Saturday, September 19
Jacksonville, AL
7:00 PM (ET)/6:00 PM (CT)
Georgia Southern University
at
Jax State
GAME PREVIEW: Eagles Head to Alabama to Face Jax State
9/14/2026 3:30:00 PM | Football
Squad looking to bounce back in non-conference action
STATESBORO - The Georgia Southern football team travels to AmFirst Stadium Saturday to take on Jacksonville State in non-conference action. Kickoff is set for 7:02 p.m. (ET)/6:02 p.m. (local) and it will be carried on ESPN+. The game will also be available via radio on the Georgia Southern Sports Network. Here's all you need to know about the game:
Game 3: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 • 7:02 PM (ET)/6:02 p.m. (local)
Location: Jacksonville, Ala. (AmFirst Stadium; 24,000)
Records:
Jax State: 1-2, 0-0 CUSA
Georgia Southern: 1-1, 0-0 SBC
Broadcast Information
Broadcast: ESPN+
PBP: Eli Gold; Analyst: Jeff Burger; Sidelines: Erica Schoeman
Radio: Georgia Southern Sports Network
PBP: Adam Young (@youngpbp); Analyst: Frank Sulkowski (@TheBigGuyWJCL); Sidelines: Jeff Roberts (@JeffRoberts__)
GS: GAME NOTES (PDF)
Radio Affiliates
Inside The Series
Overall Record GS leads, 5-0
In Statesboro GS leads, 4-0
In Jacksonville GS leads, 1-0
Kelly vs. GS 0-1
Helton vs. Jax State 1-0
Helton vs. Kelly Helton leads, 1-0
Current Streak GS, won five (1992-)
Last Meeting GS 41, Jax State 34 (2005)
Longest GS Streak Five (1992-present)
Longest JSU Streak N/A
Largest GS Win 38 points (2002 in Statesboro)
Largest JSU Win N/A
GS vs. current CUSA Members 25-11
GS vs. teams from Alabama 22-17
GS in state of Alabama 13-12
GS at AmFirst Stadium 1-0
Helton at AmFirst Stadium 0-0
Of Note:
Countdown to Kickoff
10: Georgia Southern has the 10th-longest active scoring streak in the G5 at 141 games.
9: Josh Dallas tied his career high with nine catches at Clemson.
8: After posting just 12 sacks all of last year in 13 games, the Georgia Southern defense under new defensive coordinator Mike Mutz already has eight sacks in two games this season.
7: Georgia Southern's defense has allowed just seven third-down conversions on 32 attempts (21.9%), including a 2-for-14 effort at Clemson last week.
6: The Eagles have six players from the state of Alabama: tight end Henry Gregory (Birmingham), tight end River Helms (Lester), receiver Ashton Hollins (Mobile), quarterback Charlie Johnston (Moody), defensive lineman Kwon McGinney (Mobile) and receiver Peyton Plott (Auburn).
5: Georgia Southern has won all five previous games against Jax State after last year's 41-34 win in Statesboro. This will be just the second meeting between the two schools in Jacksonville.
4: After coming into the season with no career catches, Jeremiah Ware has had four catches in each of the first two games this season.
3: Quarterback Max Johnson is ranked third in the FBS, averaging 27.5 completions per game.
2: The Eagle defense is ranked second in the FBS, averaging 12.0 tackles per loss per game.
1: Jax State offensive coordinator Taylor Housewright spent one season on the staff at Georgia Southern.
Up Next:
Sept. 26 vs. Houston - Statesboro, Ga. - 3:30 or 4 p.m. - ESPN2 or ESPNU
BUY TICKETS
Game 3: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 • 7:02 PM (ET)/6:02 p.m. (local)
Location: Jacksonville, Ala. (AmFirst Stadium; 24,000)
Records:
Jax State: 1-2, 0-0 CUSA
Georgia Southern: 1-1, 0-0 SBC
Broadcast Information
Broadcast: ESPN+
PBP: Eli Gold; Analyst: Jeff Burger; Sidelines: Erica Schoeman
Radio: Georgia Southern Sports Network
PBP: Adam Young (@youngpbp); Analyst: Frank Sulkowski (@TheBigGuyWJCL); Sidelines: Jeff Roberts (@JeffRoberts__)
GS: GAME NOTES (PDF)
Radio Affiliates
Inside The Series
Overall Record GS leads, 5-0
In Statesboro GS leads, 4-0
In Jacksonville GS leads, 1-0
Kelly vs. GS 0-1
Helton vs. Jax State 1-0
Helton vs. Kelly Helton leads, 1-0
Current Streak GS, won five (1992-)
Last Meeting GS 41, Jax State 34 (2005)
Longest GS Streak Five (1992-present)
Longest JSU Streak N/A
Largest GS Win 38 points (2002 in Statesboro)
Largest JSU Win N/A
GS vs. current CUSA Members 25-11
GS vs. teams from Alabama 22-17
GS in state of Alabama 13-12
GS at AmFirst Stadium 1-0
Helton at AmFirst Stadium 0-0
Of Note:
- This will be the sixth football meeting between Georgia Southern and Jacksonville State. The Eagles lead the series 5-0 after winning 41-34 in Statesboro. This will be the first meeting in Jacksonville since 1999.
- This will be the second meeting between the two teams as members of the FBS. Prior to last year's game, the previous four meetings came when both teams were in the Division I-AA/FCS. The series began in 1992 with the Eagles winning 10-0 in Statesboro. In 1998, Georgia Southern beat Jax State 51-32 at home before winning in Alabama 51-14 a year later. The last pre-FBS meeting came in 2002 with Georgia Southern winning 41-3 at Paulson Stadium.
- Gamecock offensive coordinator Taylor Housewright served on the Georgia Southern coaching staff in 2024.
- The Eagles have six players from the state of Alabama: tight end Henry Gregory (Birmingham), tight end River Helms (Lester), receiver Ashton Hollins (Mobile), quarterback Charlie Johnston (Moody), defensive lineman Kwon McGinney (Mobile) and receiver Peyton Plott (Auburn).
Countdown to Kickoff
10: Georgia Southern has the 10th-longest active scoring streak in the G5 at 141 games.
9: Josh Dallas tied his career high with nine catches at Clemson.
8: After posting just 12 sacks all of last year in 13 games, the Georgia Southern defense under new defensive coordinator Mike Mutz already has eight sacks in two games this season.
7: Georgia Southern's defense has allowed just seven third-down conversions on 32 attempts (21.9%), including a 2-for-14 effort at Clemson last week.
6: The Eagles have six players from the state of Alabama: tight end Henry Gregory (Birmingham), tight end River Helms (Lester), receiver Ashton Hollins (Mobile), quarterback Charlie Johnston (Moody), defensive lineman Kwon McGinney (Mobile) and receiver Peyton Plott (Auburn).
5: Georgia Southern has won all five previous games against Jax State after last year's 41-34 win in Statesboro. This will be just the second meeting between the two schools in Jacksonville.
4: After coming into the season with no career catches, Jeremiah Ware has had four catches in each of the first two games this season.
3: Quarterback Max Johnson is ranked third in the FBS, averaging 27.5 completions per game.
2: The Eagle defense is ranked second in the FBS, averaging 12.0 tackles per loss per game.
1: Jax State offensive coordinator Taylor Housewright spent one season on the staff at Georgia Southern.
Up Next:
Sept. 26 vs. Houston - Statesboro, Ga. - 3:30 or 4 p.m. - ESPN2 or ESPNU
BUY TICKETS
Players Mentioned
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