After the 69-31 trouncing of Georgia State, the Georgia Southern football team is working with a short week as they prepare to take on the Troy Trojans at home on ESPNU.

The Trojans are in the midst of their worst season in over 45 years with a record of one win and seven losses. Their most recent loss came at the hands of South Alabama in a 27-13 on ESPNU last week. Allowing an average of 39 points and 250 rushing yards per game, it looks like the Eagles could light up the scoreboard again this Thursday.

Offensively, the Trojans have only 17 touchdowns on the season compared to the 47 scored by the Eagles. While they can air the ball out, they have focused on their lackluster run game to open up lanes down field.

Troy has used a stable of running backs this season with three running backs having over 35 carries. Their quick back has been junior Brandon Burks with 68 carries and 382 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Jordan Chunn has been the fullback-style runner with 55 carries for 228 yards and four touchdowns. It is also important to note that starting quarterback Brandon Silvers has run the ball 75 times this season but for only 127 yards.

As quarterback for the Trojans, Silvers has been accurate with a 66.8 completion percentage. He has thrown five touchdowns for the Trojans but has thrown to the wrong team three times. Junior backup Dontreal Pruitt has played his fair share this season and has thrown for 530 yards and one touchdown. Their passing game overall has been decent this season but turnovers and Silvers average of 1.7 yards per carry has caused them to miss several opportunities.

Defensively, the Trojans lack the strength or size up front necessary to slow down the best rushing attack in college football. The biggest threat are their pass rushers with redshirt freshman Jamal Stadom and junior Tyler Roberts with four sacks each. Roberts also has accumulated eight tackles for loss through the first eight games.

The running game for Georgia Southern has been one of the best in its history. Six different players with at least 25 carries are averaging more than five yards per touch. They have three rushers with over five hundred yards, led by sophomore running back Matt Brieda with 1032 yards and 12 touchdowns. The offense still leads the entire FBS in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

Senior Eagle linebacker Edwin Jackson and the rest of the Eagle defense should have a field day against the Trojans. Their running attack has relied on defenses playing soft against the run, which isn’t something Georgia Southern does. Jackson will look to add to his total tackle (65) number on his road to 100 on the season,

With no hope of winning the Sun Belt, the Trojans have few motivations left in the season. However, they will end their season playing the only two undefeated Sun Belt squads, Georgia Southern and UL-Lafayette, in succession. Their season would end on a high note if they could manage to give the Eagles their first conference loss. They will play strong until the Eagle offense puts the game out of their reach.

The athletic program has started a movement to break the 25-year-old attendance record at Paulson Stadium which sits at 25,726. Bring a friend and be a part of Georgia Southern history. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Paulson Stadium on ESPNU.