we’re raising the bar for the entire defense,” Meyers said in a Monday press conference when asked about the effort against Maine and going up against an offense this Saturday that is one of the best in the SBC. “We practiced hard getting ready for Maine and I feel like we have to have the same mindset this week for JMU.

“Practice hard and start fast.”

The Dukes’ Bridgeforth Stadium has proven, much like Paulson Stadium, to be a tough place for visitors to play. Georgia Southern lost 41-13 at JMU two years ago and is an early 17-point underdog.

It will be Family Weekend at JMU and a sellout crowd of 24,877 is expected with more no doubt occupying the isles.

That environment does not faze Meyers who said the Eagles’ early scheduling will be an asset as will two straight wins at home.

“The two wins at home (Jacksonville State, Maine) were really good for us,” Meyers said. “They’ll give us great confidence going into conference play. That’s a plus.

“The first two games out there in California (losses to Fresno State, Southern Cal) will definitely help us in road games,” Meyers said. “Those were tough places to play. I feel like that should help us.”

Meyers is the prototypical Georgia Southern football player in that he was not highly recruited out of Washington Wilkes high school but came to Statesboro, was redshirted and worked hard to develop into a solid college football player.

That attitude and approach has made him a favorite of defensive coordinator Brandon Bailey who spoke highly of Meyers in a pre-season assessment of his defensive backs.

“I loved the way Meyers practiced,” Bailey said of Meyers work in the spring. “He had a consistent high effort and was locked in every day.”

That approach carried over into fall camp, Bailey said, as Meyers emerged as a leader in the secondary.

“I think the needle immediately turns to Justin Meyers, no doubt,” Bailey said of Meyers’ leadership qualities. “He’s earned his stripes.

“He’s a multi-year starter, battled through injuries and just brings his hard hat and lunch pail every day,” Bailey said. “He’s not a loud guy, not one to scream or yell. But when he speaks people listen.

“He leads by example and that goes a long way in our room.”

Meyers said the Eagles are not discouraged by being cast in the underdog role against a team which has in four short years become one of the darlings of the conference.

“We don’t look at ourselves like that,” Meyers said of being an underdog. “I’ve watched a little film and they have a great offense but I feel like we’ve got a good run defense.”