Georgia Southern rushed for 335 yards on 52 carries, led by 187 yards and two touchdowns from Matthew Breida, as the Eagles defeated South Alabama 28-6 on Saturday in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams.
The loss dropped the Jaguars to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in Sun Belt play. Georgia Southern evened its record at 2-2 and moved to 1-0 in the conference.
Breida Opens the Scoring
Neither offense found the end zone in the first quarter until its final play, when Breida ran off left tackle and outran the South Alabama defense for a 64-yard touchdown that gave Georgia Southern a 7-0 lead.
About five minutes into the second quarter, the Eagles went up 14-0 on a 1-yard touchdown run by L.A. Ramsby. The key play of the drive was a 48-yard completion from quarterback Kevin Ellison to B.J. Johnson, who caught the ball on a deflection despite tight coverage from South Alabama’s Qudarius Ford.
Smith Scores Jaguars’ Lone Touchdown
South Alabama answered late in the first half. Facing fourth-and-1 at the Georgia Southern 28, Jaguars head coach Joey Jones called a timeout to set up the play. Quarterback Brandon Bridge found Shavarez Smith on a short route near the right sideline past the first-down marker, and Smith broke a tackle and went the rest of the way for a 28-yard touchdown.
Aleem Sunanon’s extra-point attempt was no good, and South Alabama trailed 14-6 at halftime.
Eagles Pull Away in Second Half
Breida pushed the lead to 21-6 midway through the third quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run.
South Alabama drove inside the Georgia Southern 10 but faced fourth-and-goal from the 7, and the threat ended when Bridge was sacked. The Jaguars later got another opportunity when a Georgia Southern field goal attempt sailed wide left, but they were unable to score on the ensuing possession or the rest of the game.
Ellison closed the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run with 3:21 remaining.
By the Numbers
Bridge completed 13 of 34 passes for 149 yards with a touchdown and two late interceptions, and he was sacked four times. Smith led South Alabama receivers with four catches for 69 yards.
The Jaguars ran for 147 yards. Kendall Houston led the way with 38 yards on seven carries, while Jay Jones gained 37 yards on 12 carries and Xavier Johnson added 37 yards on seven carries.
Breida averaged 8.9 yards per carry on his 21 attempts for Georgia Southern, and Ellison added 96 rushing yards on 16 carries. Eagles quarterbacks completed 6 of 11 passes for 85 yards with an interception. Johnson caught five of the six completions for 76 yards, and Kentrellis Showers had the other for nine yards.
Up Next
South Alabama travels to Moscow, Idaho, next week to face Idaho at the Kibbie Dome. The Vandals are 0-3. Georgia Southern has a short week, hosting Appalachian State on Thursday night.
