EAGLES GET 1ST WIN SINCE OCT. 26, 2023
On September 7, 2024, the Georgia Southern Eagles headed out west to Reno, Nevada to take on a much-improved Nevada Wolf Pack team that beat last year’s Sun Belt Champion, Troy, on the road one week prior. Nevada quickly got on the board with a 15-yard touchdown pass from QB Brendon Lewis to WR Cortez Braham, Jr. Just over two minutes later, the Eagles offense answered with a touchdown of their own as QB JC French hit WR Joshua “Jet” Thompson for a 35-yard score. With one minute left in the first quarter, Nevada scored on a 2-yard quarterback keeper to go up 14-7. Georgia Southern drove down the field, but stalled out at the 13-yard line and had to settle for a field goal by Gavin Stewart. Arguably the biggest big play of the game came with just three seconds left in the first half as QB JC French hit WR Dalen Cobb for a touchdown to take the lead 17-14 heading in to the halftime. In the second half, both defenses came to play. With 9:07 left in the 3rd, Georgia Southern kicker, Gavin Stewart, converted a 48-yard field goal to extend the Eagles lead to 6 (20-14). The Wolf Pack’s kicker, Matthew Killam, converted a 27-yard field goal a few minutes later to get within three and that was the last points scored in the game as both teams were shut out in the fourth quarter. The Georgia Southern Eagles got their first win of the season over Nevada, 20-17. This was the Eagles first win since the 44-27 rout of Georgia State on October 26, 2023. The Eagles host FCS foe South Carolina State next weekend at Paulson Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 PM.
Takeaways from Week 2
1) The defensive staff and players deserve a ton of credit. After a poor performance against Boise State, the staff and players worked their tail off to clean up mistakes to make a very strong showing in Reno, Nevada and led the Eagles of Georgia Southern to their first win of the season.
2) According to Head Coach Clay Helton, JC French won the quarterback battle because of his ability to protect the ball and that is on full display. French makes great decisions, has the speed to get out of trouble and extend plays, and does not take unnecessary risks with the ball. As long he continues to protect the ball, the Eagles will remain competitive.
3) The Eagles are having trouble running the ball with a NFL caliber running back which is concerning to say the least. As a team, Georgia Southern netted just 42 rushing yards on 19 carries against Nevada on Saturday. Something has to give on that front to balance out play calling for Offensive Coordinator Ryan Aplin to keep defenses honest going forward.
4) Marques Watson-Trent is really good at football and continues to be the leader this defense needs. Watson-Trent led the team with 14 tackles on Saturday and continuously leads by example to set the tone for the defense.
5) This was a BIG win for the Eagles. After finishing last four games of the regular season in 2023 at 0-4 and then losing the Myrtle Beach Bowl by 20 to a decimated Ohio team, the Georgia Southern could not afford to be 0-2 heading into week 3 against SC State. The Eagles should beat SC State to get to 2-1 heading to Oxford, MS to play their final non-conference game of the year against AP #5, Ole Miss.
The Georgia Southern Eagles defense looked much improved on the defensive side of the ball, the offense and special teams did what they had to do to get a win in Reno. Once the Eagles can put the offensive performance from Week One with the defensive performance from Week Two, they are going to be a very dangerous team in the Sun Belt Conference.
Statistics from Georgia Southern @ Nevada (Week 2)
