Saturday, September 26
Statesboro, GA
4 PM
Georgia Southern University
vs
Houston
GAME PREVIEW: Eagles Return Home For Big Game Against Ranked Cougars
9/21/2026 3:30:00 PM | Football
Game set for 4 pm kick on ESPNU
STATESBORO - The Georgia Southern football team returns home after two weeks on the road to face 25th-ranked Houston at Allen E. Paulson Stadium/Evans Family Field Saturday in non-conference action. Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. and it will be carried on ESPNU. 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 4: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 • 4:05 PM Â
Location: Statesboro, Ga. (Allen E. Paulson Stadium/Evans Family Field; 25,000)
Records:
#25 Houston: 2-1, 0-1 Big 12
Georgia Southern: 1-2, 0-0 SBC
Broadcast Information
Broadcast: ESPN+
PBP: Courtney Lyle, Analyst: Rene Ingoglia
Radio: Georgia Southern Sports Network
PBP: Adam Young (@youngpbp); Analyst: Frank Sulkowski (@TheBigGuyWJCL); Sidelines: Jeff Roberts (@JeffRoberts__)
GS: GAME NOTES (PDF)
Radio Affiliates
Inside The Series
Overall Record First Meeting
Fritz vs. GS Never Met
Helton vs. UH Never Met
Helton vs. Fritz Never Met
GS vs. current Big 12 Members 10-3
GS vs. teams from Texas 7-3
GS in state of Georgia 240-70-1
GS at Allen E. Paulson Stadium 223-53
Helton at Paulson Stadium 18-7
Of Note:
Countdown to Kickoff
10: Saturday's game is one of just 10 instances this season where a Power 4 team plays at a Group of 6 team.
9: Georgia Southern has nine players on its roster from the state of Texas, including first-year safety Chace Calicut who is from Houston.
8: Matt Breida, who is first all time at Georgia Southern in career yards per carry, is one of eight being inducted into the GS Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend. Breida led the nation in ypc as a junior under now Houston coach Willie Fritz.
7: The Eagles have won seven of the 10 games played against teams from the state of Texas.
6: Weston Bryan had three rushing touchdowns at Jax State last week. The last Eagle quarterback to accomplish the feat was Shai Werts in the New Orleans Bowl against Louisiana Tech, six years ago in 2020.
5: Houston, ranked 25th in the Associated Press Top 25, will be the fifth ranked FBS team to play in Paulson Stadium.
4: The Houston contest will the fourth and final non-conference game for the Eagles this season. The final eight games will all come against Sun Belt teams.
3:Â Three different running backs have started in each of the first three games for Georgia Southern: Terrance Gibbs, Jamarian Samuel and David Mbadinga.
2: Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton played two seasons as a quarterback at Houston for his father, Kim.
1: Houston is the first Power 4 team to play in Paulson Stadium. BYU was an independent in 2021 when it played here before joining the Big 12 in 2023.
Up Next:
Oct. 3 at Coastal Carolina -Â Conway, S.C. - 7 pm - ESPN+
Â
Game 4: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 • 4:05 PM Â
Location: Statesboro, Ga. (Allen E. Paulson Stadium/Evans Family Field; 25,000)
Records:
#25 Houston: 2-1, 0-1 Big 12
Georgia Southern: 1-2, 0-0 SBC
Broadcast Information
Broadcast: ESPN+
PBP: Courtney Lyle, Analyst: Rene Ingoglia
Radio: Georgia Southern Sports Network
PBP: Adam Young (@youngpbp); Analyst: Frank Sulkowski (@TheBigGuyWJCL); Sidelines: Jeff Roberts (@JeffRoberts__)
GS: GAME NOTES (PDF)
Radio Affiliates
Inside The Series
Overall Record First Meeting
Fritz vs. GS Never Met
Helton vs. UH Never Met
Helton vs. Fritz Never Met
GS vs. current Big 12 Members 10-3
GS vs. teams from Texas 7-3
GS in state of Georgia 240-70-1
GS at Allen E. Paulson Stadium 223-53
Helton at Paulson Stadium 18-7
Of Note:
- Houston head coach Willie Fritz was the head coach in 2014 and 2015. He posted an official 16-7 record and led the Eagles to the 2014 Sun Belt title and its first bowl game in 2015. He went 9-1 at Paulson Stadium.
- Eagle defensive coordinator Mike Mutz was the linebackers coach for Fritz at Georgia Southern both seasons and Eagle defensive backs coach/assistant head coach Darius Safford was a G.A. for Fritz in 2015.
- Eagle head coach Clay Helton played at Houston (1993-1994) for his father, Kim, and graduated from UH in 1994 with a degree in mathematics and interdisciplinary science. The elder Helton is expected to be in attendance on Saturday.
- Houston is the first Power 4 team to play in Paulson Stadium. BYU was an independent in 2021 when it played here before joining the Big 12 in 2023.
- Georgia Southern quarterback Max Johnson and Houston QB Conner Weigman played at Texas A&M together. In 2023, Johnson stepped in for an injured Weigman, throwing for 1,452 yards and nine touchdowns in eight games before suffering his own injury.
- Georgia Southern is 2-2 all-time against teams ranked in the AP FBS Top 25 at Paulson Stadium.
- Georgia Southern has posted a 132-18 all-time record at Paulson Stadium in non-conference contests.
- The Eagles have nine players from Texas, including Houston product Chace Calicut, who is a first-year defensive back.
Countdown to Kickoff
10: Saturday's game is one of just 10 instances this season where a Power 4 team plays at a Group of 6 team.
9: Georgia Southern has nine players on its roster from the state of Texas, including first-year safety Chace Calicut who is from Houston.
8: Matt Breida, who is first all time at Georgia Southern in career yards per carry, is one of eight being inducted into the GS Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend. Breida led the nation in ypc as a junior under now Houston coach Willie Fritz.
7: The Eagles have won seven of the 10 games played against teams from the state of Texas.
6: Weston Bryan had three rushing touchdowns at Jax State last week. The last Eagle quarterback to accomplish the feat was Shai Werts in the New Orleans Bowl against Louisiana Tech, six years ago in 2020.
5: Houston, ranked 25th in the Associated Press Top 25, will be the fifth ranked FBS team to play in Paulson Stadium.
4: The Houston contest will the fourth and final non-conference game for the Eagles this season. The final eight games will all come against Sun Belt teams.
3:Â Three different running backs have started in each of the first three games for Georgia Southern: Terrance Gibbs, Jamarian Samuel and David Mbadinga.
2: Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton played two seasons as a quarterback at Houston for his father, Kim.
1: Houston is the first Power 4 team to play in Paulson Stadium. BYU was an independent in 2021 when it played here before joining the Big 12 in 2023.
Up Next:
Oct. 3 at Coastal Carolina -Â Conway, S.C. - 7 pm - ESPN+
Â
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
RB
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QB
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RB
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RB
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