The Eagles delivered a commanding performance against the Bulldogs in a blowout victory Saturday night in Statesboro for Family Weekend. After a close first half, Georgia Southern pulled away easily in the second half.

Paulson Stadium was electric with excitement as students and fans filled the stands for the non-conference matchup between the Eagles and the Bulldogs. The energy of the crowd was palpable, creating an intense atmosphere that fueled the home team.

During his post game conference Head Coach Clay Helton thanked Eagle Nation their support this weekend, “On Family weekend our students, our families and our alumni showed up, thats wha makes it so hard opponents for to come in here and play at Paulson.”

Georgia Southern scored the game’s first touchdown midway through the first quarter, setting the tone for the evening. South Carolina State responded with a touchdown of their own early in the second quarter, briefly leveling the score.

The Eagles, now 2-1 on the season, extended their lead with two more touchdowns before halftime—one from OJ Arnold on a 14-yard pass and another from Jalen White on a 1-yard run, making the score 21-7 at the break.

After halftime, Georgia Southern continued their momentum with Arnold’s second touchdown of the game, followed by Tracy Hill Jr.’s spectacular 60-yard interception return for a touchdown, pushing the score to 35-7.

South Carolina State managed to add one more touchdown, but it was insufficient to close the gap as Georgia Southern added another score late in the fourth quarter with Jalen White’s second touchdown. The final score was 42-14.

“I really am proud of all three phases,  I thought offensively to secure the football and not make the critical error while still scoring six touchdowns was ultra important,” said Helton.

Next Saturday, Georgia Southern will travel to Ole Miss for a 7:45 PM matchup, which will be streamed on the SEC Network.