GAME PREVIEW: Southern and State Set to Clash in Atlanta
11/19/2018 1:00:00 PM | Football
Eagles looking to finish regular season strong
Game 12: Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 • 2:05 PM
Location: Atlanta, Ga. (Georgia State Stadium; 25,000)
Records:
Georgia Southern: 8-3, 5-2 Sun Belt
Georgia State: 2-9, 1-6 Sun Belt
Broadcast Information
Broadcast: ESPN+
PBP: Matt Stewart; Analyst: Wayne Gandy
Radio: Georgia Southern Sports Network
PBP: Danny Reed; Analyst: Terry Harvin; Sidelines: Russ Brown
GS: GAME NOTES (PDF)
GAME DAY PAGE
Inside The Series
Overall: Fifth Meeting (Georgia State leads, 3-1 • 0-2 Home; 1-1 Away)
Current Streak: GSU, Won 3
Last Meeting: Nov. 4, 2017 (L, 17-21) - Allen E. Paulson Stadium | Statesboro, Ga.
Facts Maybe Only We Find Interesting: Despite their proximity, Georgia Southern and Georgia State have met just four times before with Georgia State leading the series 3-1 … The Eagles won the first game in the series 69-31 in 2014 in Atlanta, but the Panthers have taken the past three games, winning 34-7 in 2015 in Statesboro, 30-24 in 2016 in Atlanta and 21-17 last season in Statesboro … The head coaches on Saturday certainly know each other well as Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott served 13 seasons as an assistant coach at Appalachian State from 1997-2009 … His final nine seasons, he served as the offensive line coach and hired a young tight ends coach in 2001 named Chad Lunsford … Lunsford spent two seasons on the staff at App State before beginning his first stint at Georgia Southern and the two remain friends to the day … The winner of this game earns two points for its department in the annual Southern-State Rivalry Series, which currently is led by Georgia State, 4.0-2.0.
Countdown to Kickoff
10: Wesley Fields needs 145 rushing yards to move into 10th place at GS for rushing yards in a season by a senior.
9: Georgia Southern has won nine of the 10 games under Chad Lunsford it has led going to the fourth quarter.
8: Eight players have started all 11 games for the Eagles this season (four on offense, four on defense).
7: The Eagles have allowed just seven points off five turnovers this season.
6: This will be Georgia Southern's sixth game played all-time in the Atlanta Metro area during the modern era.
5: GS has committed just five turnovers this season, which would be a new NCAA FBS single-season low if the Eagles can maintain their pace. The current NCAA record is eight turnovers in a season by by six teams, last done by LSU in 2017.
4: Kindle Vildor's four interceptions are tied for the Sun Belt Conference lead.
3: Georgia State has won the past three games in the series after the Eagles won the first game in 2014.
2: The winner of this game earns two points for its department in the annual Southern-State Rivalry Series.
1: This is believed to be the first time GS has ever played a football game in a stadium built specifically for baseball.
