STATESBORO, Ga. (WSAV) — The tide appears to be turning in the favor of Georgia Southern after they were 2-4 and lost to Southern Miss.
Not many people believed that they could make a bowl game, but they have won three of their last four contests and now they sit just one win away from making their fourth straight bowl game.
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Georgia Southern ran all over Coastal Carolina in a 45-40 victory. Senior running back OJ Arnold rushed for 262 yards and two touchdowns, he caught another four passes out of the backfield for 53 yards and a touchdown and he threw a 73-yard touchdown.
He is the first player in school history to score touchdowns rushing, receiving and throwing in a single game.
“In my 35 years as a player and as a coach,” head coach Clay Helton said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever witnessed a stellar game at a position than OJ Arnold at the running back position to do what he did.”
If Georgia Southern wins on Saturday, they will be bowl eligible. The victory would complete a turnaround not many believed could happen after the team’s record was 2-4 after losing to Southern Miss.
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“Trust each other,” said senior wide receiver Marcus Sanders. “Just stick to the process even through the highs and lows. Just stay even keel and just keep going in the right direction. That’s going to lead us to victory. So I feel like that’s what we’ve been doing.”
Nov. 22 will be senior night for the Eagles. Twenty-five seniors will play their final game at Paulson Stadium. Coach Helton says these seniors are special because they are the first he recruited and they chose to be in Statesboro when transferring is commonplace.
“They chose to be Georgia Southern and be Eagles for life,” Helton said. “And I think there’s something to that, you know, to be able to graduate from here, to have an alumni network from here, to truly be true blue.”
This week’s opponent is Old Dominion. They are 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference. They are powered by Colton Jospeh. He is currently sixth in the conference in rushing and fourth in passing.
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“A very dangerous Colton Joseph, a guy that you know is going to be up for MVP of the league this year,” Helton said.
The game between Georgia Southern and Old Dominion will kick off at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
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