Football | 8/17/2017 10:11:00 PM

PHOTO GALLERY

STATESBORO, Ga. – With camp over and classes now in session, the Eagle football team took one final step in its preseason preparation Thursday, completing its third and final scrimmage at Paulson Stadium. Quarterbacks LaBaron Anthony and Kado Brown both broke off long scoring runs in the practice with Anthony's covering 80 yards and Brown's going for 47 yards, and Shai Werts tossing an early touchdown to Mark Michaud to highlight the scoring. Full preparation for the Sept. 2 opener at nationally ranked Auburn now commences with 15 days on the calendar before kickoff. 

RICHARDSON'S JOURNEY
Junior Ellis Richardson has taken quite the route to get from his home town of Atlanta to Statesboro. Upon graduating from Douglas County High in 2013, where he was a first-team all-region and all-county selection at quarterback, he enrolled at prep school in Virginia. He then transferred to Los Angeles Valley College in the fall of 2014 as a true freshman and then transferred to at Alabama State in the spring of 2015. 

"I learned a lot," Richardson said. "Going out to the west coast having no family, no friends out there while leaving teammates, it was fun for me just a good learning experience. Coming back to Georgia and being closer to home and having family able to come down for scrimmages and games makes it feel more at home."

Richardson played in nine games in 2016 at Alabama State, throwing for 739 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 550 yards and eight scores. After transferring to Georgia Southern last year, he had to sit out per NCAA transfer rules and used it as a redshirt season. In the spring, he was moved to H-Back, which is a hybrid tight end spot in the new GS offense and is one of two main H-Backs expected to see action this season for the Eagles.

"I feel like it was an easy transition and that I have been a well-rounded athlete. I would say blocking is one of the hardest things to transition from quarterback."

Richardson's father, Chuck, played linebacker at Clemson on the 1981 national championship team and his brother, Chris, played defensive end for Clemson's football team from 2007-2010.

"I'm excited. I had to sit out last year and it went by kind of fast. Just being out there and Ross teaching me all he knows, besides Coach Lunsford. Ross pushing me helps and him be better."

SHAITOWN READY FOR TAKEOFF
As camp ends and game preparation begins, quarterback Shai Werts continues to be a leader on the offense and the team. Early in the scrimmage, Werts threw a back shoulder fade to the front pylon of the end zone for a score. The redshirt freshman continues to battle with the three other signal callers on the roster, but head coach Tyson Summers indicated that they plan to select and announce the starter next week.

"Last scrimmage was good, but this scrimmage was good as well," Werts said. "We continued to have big plays early in the scrimmage and the quarterbacks played really well. The heat began to get to us a little bit at the end, but I felt like for the most part we did a good job of finishing.

"Number one we have a really big chip on our shoulders being five touchdown underdogs. We can't worry about that we just have to do what we have to do and execute the game plan and get ready for September 2."

SEPTEMBER 2 APPROACHES, GUYS ARE READY TO PLAY
As Sept. 2 approaches, the team is getting restless to line up against someone other than a teammate. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (ET) in Auburn, Alabama, with the game being broadcast on the SEC Network. 

"Were excited to get ready for Auburn," Summers said. "We are really excited about being able to hit somebody else. We are ready to get a little bit more game planning in, but we still have a couple little things here and there, from a situational stand point to fix up. There are a couple little things on special teams that we need to fix tomorrow and next week. We are just really looking forward to going through next week and have one or two days to finish some things off and finish our install. We will have a mock game and make sure we know all the procedures more than anything else."

SAVANNAH PRACTICE
Georgia Southern will take a practice on the road as it heads to Savannah for its 19th preseason practice. The Eagles will head east on I-16 and will practice on the campus of Armstrong State University on Friday, Aug. 18 from 6-7:30 PM. Following the completion of the practice, the team will hold a fan fest with autographs, inflatables, entertainment and much more. For all the information on the event, click here.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
In order to expedite entry and provide a safe environment for all patrons and participants, Georgia Southern Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed sporting events, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Fans can find the complete policy as well as an FAQ section at GSEagles.com/ClearBag.
 
Georgia Southern Preseason Football Schedule
Date (Time, Location)
Fri., Aug. 18 (6-7:30 PM, Armstrong State; 7:30 PM Fan Fest, Armstrong State)
Sat., Aug. 19 No practice
Sun., Aug. 20 No practice
Mon., Aug. 21 (4-6 PM, Paulson); Day Six (8 PM, Paulson)
Tue., Aug. 22 (4-6 PM, Eagle Creek)
Wed., Aug. 23 (4-6 PM, Eagle Creek)
Thurs., Aug. 24 No practice

* times and locations subject to change