It isn’t often that Georgia Southern has to worry about winning the rushing battle versus opposing teams. The option offense of the Eagles is a staple in Statesboro which has led the program to a remarkably successful record when it rushes for more yards than the opponent.
On Saturday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. in Statesboro, the Eagles (1-2) welcome in one of the best rushing attacks in the country as Louisiana (3-1) visits for a critical early season conference showdown at Paulson Stadium. Winners of the Sun Belt Conference West Division in 2018, the Ragin’ Cajuns enter the SBC opener for both schools having rushed for an NCAA-best 18 touchdowns through four games this year.
Louisiana is No. 4 in the country (of 130 FBS teams) in total offense, averaging 565 yards per game. In stark contrast, Georgia Southern’s 251.3 yard-average ranks 129th in the country and the Eagles have scored four touchdowns (all rushing) on the year.
“When you see (Louisiana) offensively, you see a tough group that really wants to establish the run,” GS coach Chad Lunsford said on Monday. “Any time you go up against a team that’s top three in the nation in rushing — you know, obviously we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Last season, GS finished the year No. 7 in rushing yards per game (266.2). Since joining the FBS in 2014, GS is 0-17 when it loses the rushing battle. It’s 36-12 when winning, including victories in 11 of the past 12 games in which it rushes for more yards than the opponent.
Tthe Eagles are 193-40 (.828) all time at Paulson Stadium.
“Certainly, (Georgia Southern) has had tremendous success running their system,” Louisiana’s second-year coach Billy Napier said on Monday. “I think (the option) presents a unique challenge for your front seven defensively, and you’ve got to always account for the quarterback.
“We’ve been very impressed with what we’ve seen of them on tape. Certainly if (quarterback Shai Werts) gets healthy, he presents a number of issues for us as well.”
Back in Paulson
Napier hasn’t coached at Paulson Stadium since assuming coaching duties at Louisiana in December 2017, but he is plenty familiar with the Statesboro stadium from his playing days as a quarterback at Furman in the early 2000s.
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His Paladins split a pair of games at Paulson in 2001 and, the following season, Napier’s Furman squad was bested by the Eagles in Greenville, South Carolina as GS won 42-21 at its Southern Conference rival.
Napier threw for 589 yards and four scores in the three games across two seasons.
Impress your friends
— Louisiana’s offensive pace is frantically fast while Georgia Southern’s is the polar opposite. The Ragin’ Cajuns rank in the top 20 in the NCAA by averaging 74 plays per game. GS is dead last in the category, averaging just 51 offensive snaps per contest.
— If Werts plays, he’ll carry a school-record streak of 121 straight pass attempts without throwing an interception. Last week versus Ohio, Louisiana picked off the Bobcats three times in a win.
— Louisiana has not won back-to-back road games since 2016. That season, the Ragin’ Cajuns knocked off Texas State in late October before beating Georgia Southern 33-26 in Statesboro on Nov. 10. In two previous meetings between the two schools, the road team has won both.
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