It’s been a theme this season for Georgia Southern to suffer a setback after a quality win.
That’s what happened last Saturday against Texas State.
Riding a two-game winning streak and coming off a win against Georgia State in a highly-anticipated matchup, the Eagles were outscored 24-0 in the second quarter en route to a 45-24 loss.
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The other two games where Georgia Southern has fallen victim to the football hangover were in Weeks 3 and 7. Those are the only three games it has lost this season.
Week 3 saw the Eagles fall to Wisconsin, 35-14, which followed a 49-35 win over UAB. At the time, that seemed like a quality win.
The Eagles even made the Group of Five Underdog of the Week honorable mentions list going up against Wisconsin. GASO’s offense was playing well and Wisconsin showed some early season struggles — struggles, by the way, that have been a constant this season.
The Eagles held a 14-7 lead in the second quarter but Davis Brin went on to throw five interceptions which they weren’t able to overcome.
Much like the defeat to Wisconsin, turnovers — and specifically interceptions — were a cause for concern in the loss to James Madison. Brin tossed three picks in that game. The first one was a backbreaker where the Dukes took possession at the GASO 20-yard line and scored on the following play.
The other two picks didn’t lead to any points, but it stymied any hope at a chance the Eagles had in that game.
Although it lost the turnover battle 2-1 to Texas State, GASO wasn’t as impacted by the mistakes as it was in its first two losses. An interception led to a field goal and a fumble came on the final possession of the game.
Georgia Southern did, however, turn the ball over on downs twice in that game, with each leading to a Bobcats touchdown. There’s no doubt that coughing up the ball and setting up short-field opportunities for the opposing offenses have had a big impact on those hangover games.
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In their three losses, the Eagles have a combined 11 turnovers. In their six wins, they have just 10. Brin ranks second-to-last in the league with 13 interceptions and had the most up until last week.
Despite the pair of critical conference losses, the Eagles are still in the driver’s seat to make it to the Sun Belt title game.
College football betting odds have them at the second shortest odds to win it. Troy is at -150.
This is in large part because of the victory over Coastal, who at 4-2, is the only team eligible for the championship that is currently sitting ahead of GASO in the standings. JMU is 6-0 in league play and GASO is 3-2.
Remaining on the schedule are Marshall, Old Dominion, and App State. Considering Marshall’s downfall this season, I don’t see the Eagles losing that game, but the next two won’t be quite as easy. There’s still a chance for Georgia Southern to suffer another hangover defeat.
Where everything currently sits, a win over ODU could be considered a big win. And who knows, the regular-season finale between the Eagles and the Mountaineers could decide who ends up representing the East division in that Sun Belt championship.
If that ends up being the case, it would be a bad spot for another one of those GASO hangover games.
