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The Georgia Southern Eagles will be returning home after a two-game road trip. Georgia Southern and the James Madison Dukes will face off in a Sun Belt battle at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. These two teams might be coming in a bit winded after having run the length of the field multiple times in their most recent games.
The Eagles might have drawn first blood against the Georgia State Panthers last week, but it was Georgia State who got the last laugh. Georgia Southern took a 41-33 hit to the loss column. No one had a standout game offensively for Georgia Southern, but they got scores from a handful of players including RB Jalen White, RB Amare Jones, and WR Khaleb Hood.
Meanwhile, James Madison ran circles around the Arkansas State Red Wolves last week, and the extra yardage (598 yards vs. 267 yards) paid off. The Dukes put the hurt on Arkansas State with a sharp 42-20 win. James Madison can attribute much of their success to QB Todd Centeio, who passed for four TDs and 394 yards on 37 attempts, and RB Percy Agyei-Obese, who rushed for two TDs and 158 yards on 21 carries. Agyei-Obese's performance made up for a slower game against the Texas State Bobcats two weeks ago.
James Madison's defense was a presence as well, as it embarrassed Arkansas State's offensive line to sack the quarterback six times for a total loss of 31 yards. Leading the way was DL Isaac Ukwu and his two sacks. Ukwu now has three sacks this season.
Georgia Southern have to know they'll be fighting an uphill battle given the 12-point spread they are up against. Those burned by picking them against the spread last week might want to keep in mind that the squad has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
James Madison's victory lifted them to 5-0 while Georgia Southern's defeat dropped them down to 3-3. Giving up five turnovers, the Eagles had had trouble holding onto the ball. We'll see if the Dukes can exploit that vulnerability.
