Georgia Southern Gets Grounded by Fresno State in Week 1, 42-14

The Fresno State Bulldogs dominated the second half against Georgia Southern Eagles to win their Week 1 matchup, 42-14. The Eagles fall to 0-1 to start their season while the Bulldogs bounce-back after their Week 0 loss. We’ll recap the matchup here, and give you the best moments of the game.

Georgia Southern vs. Fresno State Week 1 Recap

A Fantastic First Half

The Eagles started hot. Quarterback JC French looked incredible throwing the ball. The Georgia Southern signal-caller was able to complete two touchdown passes on the night. The first was to Auburn transfer Camden Brown and the other to tight end River Helms. Brown was an obvious go-to guy for French early on. French did have one interception because of a tipped pass, but if it had not been tipped it would have been on the receiver’s numbers.

Eagles running back OJ Arnold was also a bowling ball. The senior offensive leader had no problems bouncing off Bulldogs and lowering the shoulder for the extra yard. Arnold helped get French into rhythm quickly, and will need to continue to do so throughout the season.

Arnold ended the game averaging 4.6 yards a carry, but finished with only nine carries. Eventually, the Eagles found themselves in a must-pass situation after going down 35-14  late in the game, which crippled his production.

The only Eagles RB to catch a pass was David Mbadinga, a screen pass that resulted in a one yard loss. Expect Coach Helton to try and get these backs more involved in the offense.

The Eagles defense looked good in the first half, forcing three takeaways – two interceptions and a fumble. Georgia Southern knew they could force some turnovers from EJ Warner if they got enough pressure, and made it happen.

The fumble came from linebacker MJ Stroud, forcing Bulldog running back Bryson Donelson to cough it up, something the Fresno back rarely does. Meanwhile, defensive back Chance Gamble had one of the team’s interceptions and was smothering Bulldog receivers all night. The interception came from a 50-50 ball that the 6-foot-2 defensive back went up and grabbed.

Second Half Struggles

The second half was a completely different story for Georgia Southern. Bulldog head coach Matt Entz’s run scheme had the Eagles defense struggling.

Fresno State’s running backs Bryson Donelson and Rayshon Luke were a dynamic one-two punch. However, Coach Entz also used his fullback, Brandon Ramirez, who the Eagles had a tough time bringing down. This reliance on the run game helped EJ Warner settle in after a shaky first half. Warner was able to finish the game going 20-of-27 with 176 passing yards.

The poor tackling by the Eagles defenders in the second half had Georgia Southern fans upset. However, that frustration is only because the Eagles had looked so good in the first half. In the first half, the edge rushers were getting penetration, but in the second it felt like they couldn’t get any pressure on Warner.

On offense, the second half wasn’t much better for Southern. Fresno State’s lockdown defensive back Al’zillion Hamilton would not leave Camden Brown’s sight. Coach Entz and the Bulldogs sniffed out the Eagles’ best weapon during the half and made sure to shut him down.

Eagles running back OJ Arnold was a key piece for the production in the first half. And, he more than likely helped take some pressure off French by forcing the Bulldog defense to worry about him. In the second half, it never felt like Arnold got going again.

Fans expected the run game to be more prevalent, as it was Coach Helton’s bread and butter. However, Fresno State made it almost impossible for the Eagles to continue leaning on Arnold.

Looking Ahead: Week 2 at USC

The Eagles will stay on the west coast for the entire week as they prepare to face Coach Helton’s former school, the University of Southern California. USC sits at 1-0 after their week one 73-13 beatdown on Missouri State.

Southern California quarterback Jayden Maiava looked stellar in Week 1. The quarterback threw for 295 yards on 15-of-18 attempts with two passing touchdowns. Georgia Southern will have their hands full trying to stop this offense, but it will be a great test before starting conference play.