American college football season
The 2020 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro , Georgia , and competed in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference . They were led by third-year head coach Chad Lunsford .
Preseason
Sun Belt coaches' poll
The Sun Belt coaches poll was released on August 25, 2020. Georgia Southern was picked to finish 2nd in the East Division with 36 total votes.[1]
East Division
Predicted finish
Team
Votes (1st place)
1
Appalachian State
49 (9)
2
Georgia Southern
36
3
Troy
32 (1)
4
Georgia State
20
5
Coastal Carolina
13
West Division
Predicted finish
Team
Votes (1st place)
1
Louisiana
47 (7)
2
Arkansas State
40 (2)
3
South Alabama
22 (1)
4
Texas State
21
5
Louisiana–Monroe
20
Preseason All-Sun Belt teams
The Eagles had five players selected to the preseason All−Sun Belt teams; three from the defense and two from special teams.[1]
Defense
1st team
Raymond Johnson – SR, Defensive Line
Rashad Byrd – R-SR, linebacker
Kenderick Duncan Jr. – R-JR, defensive back
Special teams
1st team
Wesley Kennedy III – SR, return specialist
2nd team
Anthony Beck II – R-SO, punter
Schedule
Georgia Southern had games against Boise State and Ole Miss , which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic .[2] [3] They added a November game with Army on August 11.[4] On October 7, the game against Appalachian State scheduled for October 14 was postponed to December 12 due to COVID-19 positive tests within the Mountaineers' football program.[5]
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance September 12 3:30 p.m. Campbell * ESPNU W 27–265,789
September 26 12:00 p.m. at No. 19 Louisiana ESPN2 L 18–205,585
October 3 7:00 p.m. at Louisiana–Monroe ESPN+ W 35–306,338
October 17 4:00 p.m. UMass * Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA ESPN2 W 41–04,856
October 24 12:00 p.m. at No. 25 Coastal Carolina ESPNU L 14–285,000
7:30 p.m. South Alabama Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA ESPN W 24–173,457
November 7 1:00 p.m. Troy Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA ESPN3 W 20–135,012
November 14 3:00 p.m. Texas State Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA ESPN3 W 40–384,478
November 21 12:00 p.m. at Army * CBSSN L 27–285,078
November 28 12:00 p.m. at Georgia State ESPN3 L 24–304,523
December 5 6:00 p.m. Florida Atlantic * Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA ESPN+ W 20–33,867
December 12 6:00 p.m. Appalachian State Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (rivalry ) ESPN3 L 26–346,228
December 23 3:30 p.m. vs. Louisiana Tech * ESPN W 38–33,000
[6] [7]
Game summaries
Campbell
Campbell at Georgia Southern
1
2 3 4 Total
Fighting Camels
13
0 7 6
26
• Eagles
3
3 7 14
27
Date: September 12, 2020Location: Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA Game start: 4:14 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 35 minutesGame attendance: 5,789Referee: T. LivingstonTelevision network: ESPNU
Pregame line
Over/under
GASO −34.5
58.5[8]
Statistics
Campbell
Georgia Southern
First downs
17
20
Total yards
380
346
Rushing yards
143
284
Passing yards
237
62
Turnovers
0
1
Time of possession
26:04
33:56
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Campbell
Passing
Hajj-Malik Williams
17/27, 237 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Hajj-Malik Williams
11 carries, 73 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Jai Williams
4 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
7/13, 53 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Shai Werts
14 carries, 155 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
D. J. Butler
3 receptions, 22 yards, 1 TD
At Louisiana
Georgia Southern at Louisiana
1
2 3 4 Total
Eagles
0
7 3 8
18
• No. 19 Ragin' Cajuns
0
7 3 10
20
Date: September 26, 2020Location: Cajun Field Lafayette, LA Game start: 11:01 a.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 19 minutesGame attendance: 5,585Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Sunny, Humid • Wind: CalmReferee: Wayne WinklerTV announcers (ESPN2 ): Beth Mowins (play–by–play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (sideline reporter)
Pregame line
Over/under
LA −13.5
52.5[9]
Statistics
Georgia Southern
Louisiana
First downs
21
18
Total yards
447
438
Rushing yards
192
148
Passing yards
255
290
Turnovers
2
1
Time of possession
35:14
24:46
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
11/18, 255 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
J. D. King
24 carries, 100 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Wesley Kennedy III
2 receptions, 105 yards
Louisiana
Passing
Levi Lewis
18/32, 290 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Chris Smith
4 carries, 54 yards
Receiving
Peter LeBlanc
3 receptions, 64 yards
At Louisiana–Monroe
Georgia Southern at Louisiana–Monroe
1
2 3 4 Total
• Eagles
7
14 14 0
35
Warhawks
3
14 6 7
30
Date: October 3, 2020Location: Malone Stadium Monroe, LA Game start: 7:05 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 15 hoursGame attendance: 6,338Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: 4 ESE MPH Referee: Tre. LivingstonTV announcers (ESPN+ ): Chris Harris (play–by–play) and Mike Hammett (analyst)
Pregame line
Over/under
GASO −19.5
49.5[10]
Statistics
Georgia Southern
Louisiana–Monroe
First downs
19
24
Total yards
369
426
Rushing yards
340
92
Passing yards
29
334
Turnovers
0
0
Time of possession
34:53
25:07
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
3/7, 29 yards
Rushing
J. D. King
21 carries, 196 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Beau Johnson
1 reception, 17 yards
Louisiana–Monroe
Passing
Colby Suits
31/54, 334 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Colby Suits
7 carries, 51 yards
Receiving
Tyler Lamm
5 receptions, 66 yards
UMass
Massachusetts at Georgia Southern
1
2 3 4 Total
Minutemen
0
0 0 0
0
• Eagles
14
14 10 3
41
Pregame line
Over/under
GASO −31
62[11]
Statistics
UMass
Georgia Southern
First downs
10
20
Total yards
191
436
Rushing yards
111
308
Passing yards
80
128
Turnovers
2
1
Time of possession
29:09
30:51
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
UMass
Passing
Mike Fallon
7/12, 41 yards, 1 INT
Rushing
Will Koch
4 carries, 41 yards
Receiving
Samuel Emilus
4 receptions, 28 yards
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
11/16, 128 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing
Wesley Kennedy III
6 carries, 106 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Malik Murray
4 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD
At Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina
1
2 3 4 Total
Eagles
7
7 0 0
14
• No. 25 Chanticleers
7
7 0 14
28
Date: October 24, 2020Location: Brooks Stadium Conway, SC Game start: 12:02 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutesGame attendance: 5,000Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Fair • Wind: N 2 MPH Referee: T. LivingstonTV announcers (ESPNU ): Courtney Lyle (play–by–play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst)
Pregame line
Over/under
CCU −1
49[12]
Statistics
Georgia Southern
Coastal Carolina
First downs
12
20
Total yards
218
382
Rushing yards
119
130
Passing yards
99
252
Turnovers
2
2
Time of possession
27:43
32:17
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
7/20, 94 yards, 2 INTs
Rushing
J. D. King
15 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Malik Murray
2 receptions, 46 yards
Coastal Carolina
Passing
Fred Payton
15/28, 252 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing
Shermari Jones
5 carries, 44 yards
Receiving
Jaivon Heiligh
5 receptions, 107 yards
South Alabama
South Alabama at Georgia Southern
1
2 3 4 Total
Jaguars
3
7 7 0
17
• Eagles
0
10 0 14
24
Date: October 29, 2020Location: Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA Game start: 7:32 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 13 minutesGame attendance: 3,457Referee: Kyle OlsenTV announcers (ESPN ): Matt Barrie (play–by–play), Mike Golic Jr. (analyst), and Lericia Harris (sideline reporter)
Pregame line
Over/under
GASO −3.5
52[13]
Statistics
South Alabama
Georgia Southern
First downs
16
15
Total yards
264
345
Rushing yards
64
250
Passing yards
200
95
Turnovers
1
1
Time of possession
28:19
31:41
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
South Alabama
Passing
Desmond Trotter
20/27, 200 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Carlos Davis
20 carries, 70 yards
Receiving
Kawaan Baker
5 receptions, 65 yards
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
5/9, 95 yards, 1 INT
Rushing
Wesley Kennedy III
13 carries, 91 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Malik Murray
1 reception, 38 yards
Troy
Troy at Georgia Southern
1
2 3 4 Total
Trojans
0
10 3 0
13
• Eagles
0
6 14 0
20
Pregame line
Over/under
TROY −3
52[14]
Statistics
Troy
Georgia Southern
First downs
14
20
Total yards
235
411
Rushing yards
34
326
Passing yards
201
85
Turnovers
2
1
Time of possession
17:13
42:47
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Troy
Passing
Jacob Free
21/47, 201 yards, 2 INTs
Rushing
Jamontez Woods
3 carries, 23 yards
Receiving
Kaylon Geiger
6 receptions, 49 yards
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
12/13, 85 yards, 1 INT
Rushing
Gerald Green
10 carries, 109 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
NaJee Thompson
1 reception, 35 yards
Texas State
Texas State at Georgia Southern
1
2 3 4 Total
Bobcats
7
14 7 10
38
• Eagles
17
10 3 10
40
Pregame line
Over/under
GASO −12
49.5[15]
Statistics
Texas State
Georgia Southern
First downs
18
20
Total yards
299
437
Rushing yards
30
386
Passing yards
269
51
Turnovers
3
3
Time of possession
18:41
41:19
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Texas State
Passing
Brady McBride
7/13, 155 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Brock Sturges
6 carries, 31 yards
Receiving
Marcell Barbee
5 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
6/9, 51 yards, 1 INT
Rushing
Shai Werts
21 carries, 120 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving
Wesley Kennedy III
1 reception, 23 yards
At Army
Georgia Southern at Army
1
2 3 4 Total
Eagles
14
7 6 0
27
• Black Knights
0
7 14 7
28
Date: November 21, 2020Location: Michie Stadium West Point, NY Game start: 12:02 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 17 minutesGame attendance: 5,078Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: W 10 MPH Referee: Mike RocheTV announcers (CBSSN ): Bem Holden (play–by–play), Ross Tucker (analyst), and Tina Cervasio (sideline reporter)
Pregame line
Over/under
ARMY –3
38.5[16]
Statistics
Georgia Southern
Army
First downs
12
20
Total yards
311
268
Rushing yards
175
243
Passing yards
126
25
Turnovers
1
3
Time of possession
21:36
38:24
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
6/7, 80 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Wesley Kennedy III
8 carries, 71 yards
Receiving
Malik Murray
3 receptions, 41 yards
Army
Passing
Tyhier Tyler
1/1, 25 yards
Rushing
Tyhier Taylor
35 carries, 121 yards
Receiving
Chris Cameron
1 reception, 25 yards
At Georgia State
Georgia Southern at Georgia State
1
2 3 4 Total
Eagles
0
14 3 7
24
• Panthers
3
10 0 17
30
Date: November 28, 2020Location: Center Parc Stadium Atlanta, GA Game start: 12:05 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 2 hours and 55 minutesGame attendance: 4,523Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SSE 8 MPH Referee: Wayne WinklerTV announcers (ESPN3 ): Matt Stewart (play–by–play) and Sam Crenshaw (analyst)
\
Pregame line
Over/under
GSU –3
51[17]
Statistics
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
First downs
13
22
Total yards
370
427
Rushing yards
296
55
Passing yards
74
372
Turnovers
2
2
Time of possession
30:48
29:12
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
4/7, 67 yards
Rushing
Logan Wright
8 carries, 143 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Khaleb Hood
1 reception, 44 yards
Georgia State
Passing
Cornelious Brown IV
28/39, 372 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Destin Coates
15 carries, 47 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Sam Pinckney
10 receptions, 126 yards
Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic at Georgia Southern
1
2 3 4 Total
Owls
0
0 3 0
3
• Eagles
0
10 0 10
20
Pregame line
Over/under
FAU –2.5
40.5[18]
Statistics
Florida Atlantic
Georgia Southern
First downs
16
18
Total yards
322
339
Rushing yards
133
269
Passing yards
189
70
Turnovers
4
0
Time of possession
23:15
36:45
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Florida Atlantic
Passing
Javion Posey
7/15, 107 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Javion Posey
8 carries, 61 yards
Receiving
Jordan Merrell
3 receptions, 67 yards
Georgia Southern
Passing
Justin Tomlin
3/12, 70 yards
Rushing
Justin Tomlin
20 carries, 78 yards
Receiving
Logan Wright
2 receptions, 65 yards
Appalachian State
Appalachian State at Georgia Southern
1
2 3 4 Total
• Mountaineers
0
7 10 17
34
Eagles
7
10 0 9
26
Date: December 12, 2020Location: Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA Game start: 6:05 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 17 minutesGame attendance: 6,228Referee: Kyle OlsonTV announcers (ESPN3 ): Matt Stewart (play–by–play) and Danny Waugh (analyst)
Pregame line
Over/under
APP –9
45[19]
Statistics
Appalachian State
Georgia Southern
First downs
17
16
Total yards
381
349
Rushing yards
173
204
Passing yards
208
145
Turnovers
2
4
Time of possession
34:52
25:08
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Appalachian State
Passing
Zac Thomas
18/29, 208 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing
Nate Noel
13 carries, 103 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Thomas Hennigan
8 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD
Georgia Southern
Passing
Miller Mosley
5/14, 122 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing
Justin Tomlin
6 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Dexter Carter Jr.
1 reception, 78 yards, 1 TD
Louisiana Tech (New Orleans Bowl)
Georgia Southern vs. Louisiana Tech
1
2 3 4 Total
• Eagles
7
14 7 10
38
Bulldogs
0
3 0 0
3
Pregame line
Over/under
GASO –4.5
51[20]
Statistics
Louisiana Tech
Georgia Southern
First downs
15
17
Total yards
232
448
Rushing yards
113
322
Passing yards
119
126
Turnovers
4
0
Time of possession
25:33
34:27
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Louisiana Tech
Passing
JD Head
9/14, 78 yards, 1 INT
Rushing
Israel Tucker
20 carries, 123 yards
Receiving
Isaiah Graham
3 receptions, 26 yards
Georgia Southern
Passing
Shai Werts
7/12, 126 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Gerald Green
16 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Khaleb Hood
1 reception, 65 yards, 1 TD
References
^ a b "Sun Belt Announces Preseason Poll, Players of the Year and All-Conference Teams" . SunBeltSports.org . Sun Belt Conference . August 25, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020 .
^ Talty, John. "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season" . AL.com . Retrieved July 30, 2020 .
^ McMurphy, Brett. "Sources: Mountain West Cancels Fall Football Season" . WatchStadium.com . Retrieved August 11, 2020 .
^ "Georgia Southern Adds Road Football Game at Army West Point" . Georgia Southern Athletic Department. Retrieved August 11, 2020 .
^ "Georgia Southern/Appalachian State Game Postponed" . Georgia Southern Athletics. Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^ "2020 Georgia Southern Eagles Schedule" . ESPN . Retrieved August 30, 2020 .
^ "2020 Football Schedule" . Georgia Southern University Athletics . Retrieved August 30, 2020 .
^ "Campbell Fighting Camels vs Georgia Southern Eagles" . Odds Shark . Retrieved September 9, 2020 .
^ "Georgia Southern Eagles vs Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns" . Odds Shark . Retrieved September 23, 2020 .
^ "Georgia Southern Eagles vs Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks" . Odds Shark . Retrieved October 3, 2020 .
^ "Massachusetts Minutemen vs Georgia Southern Eagles" . Odds Shark . Retrieved October 18, 2020 .
^ "Georgia Southern Eagles vs Coastal Carolina Chanticleers" . Odds Shark . Retrieved October 27, 2020 .
^ "South Alabama Jaguars vs Georgia Southern Eagles" . Odds Shark . Retrieved November 4, 2020 .
^ "Troy Trojans vs Georgia Southern Eagles" . Odds Shark . Retrieved November 9, 2020 .
^ "Texas State Bobcats vs Georgia Southern Eagles" . Odds Shark . Retrieved November 16, 2020 .
^ "Georgia Southern Eagles vs Army Black Knights" . Odds Shark . Retrieved December 21, 2020 .
^ "Georgia Southern Eagles vs Georgia State Panthers" . Odds Shark . Retrieved December 22, 2020 .
^ "Florida Atlantic Owls vs Georgia Southern Eagles" . Odds Shark . Retrieved December 23, 2020 .
^ "Appalachian State Mountaineers vs Georgia Southern Eagles" . Odds Shark . Retrieved December 19, 2020 .
^ "LA Tech Bulldogs vs Georgia Southern Eagles" . Odds Shark . Retrieved December 19, 2020 .
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