Eagles Move to 3-0 in Sun Belt with Win at New Mexico State

Saturday, October 4

Las Cruces, NM

8 p.m.

Georgia Southern University

4-2 , 3-0

New Mexico State

2-4 , 1-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Georgia Southern

New Mexico State

Photo by: Frank Fortune - Georgia Southern Athletics

10/5/2014 1:34:00 AM | Football

Box Score

Ellison and Ramsby run for 100-plus yards vs. Aggies

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Georgia Southern scored on four-straight possessions to take its first lead of the game, a 19-14 advantage in the third quarter, then proceeded to a 36-28 victory over New Mexico State at Aggie Memorial Stadium Saturday night. Redshirt freshman L.A. Ramsby ran for a career-best 136 yards and his seven-yard touchdown run with 11:37 left in the third gave the Eagles their first lead of the night. Kevin Ellison put the game out of distance after an Aggie touchdown late in the fourth with a 32-yard run up the middle on third-and-six with 2:41 left in the game.

"We were happy to get a win," said Georgia Southern Head Coach Willie Fritz. "New Mexico State did a fantastic job. They are a very well coached team, offensively and defensively, in all phases. They kept fighting and plugging away. I thought a couple of times we had the game put away and they just kept coming back."

The Eagles scored 29 unanswered points in the second and third quarters before the Aggies drove 80 yards behind Tyler Rogers' seven of eight passing and Brandon Betancourt punched it in from five yards out to pull the Aggies within eight points, 21-29. Zach Walker recovered the Aggies' onside kick and put the Eagle offense back on the field and Ellison directed the Eagles downfield, rushing for 45 yards, including a 32-yard jaunt to put Georgia Southern back up by two possessions 36-21.

Battling to the end, New Mexico State scored again, as Rogers made four key completions and a Georgia Southern pass interference penalty put the Aggies on the Georgia Southern three-yard line. Betancourt scored his second TD of the night with a three-yard run and successful point after to pull within an eight-point margin again.

Nineteen seconds remained on the clock and the Aggies attempted another onside kick, but the Eagles downed the ball to remain undefeated in the Sun Belt.

The Eagles lacked their offensive rhythm in the first quarter, with only 55 yards rushing in the first quarter and on the short side of a 189-62 margin of total offense after that period. It showed on the scoreboard as the Aggies took a 14-0 lead.

The tide turned in the second quarter as Georgia Southern capitalized on the Aggies turning over the ball on downs and went 71 yards on seven plays for its first score of the night. Ramsby, with the longest run of his career, a 46-yard power run on the first play of the drive, put the Eagles at the New Mexico State 25. Devin Scott converted a 4^th and three to give Georgia Southern the first down at the Aggie 18. Ramsby ran for six yards and then Ellison took it in for the final seven. Hanks' point-after attempt was blocked, but the Eagles were finally on the board with six points at 6:12 left in the first half.

Hanks put six more points on the scoreboard with two field goals, both after the Eagles had picked off Aggie passes, the first by Deshawntee Gallon, led to a Hanks' 23-yarder to bring the Eagles within five points, 9-14. Matt Dobson's pick resulted in Hank's second field goal, just two seconds before the end of the first half, the second-longest of his career at 45 yards.
Georgia Southern started the second half the way it ended the first – with three straight scoring possessions, with Ramsby's TD run giving the Eagles their first lead of the night, 22-14.

After the Aggies punted the ball away on their first possession of the second half, Ellison and Matt Breida combined for 32 yards on the first two plays to put the Eagles on the NMSU side of the field. Ramsby's 15-yard run moved the ball to the NMSU 12, but Georgia Southern had to settle for a 30-yard field goal as Hanks finished his night going 3-3, tying his career best from the opener at N.C. State.

A third New Mexico State interception positioned the Eagles for another score in the third quarter. Deion Stanley's seventh career interception gave Georgia Southern a starting spot on the New Mexico State side of the field at its 44-yard line. Ellison contributed 27 yards and Scott 12 more in the final drive. Senior Ean Days scored on his second attempt for a 29-14 Georgia Southern lead.

Four Eagles had double digits in tackles and all had career-best totals as senior linebacker Edwin Jackson had team-high 14 total tackles with Antonio Glover and Matt Dobson each with 11 on the night. Deshawntee Gallon had 10 and with his first career interception coming at midfield and leading to the Eagles' first field goal.

Georgia Southern returns home to Statesboro for a homecoming contest vs. Idaho at Paulson Stadium on Saturday, October 11th. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at GSEagles.com/fbtix.

NOTES: Derek Keaton's first quarter 39-yard kickoff return was the longest for the Eagles this year… L.A. Ramsby's 46-yard rush was his career long… Ramsby ran for 61 yards in the second quarter… New Mexico State wore pink jerseys and had an extended halftime for its "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" Day in support of Breast Cancer Awareness… New Mexico State's 14 points in the first quarter was the most the Aggies have scored in the first period this year… Hanks went 3-3 against the Aggies, tying his career best of 3-3 set at N.C. State in the season opener… The Eagles' three interceptions are the most since the Nov. 9 game vs. Western Carolina (4)… Of Georgia Southern's 22 first downs, 21 were rushing, 1 was a penalty… the trip to Las Cruces, N.M., was the longest distance traveled by the Eagles since a 1999 trip to Oregon State.