Extended Road Trip Ends Saturday for Eagles
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern concludes an extended stretch away from Paulson Stadium when the Eagles travel to Samford this Saturday (Nov. 7) for a Southern Conference showdown. Kickoff at Seibert Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
Every Georgia Southern Football game can be heard on the 19 station Georgia Southern Radio Network (Eagle 102.9 FM the flagship station) and on the internet at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com. Chris Blair (play-by-play), Terry Harvin (color analyst) and Ryan Chambers (sidelines) will call the action. The pregame show begins two hours prior to kickoff. Fans inside Seibert Stadium can listen to the Eagles' broadcast on 88.1 FM.
The Eagles (4-4 overall, 3-2 SoCon) finish a 5-of-6 game stretch on the road, beginning late September at Elon with the only home game in that span last month against Chattanooga. Following Saturday's game at the Bulldogs, Georgia Southern returns to Paulson Stadium for two consecutive games to close out the regular season.
Despite a loss last year at home to Samford, GS still owns a 3-1 all-time record in the series. The only visit to Seibert Stadium for the Eagles came in 1989, a 52-7 win as part of the perfect 15-0 season.
Special teams play continues to shine for the Eagles. Sophomore punter Charlie Edwards is a narrow second in the SoCon and stands 22nd nationally averaging 40.4 yards. He has landed 13 of his 48 punts inside the 20-yard line, including three that have been downed on the one-yard line. As a team, the Eagles lead the league and ranks fifth nationally in net punting (38.5).
Fellow sophomore Adrian Mora shares the league lead and is tied for fourth nationally averaging 1.6 field goals per game. His career 85 percent completion rate leads all active Division I kickers. Mora (13-of-15) remains four field goals shy of the Eagles' season record. He leads the team with 54 points (13 FG/15-of-15 extra points).
Two of the SoCon's top running backs will be on the field Saturday, sophomore Adam Urbano and Samford's Chris Evans. Urbano enters the game fourth in the league and 49th nationally with 71.1 yards per game. He has rushed for 569 yards and six touchdowns this season, in addition to ranking second on the team with 30 receptions totaling 248 yards. Urbano's 102 all-purpose yards per game ranks him 69th nationally.
Jamere Valentine is the nation's second-ranked freshman averaging 4.9 receptions per game. With 36 on the year, the true-freshman receiver is tied for fifth among the GS season 'Top 10' and needs four more to overtake second place. He has totaled 335 yards and caught a team-leading four touchdowns. Urbano (30) is tied for 10th among the season receptions leaders, while true-freshmen receivers Patrick Barker (29) and Mitchell Williford (25) are close to joining that group.
Redshirt-freshman defensive lineman Brent Russell continues leading the Eagles with 9.0 tackles for a loss (eighth SoCon/tied 62nd nationally) and 5.0 sacks (fourth/tied 35th).
Sophomore linebacker Dion DuBose leads the Eagles with 69 tackles this year, eighth-best in the league and tied for 69th in the country. He recorded his 100th career tackle last time out at Appalachian State (101).
Samford (3-5, 1-4) enters the game looking to end a three-game losing streak, all in Southern Conference play. The Bulldogs matched a season-high in points allowed, losing last weekend to The Citadel 28-16. Citadel clinched it late in the game, returning an interception 82 yards for a touchdown making it 28-10 with 2:41 remaining. Samford added a late touchdown for the final margin.
Evans rushed for 52 yards, giving him 3,000 career rushing yards and in the process became the second player in Samford history to reach that milestone. Dustin Taliaferro completed 21-of-34 passes for 130 yards with an interception. SoCon-leader Bob Hooper averaged 39.7 yards on 10 punts. Riley Hawkins caught six passes to lead the squad. Bryce Smith shared game-high honors with nine tackles, in addition to his one forced fumble and interception. Jamael Lett added seven stops.
Despite the 3-5 record, Samford ranks eighth nationally in rushing defense (allowing 84.5 yards per game), fifth in total defense (246.9) and 14th in scoring defense (16.4). Hooper not only holds a slight lead over Edwards in the SoCon rankings but also stands 18th nationally with 40.5 yards per punt. Richie Fordham stands 26th with his 8.8 yards per punt return. Evans' 87.5 ypg on the ground is good for 25th nationally and second in the league. Smith's 9.3 tackles per game puts him fifth in the league and 36th nationally.
