MOBILE, Ala. – Jake Bentley threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two scores to lead South Alabama to a 41-14 Sun Belt Conference football win over Georgia Southern Thursday night at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

Eagles of the Game: 
Amare Jones caught four balls for 90 yards, and Logan Wright rushed 14 times for 60 yards. Alex Raynor kicked two field goals, and Justin Birdsong led the Eagle defense with seven tackles.

Key Moments:
With the Jags (4-2, 1-2) leading 17-0, CJ Rias intercepted a Justin Tomlin pass at the GS 40-yard line. On the next play, Bentley found Jalen Tolbert, who finished with 11 receptions for 174 yards, for a 40-yard touchdown pass.

South Alabama forced the Eagles (2-5, 1-3) to go 3-and-out on their next possession, and Bentley hit Jay'juan Townsend down the right sideline for a 62-yard pickup. Bentley threw to Jalen Wayne, who finished with seven catches for 117 yards, in the left corner of the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown on the next play, and South Alabama led 31-0 with 9:08 left in the first half. 

The Eagles were held without a first down until midway through the second quarter, had five total yards on their first five drives and gave up 31 first-half points, the most they have allowed in a Sun Belt contest.

Key Stats:
South Alabama outgained the Eagles 545-233.

Notes:
- It was South Alabama's first win against Georgia Southern as the Eagles fall to 7-1 against the Jags.
- Georgia Southern is now 10-6 all-time in games played on Thursdays, 5-2 at home and 5-4 on the road.
- Georgia Southern is now 7-5 all-time on short rest (less than seven days). 
- Bentley became the first South Alabama player with five total touchdowns in a game.

Scoring Plays:
USA – 1st, 10:16 – Jake Bentley 12 yd rush (PAT good), 0-7
USA – 1st, 02:03 – Diego Guajardo 48 yd FG, 0-10
USA – 2nd, 14:00 – Bentley 6 yd rush (PAT good), 0-17
USA – 2nd, 12:29 – Jalen Tolbert 40 yd pass from Bentley (PAT good), 0-24
USA – 2nd, 09:08 – Jalen Wayne 5 yd pass from Bentley (PAT good), 0-31
GS – 2nd, 02:00 - J.D. King 2-yd rush (2-pt conv), 8-31
GS – 3rd, 10:22 – Alex Raynor 44-yd FG, 11-31
USA – 3rd, 03:41 – Lincoln Sefcik 5-yd pass from Bentley (PAT good), 11-38
GS – 4th, 14:50 – Raynor 34-yd FG, 14-38
USA – 4th, 04:55 – Guajardo 31-yd FG, 14-41

Next Up:
The Eagles have 15 days between games as Georgia Southern plays host to Georgia State on Homecoming Oct. 30 in its next contest. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 6 p.m., it's a Blue Out in Paulson Stadium and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.