One of the most anticipated Group of Five games heading into the season was this week’s matchup between Liberty and Appalachian State. Whichever team came out on top would cement itself as one of the favorites for the G5’s automatic bid in the College Football Playoff.
However, App State has not met expectations, and the hype for this matchup is not what we hoped it would be. It still may be close, however. College football betting odds have Liberty as a 3.5-point favorite.
But instead of that meeting being the Sun Belt Game of the Week, we’ll pivot to a rivalry which is an in-conference and in-state matchup.
In the inaugural Georgia Grown Bowl — and “Modern Day Hate” — Georgia Southern will make the three-hour drive from Statesboro to Atlanta to face Georgia State in what should be a fun Sun Belt clash. This contest features two teams in this week’s HERO Sports G5 Top 25.
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How To Watch Georgia Southern-Georgia State
The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will air on ESPNU.
Georgia Southern-Georgia State Betting Line
Georgia State is currently a 3.5-point favorite.
Georgia Southern-Georgia State Coaches & Records
Georgia Southern: Clay Helton (60-40, 14-16 at GASO)
Georgia State: Dell McGee (2-1)
Last meeting: Oct. 26, 2023; Georgia Southern won 44-27
The Eagles have the 6-4 advantage in this series.
Georgia Southern Preview
Quarterback JC French won the starting job prior to the season and has played well in his first four starts. The sophomore tossed two touchdown passes in each of the Eagles’ first three games but failed to throw any in last week’s 52-13 loss to Ole Miss, where he also threw his first interception of the season. That’s refreshing for an offense which saw QBs toss 20 interceptions in 2023.
Outside of that Week 1 outburst where the Eagles scored 45 points in a loss to Boise State, the offense really hasn’t had much going for it, though. In fact, they’ve combined to score 44 points over their last three games. The offensive line hasn’t been the greatest and has given up nine sacks on the year while the Eagles are averaging just 89 yards per game on the ground, which ranks second-to-last in the league.
The Eagles’ defense hasn’t been very stout this season, although it has played a pair of high-powered offenses in Boise State and Ole Miss. This will be a better gauge for the defense as it matches up against a Panthers team that is averaging just 24 points per game. Georgia Southern is allowing 34.8 PPG and a league-worst 518.5 YPG.
Marques Watson-Trent has been one of the best linebackers in the league so far this season and leads the Eagles with 35 total tackles.
Georgia State Preview
The Panthers have gotten off to a decent start in Dell McGee’s first year at the helm. Especially considering he wasn’t named the head coach until the spring.
After a 23-point loss to Georgia Tech in Week 1, GSU picked up a pair of close wins, including a victory over Vanderbilt two weeks ago. Panthers QB Christian Veilleux took GSU on a game-winning, 75-yard drive with 1 minute, 14 seconds remaining for the 36-32 victory in that game.
Now, off a bye week, GSU should be well rested and eager to pick up another big win.
Wide receiver Ted Hurst has been Veilleux’s best target and caught the game-winning touchdown against Vandy. Hurst ranks fourth in the conference with 79 receiving yards per game, and his three TDs rank third. Running back Freddie Brock has been another weapon for the Panthers offense and is averaging 76.7 YPG on the ground, which is fourth-best in the Sun Belt.
We’ll see how GSU’s defense fares this week and if it can see some improvement from the first three weeks of the season. The Panthers are allowing 29.3 points per game and 395.7 YPG. They gave up 21 points to an 0-3 Chattanooga squad that only scored a combined six points in its other two contests.
Starting cornerback Izaiah Guy and linebacker Justin Abraham were both injured against Vanderbilt and may miss this week’s game. Abraham is second on the team in tackles (17) and Guy has two pass breakups and a fumble recovery on the year.
Georgia Southern-Georgia State Prediction
I predict Georgia State will win but will not cover the spread.
The Panthers may not have the most prolific offense, but they’ve proven they have some decent weapons. With the way Georgia Southern’s defense has played this season, I don’t trust the Eagles to get enough stops to prevent the Panthers from winning a close one.
