STATESBORO - The Georgia Southern football team returns home for a Thursday night tilt against Southern Miss as it looks to remain undefeated at home. Kickoff is set for 8:06 p.m. and it will be carried on ESPN2. The game will also be available via radio on the Georgia Southern Sports Network. Here's all you need to know about the game:

Game 6: Saturday, Oct. 9, 2025 • 8:06 PM   
Location: Statesboro, Ga. (Allen E. Paulson Stadium/Evans Family Field; 25,000)

Records:
Southern Miss: 3-2, 1-0 SBC
Georgia Southern: 2-3, 0-1 SBC

Broadcast Information
Broadcast: ESPN2
PBP: Jay Alter, Analyst: Rocky Boiman

Radio: Georgia Southern Sports Network
PBP: Danny Reed (@GSEaglesVoice); Analyst: Terry Harvin (@TerryHarvin); Sidelines: Frank Sulkowski

Radio Affiliates (PDF)

GS: GAME NOTES (PDF)

Inside The Series
Overall Record: Never Met In Modern Era

Huff vs. GS: 2-1
Helton vs. USM: Never Met
Helton vs. Huff: Huff leads, 2-1

GS vs. current Sun Belt Members: 72-71-1
GS vs. teams from Mississippi: 2-2
GS in state of Georgia: 237-68-1

GS at Allen E. Paulson Stadium: 220-51
Helton at Paulson Stadium: 15-5

Of Note:

• This will be the first football meeting in the modern era between Georgia Southern and Southern Miss. The two teams played in 1941 in Hattiesburg with Mississippi Southern downing Georgia Teachers College 70-0. That was the last year of Eagle football before returning to the field in 1982.

• Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton picked up his first win against now Southern Miss coach Charles Huff last year when Huff was at Marshall. The Eagles rallied to score three touchdowns in the final 6:32 to stun Marshall 24-23, in the largest second-half comeback in Paulson Stadium history. Huff is 1-1 as a head coach at Paulson Stadium.

• This will be the first of two Thursday night games for the Eagles this season as they also travel to App State later this month. Last season, GS went 0-2 on Thursday, falling on the road at ODU and to Sam Houston in the New Orleans Bowl.

• Georgia Southern starting defensive tackle Caleb Moore transferred from Southern Miss where he played in 10 games as a true freshman for the Golden Eagles last season. The Hattiesburg, Mississippi, native had 13 tackles for USM in 2024.

Thursday Night Lights

• Since restarting football in 1982, Georgia Southern is 11-9 all-time in games played on Thursdays, 7-2 at home, 4-6 on the road and 0-1 at a neutral site for a bowl game. 

• The Eagles have won three straight Thursday games at home and lost three straight on the road.

• The most memorable Thursday night game in program history came when the Eagles battled the elements for the victory over Middle Tennessee State in the 1989 "Hugo Bowl."

Countdown to Kickoff
10: Georgia Southern starting defensive tackle Caleb Moore played in 10 games last season for Southern Miss before transferring.
9: The Eagles have nine touchdown passes in their first five games, seven coming from starter JC French IV and one apiece from Weston Bryan and Dalen Cobb.
8: JC French IV has thrown at least one touchdown pass in eight consecutive games.
7: Georgia Southern has won seven of its nine home games played on Thursday night.
6: The Eagles have won five of the six games under head coach Clay Helton when completing 35 or more passes in a game.
5: Quarterback JC French IV (367) needs just five completions to set a new Georgia Southern record for career completions. Kyle Vantrease set the record with 371 in his one season in 2022.
4: Georgia Southern's "Blue Out" will take place Thursday as the Eagles will wear blue helmets, blue jerseys and blue pants. The Eagles have won four of the six games they've worn this combo at home, including last year against App State. This will only be the 20th time in the history of the program that they've broken out blue pants.
3: The Eagles have won three straight home Thursday night games.
2: Receiver Camden Brown has had 100-yard receiving games in two straight contests. He had 118 against Maine and 111 at James Madison. Raja Andrews is the only Eagle ever to post three straight 100-yard receiving games, coming in 2008.
1: This will be the first football meeting in the modern era between Georgia Southern and Southern Miss.

Up Next:
Oct. 18 - vs. Georgia State - Statesboro, Ga. - 7 p.m. - ESPN+