STATESBORO – J.D. King rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown, and Georgia Southern scored 21 points off of three ULM turnovers to defeat the Warhawks 51-29 in Sun Belt Conference football action Saturday afternoon in Paulson Stadium.

The Eagles (6-4, 4-2) scored a season high 51 points, and the victory makes GS bowl eligible for the second consecutive season.

Eagles of the Game: Wesley Kennedy III ran for 76 yards and a score, while Shai Werts rushed for 53 yards and two touchdowns and threw for a third score. Donald Rutledge Jr. returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown.

Key Moments: Rashad Byrd picked off Caleb Evans on ULM's second play of the game and returned it 32 yards to the Warhawk 21-yard line to set up the Eagles' first score. It was the redshirt junior's fourth career interception. Werts would take it in from 11 yards out to put the Eagles ahead 7-0.

With the Eagles leading 17-7, Werts found Darion Anderson for a 33-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline with 37 seconds left in the first half, giving GS a 24-7 cushion at halftime.

After ULM (4-6, 3-3) cut the margin to 24-14, Eagle Randy Wade Jr. recovered a ULM muffed punt at the Warhawk 6-yard line. King took it in for the score to extend the margin to 31-14 with 25 seconds left in the third. 

Donald Rutledge Jr. put the game away when he picked off an Evans pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown and a 38-14 lead on the second play of the fourth quarter.

Fun Stat: The Eagles held the Warhawks to 0 of 10 on 3rd down before ULM's final possession of the contest.

Key Scoring Plays:
GS – Shai Werts 11-yard run with 11:07 left in the 1st, 7-0
ULM – Austin Vaughn 3-yard run with 4:56 left in the 1st, 7-7
GS – Tyler Bass 26-yard FG with 13:29 left in the 2nd, 10-7
GS – Werts 24-yard run with 9:00 left in the 2nd, 17-7
GS – Werts 33-yard pass to Darion Anderson with 37 seconds left in 2nd, 24-7
ULM – Caleb Evans 1-yard run with 6:41 left in 3rd, 24-14
GS – J.D. King 6-yard run with 25 seconds left in 3rd, 31-14
GS - Donald Rutledge Jr. 42-yard INT return with 14:41 left in the 4th, 38-14

Up Next
The Eagles travel to Arkansas State next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET in Jonesboro, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.