The Benko Briefing
10/17/2022 3:00:00 PM | Track & Field/XC, Football, Men's Golf, Women's Soccer, Volleyball, Women's Rifle, Women's Golf
AD addresses Eagle Nation in letter form
Eagle Nation,
I hope this note finds you and your family well!
Last weekend was special. I can't tell you how proud I am of our football student-athletes, coaches, and staff! What an incredible win it was for the Eagles! Kyle Vantrease's 22-yard touchdown pass with 1:10 remaining to Derwin Burgess Jr. put Georgia Southern ahead 45-38, and Anthony Wilson sealed the win with an interception on James Madison's final drive.
Saturday's win over No. 25 JMU was the second time the Eagles beat a ranked team in Paulson Stadium. It also marked the 50th career win for head coach Clay Helton.
Individually speaking, Vantrease set a school record with 578 passing yards to earn Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors. Amare Jones led the receiving corps with a career-high 164 yards, followed by Khaleb Hood with 131 yards and Jeremy Singleton with 108 yards. Defensively, Wilson had 11 tackles and a sack to go with the interception, while Derrick Canteen finished with 12 tackles, a sack and three pass breakups. Alex Raynor was clutch with three second-half field goals.
Speaking of football, seeing the "Power of Paulson" up close and personal is something that continually amazes me. Thank you, Eagle Nation, for supporting our student-athletes and creating an intimidating environment for visiting teams. The last few drives on Saturday were really loud and helped our young men close out the game. With three home games remaining, please continue to help us "Pack Paulson" all of November!
Our women's soccer team is currently in second place in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference and finds itself on a three-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 7-0 over this stretch of competition. The Eagles return to competition this Thursday on the road against UL Monroe at 8 p.m. ET.
Our women's volleyball team currently finds itself in third place in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference after sweeping Marshall over the weekend, improving to 4-2 in conference play. We return to Hanner Fieldhouse this Friday and Saturday with a doubleheader against Georgia State. Friday's match starts at 6 p.m. Please come out and join us in Hanner!
Our No. 17-ranked rifle team secured two top-20 wins over the weekend, highlighted by a win over No. 14 Jacksonville State University on Sunday. The win marks the highest-ranked team the Eagles have ever defeated. Several individual records were also set en route to a banner weekend. Our Eagles return to competition on Saturday, Oct. 29, with a home meet against VMI.
Our women's cross country team concluded its fall regular season schedule this past weekend with a Top-5 finish at the Upstate Invite. For the fall, the Eagles placed in the top 5 final standings in all three of its meets. First-year head coach David Neville and his staff continue to advance the program daily. The Eagles return to action at the Sun Belt Championship on Oct. 29 in Foley, Alabama.
Men's golf concluded its fall with a Top 5 finish at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate and a No. 26 national ranking (as of this week). Our women's golf team notched its highest ranking in program history this week, coming in at No. 70 nationally. The team concludes its fall play this week at The Southern being held at the Savannah Golf Club (today through Wednesday). Please come out and support them if you are in the area!
Please continue supporting our student-athletes at home events in the coming weeks. GSEagles.com is a great resource for locating upcoming game days for volleyball and our men's and women's soccer programs.
On Sept. 1, we launched "Soar Above All," an over-arching fundraising campaign highlighting the ways to give to the Eagles. Soar Above All encompasses the Competitive Excellence Fund, Erk Russell Fund ("Soar to Six"), facilities, endowment, sport-specific giving and the APEX program. Your support is crucial to our success as we continue to grow and scale as a department. On the heels of a record-setting spring, our fall sports are off to a great start. WE NEED YOU – now more than ever! Please consider increasing your support of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. Your support is needed now more than ever as we continue to pursue transformational, positive change in all 17 sports. Together, we can accomplish great things!
Our best days are ahead – thank you for your continued support!
Hail Southern! GATA!
Georgia Southern Director of Athletics
I hope this note finds you and your family well!
Last weekend was special. I can't tell you how proud I am of our football student-athletes, coaches, and staff! What an incredible win it was for the Eagles! Kyle Vantrease's 22-yard touchdown pass with 1:10 remaining to Derwin Burgess Jr. put Georgia Southern ahead 45-38, and Anthony Wilson sealed the win with an interception on James Madison's final drive.
Saturday's win over No. 25 JMU was the second time the Eagles beat a ranked team in Paulson Stadium. It also marked the 50th career win for head coach Clay Helton.
Individually speaking, Vantrease set a school record with 578 passing yards to earn Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors. Amare Jones led the receiving corps with a career-high 164 yards, followed by Khaleb Hood with 131 yards and Jeremy Singleton with 108 yards. Defensively, Wilson had 11 tackles and a sack to go with the interception, while Derrick Canteen finished with 12 tackles, a sack and three pass breakups. Alex Raynor was clutch with three second-half field goals.
Speaking of football, seeing the "Power of Paulson" up close and personal is something that continually amazes me. Thank you, Eagle Nation, for supporting our student-athletes and creating an intimidating environment for visiting teams. The last few drives on Saturday were really loud and helped our young men close out the game. With three home games remaining, please continue to help us "Pack Paulson" all of November!
Our women's soccer team is currently in second place in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference and finds itself on a three-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 7-0 over this stretch of competition. The Eagles return to competition this Thursday on the road against UL Monroe at 8 p.m. ET.
Our women's volleyball team currently finds itself in third place in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference after sweeping Marshall over the weekend, improving to 4-2 in conference play. We return to Hanner Fieldhouse this Friday and Saturday with a doubleheader against Georgia State. Friday's match starts at 6 p.m. Please come out and join us in Hanner!
Our No. 17-ranked rifle team secured two top-20 wins over the weekend, highlighted by a win over No. 14 Jacksonville State University on Sunday. The win marks the highest-ranked team the Eagles have ever defeated. Several individual records were also set en route to a banner weekend. Our Eagles return to competition on Saturday, Oct. 29, with a home meet against VMI.
Our women's cross country team concluded its fall regular season schedule this past weekend with a Top-5 finish at the Upstate Invite. For the fall, the Eagles placed in the top 5 final standings in all three of its meets. First-year head coach David Neville and his staff continue to advance the program daily. The Eagles return to action at the Sun Belt Championship on Oct. 29 in Foley, Alabama.
Men's golf concluded its fall with a Top 5 finish at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate and a No. 26 national ranking (as of this week). Our women's golf team notched its highest ranking in program history this week, coming in at No. 70 nationally. The team concludes its fall play this week at The Southern being held at the Savannah Golf Club (today through Wednesday). Please come out and support them if you are in the area!
Please continue supporting our student-athletes at home events in the coming weeks. GSEagles.com is a great resource for locating upcoming game days for volleyball and our men's and women's soccer programs.
On Sept. 1, we launched "Soar Above All," an over-arching fundraising campaign highlighting the ways to give to the Eagles. Soar Above All encompasses the Competitive Excellence Fund, Erk Russell Fund ("Soar to Six"), facilities, endowment, sport-specific giving and the APEX program. Your support is crucial to our success as we continue to grow and scale as a department. On the heels of a record-setting spring, our fall sports are off to a great start. WE NEED YOU – now more than ever! Please consider increasing your support of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. Your support is needed now more than ever as we continue to pursue transformational, positive change in all 17 sports. Together, we can accomplish great things!
In closing, for Georgia Southern to reach its desired goals, I will continue to strategically highlight three (3) action steps that individuals and companies can take to help us:
- Financially support the Athletic Foundation and the Erk Russell Fund
- Buy season tickets and create a home-field advantage
- Get others to do the same!
Our best days are ahead – thank you for your continued support!
Hail Southern! GATA!
Georgia Southern Director of Athletics
Players Mentioned
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/ Football
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/ Football
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/ Football
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/ Football
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/ Football
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Thursday, December 11
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Wednesday, December 03
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Sunday, November 30
