NEW ORLEANS – The Georgia Southern football team is just two days away from the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, and the team continued its preparation for Thursday's game with practice, community service and a trip to the racetrack on Tuesday.
The team continued its morning routine with team and positional meetings before heading out to practice at Caesars Superdome for its final full practice of the season. However, before practice, seven players headed to the airport to fly back to Statesboro for their graduation at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. Thanks to a generous donor lending their private plane, Derwin Burgess Jr.,
LV Bunkley-Shelton,
Tyrell Davis,
Justin Rhodes,
TJ Smith,
Marques Watson-Trent and
Jalen White were all able to make it to their ceremony before returning back to New Orleans Tuesday night for meetings and continued bowl prep.
After practice, the team grabbed a quick lunch while leaving the Dome and returned to the hotel for a quick turnaround before participating in the bowl's Day of Service. Sam Houston worked with Special Olympics and Second Harvest Food Bank while the Eagles worked with Pontchartrain Conservancy and ArcGNO.
During the evening, the program rented out K1 Speed, a local GoKart racing facility when the players were able to compete on the track after competing on the gridiron all season. The players were once again on their own with an earlier curfew as they inch closer to game day.
The ramp-up to the New Orleans Bowl hits a fever pitch on Wednesday with a number of marquee events as Eagle Nation is expected to paint the town blue. A bowl luncheon will be held in the morning as both teams will be celebrated at an event that will feature keynote speaker Ed Reed. One final game preparation will take place at the Dome before the team locks in for pregame preparation at the hotel. Several coaches and players will heads to Wednesday's night's pep rally and radio show at Manning's where fans of the Eagles are encouraged to show up and support the team.
The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl will take place on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2.
Gallery: (12-17-2024) 24FB - New Orleans Bowl - Day Three
