Eagles-Bulldogs Meet in First Round of FCS Playoffs
11/26/2010 9:12:00 PM | Football
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Eagles (7-4) return to postseason play this weekend and will play host to South Carolina State (9-2) in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs. The Eagles have won an unprecedented six national championships and have more playoff wins with 38 than any other FCS program. Georgia Southern earned an at-large berth after finishing the regular season strong with a victory over then-number one and previously undefeated Appalachian State and road wins over Western Carolina and Furman.
Headed to the playoffs for the 17th time, Georgia Southern is fourth on the all-time list for appearances. This is the first appearance for the Eagles since 2005 and first playoff game at Paulson Stadium since 2004. South Carolina State, co-champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, also earned an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs and is making its third straight trip to the playoffs. The Bulldogs have made four previous appearances in the playoffs as MEAC champions in 1981, 1982, 2008 and 2009.
KICKOFF
2 p.m., Saturday, November 27th at Paulson Stadium (grass/capacity 18,000)
TICKETS & TICKET OFFICE HOURS
The Georgia Southern Athletics Ticket Office, located at 203 Lanier Drive in Statesboro, is open Friday, November 26th from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and will open at 10 a.m. on game day, Saturday, November 27th. Will Call, located at Gate 4, will open at 10 a.m. Saturday morning for fans to pick up tickets that were purchased earlier.
WHERE TO LISTEN
In his fifth year as the "Voice of the Eagles," Chris Blair will call all the action for Saturday's matchup on the 17-station Georgia Southern Radio Network. Eagle standout Terry Harvin provides the color commentary and Ryan Chambers brings the sideline experience to the broadcast. The game can be heard locally in Statesboro on 102.9 WPMX-FM or globally online at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/Eaglevision. A complete list of affiliates can be found at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/radionetwork. Eagle fans can listen to the Georgia Southern Radio Network broadcast inside Paulson Stadium by tuning in at 88.1 FM.
WHERE TO WATCH
Georgia Southern fans will be able to view the Eagles-Bulldogs football game webcast, available for free, at NCAA.com/allaccess. Veteran announcer Greg Rakestraw will handle play-by-play duties for the webcast.
THE SERIES
Georgia Southern holds a 6-0 advantage over South Carolina State with the two teams last meeting for the 1996 season opener. This is the first meeting between the Eagles and the Bulldogs in the postseason. The two teams met for four straight years 1985-1988 with the last two meetings in back-to-back seasons, 1995 and 1996.
PLAYOFF RECORD
Georgia Southern is 38-10 in 16 previous appearances in the NCAA Division I playoffs, with the 38-win total ranking as the highest among FCS institutions. The Eagles are 29-3 in playoff action at Paulson Stadium.
AGAINST THE FIELD
Georgia Southern owns a 2-1 record against the NCAA FCS Playoff field with wins over top-seeded Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina with a loss to Wofford.
THE COACHES
Jeff Monken leads the Eagles into the playoffs in his first year as head coach at Georgia Southern. With 21 years of coaching experience, the Joliet, Ill., native guided GSU to a 7-4 overall record and 5-3 mark in Southern Conference play. The Eagles are 3-0 in November, defeating then-top-ranked Appalachian State 21-14 in overtime at Paulson Stadium, and picking up road wins at Western Carolina and Furman.
Monken served for five years as an assistant coach on Paul Johnson's staff at Georgia Southern from 1997-2001. During that time, the Eagles went 62 and 10, winning five straight SoCon championships and won two national titles. He joined Johnson at Navy, helping the Midshipmen to five straight bowl appearances, and then at Georgia Tech, where the Yellow Jackets won an ACC title and earned an Orange Bowl berth in 2009.
Oliver "Buddy" Pough
A former offensive lineman for South Carolina State, Oliver "Buddy" Pough is in his ninth season as the head coach at his alma mater. Pough, who succeeded head coach emeritus Willie Jeffries after his 19-year career, has built the Bulldog program into a perennial power. S.C. State won Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles in 2008 and 2009 and a co-championship in 2010 with this season marking a third-straight trip to the NCAA FCS playoffs.
Pough, a native of Orangeburg, S.C., joined the staff at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 1979. He was part of the Bulldog team that made its first appearances in the NCAA playoffs when South Carolina State made back-to-back trips in 1981 and 1982.
RUSSELL NAMED ONE OF 20 FINALISTS FOR BUCHANAN AWARD
Finalists for the Football Championship Subdivision's top player honors were announced Monday and Georgia Southern redshirt sophomore Brent Russell (Comer, Ga.) was among the 20 considered for the Buck Buchanan Award. The Buchanan Award annually recognizes the outstanding defensive player in the FCS. Ballots for the Buchanan Award and the Payton Award, bestowed on the outstanding offensive player in the FCS, were issued to a panel of nearly 175 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries.
The top individual awards, as well as the Eddie Robinson Award, which honors the FCS coach of the year, will be announced at the national awards banquet on Thursday, Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas - the night before the national championship game. All three awards are sponsored by Fathead.com.
SCOTT SCAMPERS FOR RECORDS
Junior kickoff return specialist Laron Scott (Warner Robins, Ga.) broke Anthony Williams single-game record for most kickoff return yards in a single-game with his 146 yards against Samford at the end of October. Scott's 76-yard return brought the Paulson Stadium crowd to their feet and accounted for more than half his total on the day.
In the final regular season game at Furman, Scott, who entered the game with 684 return yards, set the single-season record for kickoff return yardage with 34 yards on his first return. Scott eclipsed Nay Young's 1986 season record (715) with his current 734 total.
EAGLES SELECTED FOR SoCON HONORS
Seven Georgia Southern players earned Southern Conference All-Conference honors as selected by the league's coaches and announced this week. Punter Charlie Edwards (Tifton, Ga.), offensive lineman Brett Moore (Warner Robins, Ga.), nose tackle Brent Russell (Comer, Ga.), and Laron Scott (Warner Robins, Ga.), who was selected as both a defensive back and return specialist, were recognized on the 2010 first team. Two Eagles, linebacker Josh Rowe (Opelika, Ala.) and junior Roderick Tinsley (Soperton, Ga.), received All-Conference Second Team honors for defense.
The Southern Conference Sports Media Association selected its SoCon Football All-Conference Teams and Specialty Awards for the 2010 season with six Georgia Southern players earning all-conference honors. Sophomore nose tackle Brent Russell (Comer, Ga.) and junior punter Charlie Edwards (Tifton, Ga.) earned first-team honors with junior Laron Scott (Warner Robins, Ga.) recognized as both a first-team selection as a defensive back and return specialist. Junior offensive lineman Brett Moore (Warner Robins, Ga.) and junior defensive lineman Roderick Tinsley (Soperton, Ga.) were named to the All-Conference Second Team for offense and defense, respectively.
The Southern Conference football coaches also selected a 25-player all-freshman team, comprised of 11 offensive, 11 defensive and three special teams players. The league announced the selections Tuesday in tandem with the All-Conference teams. Three Eagles were selected for All-Freshman team honors: running back Robert Brown (Macon, Ga.), offensive lineman Dorian Byrd (Macon, Ga.) and defensive lineman Josh Gebhardt (Douglasville, Ga.).
EVEN MORE FOR MORA
With two PATs against Wofford, junior kicker Adrian Mora (Dalton, Ga.) tied and then set the Georgia Southern career record for consecutive PATs made, currently standing at 84. Mora has been perfect in PATs in his career, 84-84 (31 in 2008, 19 in 2009, and 34 straight so far in 2010). Mora has accounted for at least one point in every game in which he has played.
SUPPORTING THE GULF COAST
Southern Conference football teams will show their support for those being negatively impacted along the Gulf Coast by wearing helmet decals with the initials "GC" during the 2010 football season. More than 170 SoCon football players come from states that share a coastline being affected by the oil spill. The nine institutions that play SoCon football agreed to display the decals to express their support and encouragement for the people living in the region.
GAME UPDATES
Live stats are available through the NCAA.com website or by clicking HERE. Scoring and quarter updates will also be available on twitter.com/GSScores.
