Spring Football Practice: For Dobson ‘Winning is Contagious’

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STATESBORO, Ga. – His name is already forever linked to two of the biggest plays in Georgia Southern football history. One will be in the Eagle record books forever and the other, well, you kind of had to be there.

At Texas State, safety Matt Dobson picked off Tyler Jones in the end zone and returned it 102 yards for a touchdown on the last play of the third quarter, and it proved to be the game-winning points, lifting Georgia Southern to a 28-25 victory over the Bobcats. Officially a 100-yard return because the NCAA does not recognize yardage in the end zone, it tied the school record for the longest play in Georgia Southern history.

Three weeks later, with an undefeated season in the Sun Belt Conference and an outright league title on the line against ULM, Dobson broke up a would-be Warhawk touchdown pass with three ticks left to preserve a 22-16 Eagle victory and conference championship.

"It got posted on Twitter, so I got some notifications," said Dobson. "It's always fun to go back and watch it. That will always be a good memory for me for the rest of my life, but there were a ton of plays made last year. The season as a whole was a memorable season, and that was just one play in a series of memorable plays throughout the year for Georgia Southern."

Dobson was third on the team with 62 tackles last season and picked off three passes, returning two for touchdowns. Not too shabby for a guy who came into Georgia Southern as a quarterback. He showed his athleticism early and spent a lot of time as a freshman on special teams before moving to safety in the spring before his sophomore campaign. Dobson believes his time as a quarterback has made him a better defender.

"I think it helps, knowing what goes through the quarterback's mind before the snap and then once the ball is snapped, knowing kind of where he's looking," said Dobson. "I can read some things quicker."

The senior has become a direct extension of the Georgia Southern coaching staff on the field, and his work ethic and passion for the game help set the tone for the younger players on both sides of the ball.

"He's one of the smarter players I've coached," said Georgia Southern defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jack Curtis. "He's a real student of the game – he really enjoys coming out and practicing every day. He provides a lot of leadership, not only in knowing what to do but in how hard he comes out and practices every day."

For Dobson and the Eagles, a Sun Belt title in their first FBS season was a nice start, but they are hungry for more.

"When you win championships, it's kind of contagious and everybody wants more, and I think that's the kind of team we've got," he said. "When you win one, that hunger for more gets so great."

The Eagles held their fourth spring practice at Paulson Stadium Monday afternoon. The next practice is scheduled for Wednesday at 4 p.m. on the banks of Beautiful Eagle Creek.

Remaining Spring Practice Schedule
Wednesday, April 1 - 4 p.m. - Eagle Creek
Friday, April 3
Saturday, April 4
Monday, April 6
Wednesday, April 8
Friday, April 10
Saturday, April 11
Monday, April 13
Wednesday, April 15
Friday, April 17
Saturday, April 18 – Spring Game

Four-Month Payment Plan Deadline Tomorrow
As a reminder, in order to take advantage of a four month payment plan for your 2015 Annual Fund, Eagle Football Season Tickets and/or Football Parking, you MUST RENEW and SET UP your payments by TOMORROW, TUESDAY, MARCH 31st, 2015. The 4-month payment plan option will NO LONGER be available after tomorrow's deadline.

In order to best serve our faithful and loyal Eagle Fund Donors and Season Ticket Holders, the Athletics Ticket Office will be open TOMORROW, TUESDAY, MARCH 31st from 8 AM-7 PM. If you have not set up payments for your 2015 Eagle Fund and Eagle Football Season Tickets/Parking and would like to do so before tomorrow's deadline, be sure to contact the Ticket Office by:
1.) Calling 1-800-GSU-WINS
2.) Renewing online at www.GSEagles.com/renewals
3.) In person at the Athletic Foundation and Ticket Office Building at Paulson Stadium (203 Lanier Dr. Statesboro, GA 30458)
Ticket Office Hours Are:
(Mon-Fri, 8AM-5PM)
(TUESDAY, MARCH 31st , 8 AM-7PM)

Second Annual Tailgate Cook-Off Set for Football Spring Game
Register for Tailgate Cook-Off
Do you put on the best tailgate? Do you grill up the best BBQ? Maybe you make a mean peach cobbler? Show Georgia Southern and Eagle Nation your skills at the Second Annual Spring Football Tailgate Cook-Off April 18 at Paulson Stadium. Tasting begins at 11 a.m.

The top-place tailgate and grill masters will claim the title of 2015 Spring Football Tailgate Cook-Off Champion, a one-of-a-kind trophy, a one-night stay at a hotel plus 2 tickets to the Georgia Southern vs. Georgia game in Athens Nov. 21, 2015, and of course, bragging rights. "True Blue Barbecue," Adam Pace and Jared Brown, won the inaugural Tailgate Cook-Off last year.

To enter the contest, a team or individual must register online by April 14 and pay a $20 cash fee per entry on site April 18. All teams or individuals are responsible for providing their own food and equipment for grilling/cooking and will be allowed only one vehicle inside the cook-off zone. Participants are encouraged to grill, cook, steam, etc. their best food for fans to enjoy.

Eagle fans are invited to serve as tasting judges for $3 to enter the tailgate zone, sample the food and complete a ballot to determine the top four. Scores from the tasting judges will be calculated and winners will be announced during the Blue-White Spring Football game. Tasting will begin at 11 a.m. and conclude at 12:30 p.m.

The second-place winner will receive four tickets and two sideline passes to the home football game against Texas State Oct. 29, 2015, on ESPNU. Third place will claim two tickets and two meal vouchers to the home football game against South Alabama Nov. 28, 2015. Fourth place will walk away with an autographed football and Georgia Southern prize pack.

EFAA Raffle
The Eagle Football Alumni Association (EFAA) will be holding its Eighth Annual $10,000 Reverse Raffle & Auction Sat., April 18, at 5 p.m. in the Gene Bishop Field House at Paulson Stadium following the Blue & White Spring Game.

There will be a silent and live auction, which will feature an array of items such as autographed memorabilia, vacation opportunities, once-in-a-lifetime Georgia Southern game experiences, vintage Georgia Southern Football memorabilia, autographed memorabilia from local professional teams and much more. In addition, the Third Edition Erk Russell Commemorative Shotgun will be auctioned off in the live auction. This year's theme for the shotgun is "Yellow School Buses." The final 10 tickets in the reverse raffle will be drawn after the live auction, and the final ticket will win $10,000.

2015 Schedule
Georgia Southern will face two Power Five conference teams, four teams that played in bowl games a year ago and will host six home games in Paulson Stadium in 2015. The Eagles have also been selected to play two games on nationally-televised ESPNU Thursday night broadcasts.

All home games and all Sun Belt Conference games will once again air on the ESPN platform.

Season tickets are on sale and can be purchased by visiting GSEagles.com/tickets or calling 1-800-GSU-WINS.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Eagle fans can follow Coach Willie Fritz's twitter account @CoachWEFritz.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Matt Dobson