By : Kameron Taylor
(Photo/Kameron Taylor-The Mojo Network)
The Georgia Southern Eagles entered Atlanta and dominated in a 38-21 victory. The Eagles picked up their first win in conference play and are now leading the Sun Belt East.
Georgia Southern were able to open up their run game which led to dominance throughout the game. OJ Arnold and Jalen White both had over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen White now has seven rush touchdowns this year which ranks first in the SunBelt and top 15 in FBS.
The two teams exchanged quick possessions, then Georgia Southern struck first when JC French threw a quick one-yard touchdown pass to Josh Dallas who had a feisty game with nine receptions 89 yards, and a touchdown. Dallas was French’s favorite target with 35% of his passes going to the wideout.
Georgia State responded in an instant with a 47-second drive, with Christian Veilleux throwing a 76-yard bomb to Ted Hurst. Hurst finished the game with four receptions 112 receiving yards and a touchdown.
It looked like it was going to be a shootout with Georgia Southern responding again with OJ Arnold bursting through a gap and scoring a 32-yard touchdown in the second quarter. However, the Panthers went three and out and the Eagles made a field goal to cap off the first half.
Southern had the momentum in the third quarter and it looked like they were going to run away with the win, especially after Christian Veilleux threw an interception down 7-24 right at the end of the quarter. However, Georgia State fumbled in their 10-yard line setting up an easy touchdown for Georgia State cutting the deficit to 10. Then, the Panthers got the ball back and cut the lead to three after Christian Veilleux threw a 58-yard rocket to Dorian Fleming.
Georgia State had more than enough opportunities to win the game but they missed a field goal had a turnover on downs and threw an interception in crucial moments. That allowed Georgia Southern to run away with the game.
Overall Georgia Southern played a better game. Georgia State only had 29 rushing yards and had to rely on the passing game which led to short drives. Southern was able to dominate in the ground game and open up the passing game when needed which led to them winning.