2023 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

STATESBORO – The Georgia Southern football schedule has been released and its time to break down and analyze every week. When will the Eagles be at home so you can break out the tailgate? When is it safe to RSVP for that fall wedding you've been invited to? We've got all your answers and more as we take a deeper look into the 2023 football schedule.

The first thing you need to know is that the Eagles host six home games, and host a Thursday night game for the first time since 2020 (South Alabama). They'll play five games in September with three of them being at Paulson Stadium. In October, they'll play just three games with two being at home. In November, the squad will be on the road three times. The Eagles play four teams that competed in a bowl game last year. They'll finish the regular season on the road against their rival and they'll visit one of the more storied venues in college football.

Season ticket holders only have a few weeks left to renew their 2023 season tickets and/parking before the March 31 renewal deadline. Renewals must be either paid in full or set up on a payment plan by the renewal deadline or they will be released to the general public.

Ticket holders can renew online at GSEagles.com/Renewals and fans looking to purchase season tickets may pre-order new season ticket packages by visiting GSEagles.com/FootballTickets or by calling 1(800) GSU-WINS during business hours (Monday-Friday; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.). They can also stop by the Ticket Office at 203 Lanier Drive. Season ticket packages start as low as $85/each for all six home games this season. A new ticketing modernization plan is in effect and details can be found at GSEagles.com/WeNeedYou.

Let's take a brief look at each team on the 2023 docket and the history between the two programs:

Sept. 2: The Citadel
Georgia Southern and The Citadel renew a rivalry dating back to the SoCon days when they open the season in Statesboro. The Eagles lead the series that dates back to 1988 19-5 and are 13-1 against the Bulldogs at Allen E. Paulson Stadium.

Fun Fact: Georgia Southern special teams coach Turner West served as the Bulldogs' special teams coach before coming to Statesboro.


Sept. 9: UAB
After falling in Birmingham last year, the Eagles will look to exact some revenge against the Blazers in Paulson Stadium.

Fun Fact: While UAB has always been the home of the Blazers, there was an argument for years: What exactly was a Blazer? In 1978, a pink dragon served as the first official mascot for the UAB Blazers. The second mascot of UAB, Beauregard T. Rooster, debuted in 1979 and remained the UAB mascot throughout the 1980s. The Blazer Warrior, UAB's third official mascot, was unveiled at a men's basketball game in January 1993. The Warrior didn't last long though; after an outcry from students and faculty alike, the Viking-inspired mascot was dumped within months, before the start of the football season. In October 1995, Blaze made his debut and the university has been in love ever since. Student Wyndall Ivey was the first student to don the dragon costume.


Sept. 16: at Wisconsin
A trip to historic Camp Randall Stadium awaits the Eagles in Week 3 as they make their first road trip. The two teams have never met, but Georgia Southern is on a one-game winning streak against Big Ten teams after knocking off Nebraska in Lincoln last year.

Fun Fact: Wisconsin has the second-longest streak in the FBS without a losing season at 21, trailing only Boise State's 25-season streak. The last losing season for the Badgers came in 2001.


Sept. 23: at Ball State
The fourth of Georgia Southern's non-conference games in 2023 is a rematch of a battle in Statesboro last season. The Eagles took care of Ball State 34-23 in 2022 but now travel to Muncie, Indiana, on Sept. 23 to wrap up the home-and-home series.

Fun Fact: This will be just the second football game played by the Eagles in the state of Indiana as they fell to the Hoosiers in 2017 in Bloomington.


Sept. 30: Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern opens up conference play for the second year in a row against Coastal Carolina. Last season in Conway, the Chants scored with 38 seconds left to take a 34-30 win and cut the series lead for the Eagles to 5-4.

Fun Fact: This will be the first time since 2000 when the Eagles won a national championship and just the fourth time (1984, 1990) in the modern era of the program that the Eagles will play five games in the month of September.


Oct. 7: BYE WEEK
Plan your fall weddings, family reunions and yard sales for this day.


Oct. 14: at James Madison
Georgia Southern leads the all-time series 8-1 after last year's 45-38 shootout in Paulson Stadium. The two teams combined for a school-record 1,265 combined yards of offense as quarterback Kyle Vantrease threw for 578 yards. The Eagles are 3-1 at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, but haven't played there since 1991.

Fun Fact: Georgia Southern's senior offensive analyst is Bryan Schor, who led JMU to a national championship as its quarterback in 2016. He threw for 7,078 yards and 62 touchdowns as a Duke, earning All-America honors.


Oct. 21: ULM
Georgia Southern and ULM renew acquaintances with a crossover match-up at Paulson Stadium. The Eagles lead the series with the Warhawks 7-3 and have won five of the pas six contests since joining the Sun Belt in 2014.

Fun Fact: ULM can claim Tim McGraw as an alumus while Georgia Southern can counter with Cole Swindell and Luke Bryan in a battle of country music superstars.


Oct. 26: Georgia State
Close games have been the norm between these two in-state teams with the past three games have decided by one score. Georgia State leads the series 6-3 after last year's win in Atlanta.

Fun Fact: Georgia Southern is 10-7 all-time in games played on Thursdays, 5-2 at home and 5-5 on the road. They lost last year on the road at Louisiana. This will be the first non-Saturday meeting between the Eagles and Panthers.


Nov. 4: at Texas State
Georgia Southern heads deep in the heart of Texas for a cross-over game at Texas State. After dropping the opening game in the series—a 50-35 loss in the NCAA Division I-AA Round of 16 in 2005—the Eagles have won five in a row to take a 5-1 lead in the series.

Fun Fact: Four of the six games in the series, including each of the past three games, have been decided by one score or less with the Eagles prevailing (28-25 in 2014; 15-13 in 2018; 40-38 in 2020; and 38-30 in 2021).


Nov. 18: at Marshall
The Eagles head back to Joan C. Edwards Stadium for the first time since 1995 when they take on Marshall in Huntington. The Thundering Herd lead the series with the Eagles 5-2 after taking a 23-10 win in Stateboro last year to run their winning streak in the series to five.

Fun Fact: Georgia Southern and Marshall met four times as members in the Southern Conference with the Thundering Herd winning all four contests. In three of those four contests, Marshall was ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division I-AA.


Nov. 18: Old Dominion
Old Dominion returns to Paulson Stadium for the first time since 2011 when the Eagles escorted them out of the FCS Playoffs with a 55-48 win. Georgia Southern leads the seriers with the Monarchs 3-0 after winning in Norfolk last season.

Fun Fact: Previously, the Eagles knocked the Monarchs out of both the 2011 and 2012 FCS playoffs. ODU was quarterbacked by Taylor Heinicke in both games, who started for the Washington Commanders this past season.


Nov. 25: at App State
One of the fiercest rivalries around, the Eagles took last year's contest in a double overtime thriller to clinch a bowl berth, but the Mountaineers still lead the series 21-16-1.

Fun Fact: Georgia Southern and App State have played every year since 1993, including twice in 2001 and the 38 games played makes App Georgia Southern's most-played opponent in program history.