Game recap: Georgia Southern gets past Ball State 34-23 heading into Sun Belt slate
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STATESBORO — Georgia Southern plays the second of two home games during a six-week stretch to open the season when the Eagles host the Ball State Cardinals at 6 p.m. Saturday at Paulson Stadium (ESPN+).
The Eagles (2-1, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) have put in some late nights traveling back to Statesboro, arriving at about 6:30 a.m. after a night game at Nebraska on Sept. 10 (a 45-42 GS win), and about 2:30 a.m. after last Saturday's 35-21 loss to UAB in Birmingham, Alabama.
"We knew the first half of the season four of our first six games were going to be on the road. We talked about that," Eagles first-year head coach Clay Helton said Monday. "I thought it was going to be so important to be mentally tough and disciplined and focusing on one game at a time. I know it's coaching cliché, but you have to pour yourself into the current week."
The current week is a matchup with the Cardinals (1-2, 0-1 Mid-American Conference), who are coming off of a 31-0 win over Murray State. The Eagles are glad this battle of the birds is in their nest.
"One of the special things, one of the great weapons we have, is this great stadium and our fan base, which I think is the best in our conference," Helton said Monday. "It's good to be home with our fans and it's good to get off that travel. It's good to, hopefully, go 1-0 on the week and be able to get to bed a little bit earlier than we've been getting."
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Ball State's rushing offense vs. Georgia Southern's rushing defense
Factors in the Eagles' defeat to UAB on Sept. 17 including digging a 21-0 hole in the second quarter, losing the turnover battle 3-0 for the game and the Blazers' ability to maintain possession and score touchdowns by running at the GS defense. UAB rushed for 288 yards, led by standout DeWayne McBride's career-best 223 yards and four touchdowns.
After three games, including a 59-7 season-opening win over Morgan State in which the defense did not yield a point, Georgia Southern's rushing defense ranks 127th of 131 FBS programs with 239 yards allowed per game.
Ball State ranks 78th in the FBS in rushing offense at 156.3 yards a game on 104 carries. The Cardinals were expected to put the ball in the hands of 6-foot-1, 215-pound sophomore Carson Steele, a powerful runner who in three games has 62 carries for 305 yards (101.67 per game and 4.9 per carry).
Georgia Southern's rushing offense is tied for 47th at 194.7 yards a game, and Ball State's rushing defense is 97th at 170.7 yards a game.
4:36 p.m. | Seth Robertson update
Junior cornerback Seth Robertson was in concussion protocol this week. He is listed as behind freshman Marc Stampley Jr. on the depth chart. Other DBs starting are Wylan Free (in photo), Anthony Wilson, Justin Birdsong and Derrick Canteen for Georgia Southern against Ball State.
4:30 p.m. | Lineup without team captain Todd Bradley-Glenn
Two-deep lineup for Georgia Southern against Ball State is missing, as expected, inside linebacker Todd Bradley-Glenn, who suffered a dislocated elbow last week at UAB. The seventh-year player is a veteran presence as a co-captain and team leader. Coach Clay Helton calls him the quarterback of the defense and "the rock of the defense."
Listed at starting linebacker are senior Khady Jackson and redshirt sophomore Marques Watson-Trent.
How to watch Georgia Southern vs. Ball State on TV
Danny Waugh (play-by-play), Cole Neely (analyst) and Amy Zimmer (sidelines) will have the call on the ESPN+ streaming service.
Radio for Ball State at Georgia Southern
Danny Reed (play-by-play), Terry Harvin (analyst), Russ Brown (analyst) and Frank Sulkowski (sidelines) have the call on the Georgia Southern Sports Network. The pregame, in-game and postgame shows can be heard in Savannah on WIXV 95.5 FM and on the network's flagship station WPMX 94.9 FM in Statesboro.
Betting: Over/under & point spread
As of Saturday morning, Georgia Southern is a 9.5-point favorite, according to the Tipico Sportsbook. The over/under was 66.5 points and the money line was +270 on Ball State and -340 on GS.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Game recap: Georgia Southern Eagles down Ball State 34-23
