Fortune staying consistent to finish out redshirt-junior season

  • Redshirt-junior wide receiver Obe Fortune celebrates with fans after the victory against Appalachian State. 

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  • Redshirt-junior wide receiver Obe Fortune had a 20 yard catch against No. 2 Clemson earlier this season. 

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Ryan Kostensky

As the season begins to wind down, Georgia Southern finds themselves amidst a two-game slide, but are still bowl-bound for only the second time in program history. Much of the turnaround from 2017’s two-win season comes in part to new the new coaching staff, as well as the team and cogs that run it.

Redshirt-junior wide receiver Obe Fortune has been a mainstay in the GS offense at the receiver position for the past few seasons, recording 266 reception yards on 23 receptions over his three seasons with the Eagles.

In one of the biggest games of the season for GS, a Saturday afternoon matchup against No. 2 Clemson, Fortune caught a pass for 20 yards from the quarterback Shai Werts. Fortune would do his best Werts impression later in the game, completing a 40 yard pass that lead to the Eagles’ lone touchdown of the game.

Despite losing the last two games in disappointing fashion, GS still has a lot at stake in regards to which bowl they go to, as well as securing the first 10-win season in program history as an FBS team. Fortune talked about what he believed his team needed to do to stop the bleeding and get back in the win column.

“Really, we just gotta put our heads back down and just get back to the basics and get back to work,” Fortune said. “We just gotta grind for everything we want right now, finish the season off strong.”

With Senior Day coming and going in Saturday’s loss to Troy, the Eagles will hit the road for their final two games, heading north to Conway, South Carolina for a matchup with Coastal Carolina before the season finale rivalry game against Georgia State.

All eyes will be on GS’ final contest of the season, largely due to the fact that the Eagles have lost three in a row to their hated rival. Fortune, an Atlanta native who played at Milton High School in Alpharetta, Georgia, understands the importance of the in-state rivalry, and talked about how his team is going to turn the rivalry around.

“It’s kind of a big one,” Fortune said. “They’ve had our number the last few years and there’s a lot of guys that are ready to get some get-back, so we just want to go back and make sure we get this W.”

With only two regular season games remaining, the team will begin to prepare for their bowl game, and with the announcement of where the Eagles would be headed this postseason only weeks away, Fortune downplayed the importance of thinking about bowl games now.

“We’re not too much worried about bowl season right now,” Fortune said. “Right now we’re just worried about Coastal [Carolina] and finishing off the season the right way.”

Ryan Kostensky, The George-Anne Sports Reporter, gasports@georgiasouthern.edu