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Photo by: Frank Fortune - Georgia Southern Athletics
Eagles and Bulldogs to Battle In Athens
11/16/2015 4:41:00 PM | Football
Game marks final non-conference contest for GS
The Georgia Southern Eagles will step out of conference for one final time with a trip to the University of Georgia in an ESPNU contest on Saturday, Nov. 21. Here's all you need to know about the game:
Game 10: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 • 7 PM
Location: Athens, Ga. (Sanford Stadium; 92,746)
Broadcast Information
Online: ESPNU
PBP: Clay Matvick; Analyst: John Congemi
Radio: Eagle Sports Network
PBP: Chris Blair; Analyst: Terry Harvin; Sidelines: Danny Reed
Satellite: Sirius 113/XM 202 (UGa radio crew)
GS: GAME NOTES (PDF)
LIVE STATS
The Series
• Georgia Southern and the University of Georgia have met five times on the gridiron with the Bulldogs holding a 5-0 lead in the series that dates back to 1992.
• All five games in the series have been played in Athens with Georgia taking wins in 1992 (34-7), 2000 (29-7), 2004 (48-28), 2008 (45-21) and 2012 (45-14).
Erk Russell Classic
• The Georgia Southern and Georgia football programs are forever tied together by one man: Erk Russell.
• Russell was the defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs for 17 years (1964-1981) and left to resurrect the Georgia Southern program, becoming the Eagles' head football coach (1982-1989).
• As the first head coach of Georgia Southern's football team after a 40-year dormancy, Russell established a standard of excellence during his tenure, winning three NCAA Division I-AA championships. He went 83-22-1 in his eight years as the head coach of the Eagles.
• Russell died in Statesboro, Georgia, on Sept. 8, 2006 following a stroke at age 80.
The Theus Family Reunion
• Saturday will be a reunion of sorts for the Theus family as three brothers play for the two squads taking the field. For the Bulldogs, it'll be left tackle John Theus and long snapper Nathan Theus. For the Eagles, it's freshman Jeremiah Theus.
• John, a senior starter, was all-conference last season while Nathan, a redshirt senior, has been the primary long snapper for the Bulldogs the past three seasons. Jeremiah is a true freshman for the Eagles. He played in one game this year and will seek a medical hardship waiver after injuring his shoulder and having surgery, but will be on the sideline.
Fourth Down Analytics
• Georgia Southern head coach Willie Fritz uses analytics in game to help guide a lot of his decisions, including fourth down. Those analytics have been paying off recently as the Eagles have converted 11 straight fourth-down conversions dating back to the ULM game on Oct. 3. The Eagles are 16 of 24 on the season and the 24 attempts ranks among the top five in the country.
Winning the T.O.P. Battle
• In last week's game at Troy, the Eagles held the ball for a staggering 42:55 out of 60 minutes, posting scoring drives of 6:09, 8:20 and 12:01. The 42:55 total is the second highest in school history and is the third highest in the FBS this season behind Air Force's 45:06 total at Hawaii and Rice's 44:02 at Texas in a losing effort.
• Georgia Southern is second in the FBS in average time of possession (34:06), trailing only Stanford (35:57).
Against the Power 5
• Georgia Southern has held its own against current "Power 5" schools in recent history. Last year, the Eagles led ACC opponents Georgia Tech and NC State late on the road, but fell 42-38 and 24-23, respectively. The program's biggest moment against a "Power 5" school came in 2013 when the Eagles beat SEC power Florida 26-20 in The Swamp.
Game 10: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 • 7 PM
Location: Athens, Ga. (Sanford Stadium; 92,746)
Broadcast Information
Online: ESPNU
PBP: Clay Matvick; Analyst: John Congemi
Radio: Eagle Sports Network
PBP: Chris Blair; Analyst: Terry Harvin; Sidelines: Danny Reed
Satellite: Sirius 113/XM 202 (UGa radio crew)
GS: GAME NOTES (PDF)
LIVE STATS
The Series
• Georgia Southern and the University of Georgia have met five times on the gridiron with the Bulldogs holding a 5-0 lead in the series that dates back to 1992.
• All five games in the series have been played in Athens with Georgia taking wins in 1992 (34-7), 2000 (29-7), 2004 (48-28), 2008 (45-21) and 2012 (45-14).
Erk Russell Classic
• The Georgia Southern and Georgia football programs are forever tied together by one man: Erk Russell.
• Russell was the defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs for 17 years (1964-1981) and left to resurrect the Georgia Southern program, becoming the Eagles' head football coach (1982-1989).
• As the first head coach of Georgia Southern's football team after a 40-year dormancy, Russell established a standard of excellence during his tenure, winning three NCAA Division I-AA championships. He went 83-22-1 in his eight years as the head coach of the Eagles.
• Russell died in Statesboro, Georgia, on Sept. 8, 2006 following a stroke at age 80.
The Theus Family Reunion
• Saturday will be a reunion of sorts for the Theus family as three brothers play for the two squads taking the field. For the Bulldogs, it'll be left tackle John Theus and long snapper Nathan Theus. For the Eagles, it's freshman Jeremiah Theus.
• John, a senior starter, was all-conference last season while Nathan, a redshirt senior, has been the primary long snapper for the Bulldogs the past three seasons. Jeremiah is a true freshman for the Eagles. He played in one game this year and will seek a medical hardship waiver after injuring his shoulder and having surgery, but will be on the sideline.
Fourth Down Analytics
• Georgia Southern head coach Willie Fritz uses analytics in game to help guide a lot of his decisions, including fourth down. Those analytics have been paying off recently as the Eagles have converted 11 straight fourth-down conversions dating back to the ULM game on Oct. 3. The Eagles are 16 of 24 on the season and the 24 attempts ranks among the top five in the country.
Winning the T.O.P. Battle
• In last week's game at Troy, the Eagles held the ball for a staggering 42:55 out of 60 minutes, posting scoring drives of 6:09, 8:20 and 12:01. The 42:55 total is the second highest in school history and is the third highest in the FBS this season behind Air Force's 45:06 total at Hawaii and Rice's 44:02 at Texas in a losing effort.
• Georgia Southern is second in the FBS in average time of possession (34:06), trailing only Stanford (35:57).
Against the Power 5
• Georgia Southern has held its own against current "Power 5" schools in recent history. Last year, the Eagles led ACC opponents Georgia Tech and NC State late on the road, but fell 42-38 and 24-23, respectively. The program's biggest moment against a "Power 5" school came in 2013 when the Eagles beat SEC power Florida 26-20 in The Swamp.
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