Final: Georgia Southern football holds off Old Dominion to earn conference win on the road
The Georgia Southern Eagles football team entered Saturday 4-3 overall but 1-3 on the road, including 0-2 in games at Sun Belt Conference opponents. It added up to 1-2 league record in a tightly bunched East Division race.
"The challenge this year is we have to get one of those big wins on the road," Dillon Springer, a sixth-year defensive end and team co-captain, said Monday. "This week versus ODU, what a great opportunity for us."
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Springer said the team was done celebrating the Oct. 15 win over then-No. 25 James Madison by Sunday, then moved on to the next goal of going 1-0 this week by trying to beat the host Old Dominion Monarchs (3-3, 2-0 SBC) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+).
"That's what I really love about this team and this coaching staff is we make it to a point to where we don't want to be stuck on the high," Springer said. "Forget that, we've still got business to take care of. We don't want to be stuck on a low; we've still got a game next weekend. Great win, pat on the back. Now it's time to step forward and get ready for a good team down there. Go down there and come out 1-0."
Mission accomplished, as Georgia Southern fell behind early 3-0, took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and never trailed again in posting a 28-25 victory over Old Dominion on Saturday.
Commentary: Georgia Southern football team hoping wins add up, one at a time, in Sun Belt race
Analysis: Take away its runners, and Georgia Southern still has Kyle Vantrease's arm, big-play WRs
How the Eagles won: Five takeaways from Georgia Southern's wild upset of No. 25 James Madison
𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝟴 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦: ODU
Presented by Whitfield Signs#HailSouthern pic.twitter.com/fQqn6kkGk8— Georgia Southern Football (@GSAthletics_FB) October 23, 2022
Becoming road warriors
If the Eagles are going to become road warriors, they have to improve on winning close games, especially in the fourth quarter.
Breaking down the first four road games, GS has been outscored 34-21 in the first quarter, 49-38 in the second quarter and 48-33 in the fourth quarter, while holding a slight 37-35 edge in the third quarter. Opponents have outscored the Eagles 166-129.
3:25 p.m. | Two Monarch standouts sidelined
The Old Dominion football team will be without redshirt junior tight end Zack Kuntz, a 6-foot-8, 251-pound transfer out of Penn State and 2021 Conference USA first team honoree; and sophomore DE Amorie Morrison (6-4, 244), a 2021 @ConferenceUSA All-Freshman Team member, according to the Georgia Southern Sports Network pregame show.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Southern vs. Old Dominion football: Live score updates
