Offense

Another Saturday, another 300 yard rushing game for Georgia Southern’s high octane offense. This marks the fourth straight game over the mark and the fifth of the season.

It was clear from the start of the game that Idaho would have a hard time keeping up with the Eagles. When sophomore running back Matt Brieda flew around the outside for a 50 yard run on the first drive it seemed like it would get ugly.

While they didn’t duplicate their success from Savannah State, they certainly looked as good as they have all season. Brieda ended the game with 155 yards on 19 carries while redshirt freshman L.A. Ramsby had another great performance with 16 carries for just shy of 100 yards and a touchdown.

One noticeable difference in the offense was how sophomore quarterback Kevin Ellison was utilized. He rushed the ball only 12 times for 32 yards. It seemed that Head Coach Willie Fritz was trying to preserve him for the rest of season for big games against Louisiana-Monroe and Navy. Fritz also called in some trickery with two quick punts by Ellison, one of which landed inside the three yard line.

When using the spread option, it is definitely important to keep teams on their toes. Fritz made great calls throughout the game, calls that will make film very difficult for opponents to look at and understand. Four different running backs got carries on Saturday, and he even called in a surprise onside kick that should have been recovered after traveling 15 yards downfield.

The only negative to take away from this game were the few penalties that set the team back, along with a late fumble. The play-calling was sound and the entire offensive unit was productive enough to bring home 40 points.

The Eagles will have a chance to rest themselves and prepare for an in-state showdown against Georgia State University. The game against the Sun Belt opponent will be held in the Georgia Dome on October 25th.

Defense

Similar to the New Mexico State game, the Georgia Southern defense started off slowly before finding it’s rhythm.

The first drive of the game saw the Vandals convert three straight third downs to quickly get on the board. In the first quarter the Eagles gave up 161 yards, and go 4-6 on third down.

The second quarter was when things started clicking defensively, as Georgia Southern only allowed 38 yards on 14 plays, including denying Idaho on an attempted fourth down conversion.

Despite allowing more points than their average, total the defense managed to grab another interception to add to their conference lead of 10 picks this season.

Matt Dobson returned an errant Matt Linehan throw putting the Eagles up 40-24 at a crucial time in the game with Idaho deep in Georgia Southern territory, swinging the momentum back to the home Eagles.

For a third time Georgia Southern would manage to deter the Vandals on 4th down, this time with four minutes remaining in the game. The stand would cement the Eagles fourth conference victory.

Georgia Southern would go on to win 47-24 improving to 5-2 on the season and 4-0 in the Sun Belt.