Southern Miss and Georgia Southern meet for the first time as conference opponents
Southern Miss and Georgia Southern meet for the first time as conference opponents β and for the first time overall since 1941.
Fresh off of a bye week, Southern Miss looks to continue their winning ways as they travel to Statesboro for their second conference game of the season. Georgia Southern, which is coming off a bye week of their own, is looking to climb back to .500 both overall and in conference play.
Southern Miss
Before their bye week, the Golden Eagles got an impressive 42-25 win over Jacksonville State.
The offense finally saw a running back emerge, as Jeffery Pittman ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns. This gets Pittman to over 200 yards on the season, and he’s averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Ole Miss transfer Matt Jones has also had a solid start to the season, rushing for 121 yards. Coach Charles Huff mentioned that opening this running game has and will open up the pass game, specifically the tight ends.
“I think we’ve gotten better each week,” Huff said. “If we continue to improve our run game, I think that’ll help our tight ends and Kadinn Morris for sure.”
Quarterback Braylon Braxton didn’t put up the flashiest numbers against the Gamecocks, but it was enough to get the win as he threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 41 yards on the ground. On the season, Braxton is up to 1,236 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and also rushing for 169 yards.
Braxton has done a great job of spreading the ball around, as 16 players have caught a pass so far, but his favorite target has been Carl Chester. The 6-foot-3 receiver is tied for the team lead in receptions with 14, and leads the team in yards with 224. Tychaun Chapman’s 43-yard reception against the Gamecocks jumps him to second on the team in yards this season.
Defensively, the team is led by linebackers Chris Jones and Michael Montgomery. Jones has recorded 53 total tackles through the first five games, which puts him top 10 in the country and first in the conference. Montgomery has recorded 48 tackles, which is also good for top 20 nationally and top three in the conference.
Asking for a teammate… Is this good??
The πππππ‘π¦π leads the Sun Belt in defensive touchdowns and ranks fourth in the nation π₯#FlipTheScript | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/FbAsEIhvcS
β Southern Miss Football (@SouthernMissFB) October 2, 2025
The secondary is led by safety Ian Foster, who is third on the team in total tackles with 34. Foster has two interceptions, which were both returned for touchdowns, including a 49-yard pick-six against the Gamecocks in their latest game.
Georgia Southern
The last time we saw the Eagles on the field, it was a 35-10 defeat to the James Madison Dukes.
JC French, a redshirt junior quarterback, leads the Georgia Southern offense into the game after struggling against the Dukes. French went 14-for-24 for 165 yards and while this isn’t the greatest stat line, the passing game isn’t the worry and Southern Miss coach Huff has acknowledged that.
.@GSCoachHelton emphasizes the importance of a week-by-week mindset as the Eagles stay locked in on Southern Miss. #HailSouthern pic.twitter.com/QVVanSRNUC
β Georgia Southern Football (@GSAthletics_FB) October 6, 2025
“JC French has been in the system multiple years, and has done a really good job. You can tell he fully understands the system,” said Huff.
Georgia Southern ran 26 times for only 27 yards against James Madison. Starting running back OJ Arnold only ran the ball four times for 10 yards. This does not reflect Arnold’s overall season, as he has run for 309 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
The Eagles’ leading receiver is Camden Brown who has recorded 392 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns, including 111 of French’s 165 yards against the Dukes. Dalen Cobb leads the team in receptions with 23.
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles are much more balanced but also have two linebackers leading the team in total tackles. Brandon Tyson has 39 tackles on the season, also adding an interception. Brendan Harrington, who is coming off a 13-tackle performance, has 31 on the season.
In the secondary, senior Justin Meyers has three pass deflections and 31 total tackles through five games. Ayden Jackson, Phillip Gladney, and Chance Gamble all have one interception.
Huff is aware that Georgia Southern will pose threats in all facets of the game, even if their record or stats don’t represent that sentiment.
“You can kind of see the identity of a Helton football team β really complex offensively, physical and big on the defensive side, and then well coached in a special teams game,” Huff noted.
Southern Miss at Georgia Southern
Kickoff: Thursday, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT)
TV: ESPN 2
Radio: Varsity Network App
For information on tickets, fans can click here. Fans can also contact the ticket office via phone at 1-800-GSU-WINS, or via email at tickets@georgiasouthern.edu.
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