After escaping Paulson Stadium with a 30-25 victory over Gardner-Webb, the Georgia Southern Eagles will face their first real test of the season on Saturday night as they take on the Florida Atlantic Owls.

The teams met at Paulson Stadium last season, with the Eagles earning a commanding 20-3 victory.

Despite Saturday’s win, the Eagles visibly struggled in certain aspects of the game, which left head coach Chad Lunsford understandably disappointed.

“When we left the field, I was disappointed in just how we finished the game,” said Lunsford. “We scored first, we did a great job in the middle eight, we just didn’t finish the ballgame the way we should have.”

Offensively, the Eagles ran wild on Saturday. Logan Wright led the way with 176 yards of his own during the team’s 500-yard offensive firework show.

The passing game looked good at times as freshman quarterback Cam Ransom and converted running back Amare Jones combined to go 12 of 20 for 135 yards and a touchdown.

The strong week one performance bodes well for the Eagle offense’s future under offensive coordinator Doug Ruse.

For the Owls, most of their work will be done through the air. Miami transfer N’Kosi Perry is the starter for FAU and threw for 261 yards and a score in their opener against No. 13 Florida.

Defensively, the FAU gameplan plays right into the weakness of the Eagle defense after one week.

GS gave up 315 passing yards and three touchdowns to the Bulldogs, despite returning nearly their entire secondary from last season. However, the Owls struggled to run the ball on a talented Florida front, which should bode well for the Eagles.

The Eagles have the talent to win on Saturday, but it will require a much stronger defensive performance. The quarterback position is also a situation to monitor for the Eagles, as Lunsford has not announced who will start against the Owls.

Prediction: GS survives a scare, wins 23-21