Georgia Southern Eagles
Southern Conference
Georgia Southern has quickly turned around under Coach Jeff Monken. Last year the Eagles made a deep playoff run during Coach Monken’s first year on the job. This year they are even better. The return of the triple option has kept the opposition off balance and GSU already has the weapons to make it an effective and efficient attack. A bulk of Georgia Southern’s tough games came at the end of the year and this is a team that has been tested lately and is ready for the big games in the playoffs.
2011 Record: 9-2, 7-1
Last Playoff Appearance: 2010
Coach: Jeff Monken (19-7 at Georgia Southern, 19-7 overall)
Big Wins: 10/15 Furman (50-20), 11/12 at Wofford (31-10)
Bad Losses: 10/29 at Appalachian State (17-24), 11/19 at Alabama (21-45)
Strengths:
The Eagles do a ton of damage on the ground and have one of the most potent rushing attacks in the nation. It is once again Robert Brown who has led the way, although Jerick McKinnon, J.J. Wilcox and Dominique Swope have all gotten quite a few carries as well. Brown is the workhorse and averages nearly 100 yards per game. McKinnon is more of a power back and will get quite a few of the short yardage carries. Wilcox may not be a breakaway threat, but he will consistently pick up a pretty good chunk of yards every time he touches the ball. The strong offensive line deserves a lot of credit as well for paving the way for all of the backs. Speaking of strong lines, the defensive line has been very good this year. Brent Russell and John Douglas have done a great job getting consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback, but this group is also very good at stopping the run. The overall numbers may be a little inflated since Georgia Southern is usually in the lead and the opposition has little choice but to look to the air. However, linebacker Josh Rowe and safety Deion Stanley are both very effective coming up and helping out the rush defense.
Weaknesses:
Defensively, it is in the air where Georgia Southern can be beat. By the numbers, the pass defense is one of the worst in the Southern Conference. In their loss to Appalachian State, GSU allowed three touchdowns, all of them through the air. Cornerback Laron Scott has had a great season and Hudson Presume is not a bad corner either, but Georgia Southern will often put a lot of pressure on their corners to make plays on their own. That does not always work out for the best. The passing attack on the other side of the ball is pretty much non-existent. Jaybo Shaw rarely even attempts to throw the ball. Shaw has been a relatively consistent passer, but he does his best work making decisions on the ground and leading the triple option attack. Shaw has been a great senior leader for this team and he can break off some big runs. However, if the opposition can find a way to stop the triple option attack on the ground, or Georgia Southern finds themselves behind, the passing game will have a hard time doing much to get the Eagles offense heading in the right direction.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Robert Brown, RB, 834 yards
Passing: Jaybo Shaw, QB, 1,096 yards
Receiving: Johnathan Bryant, WR, 303 yards
Tackles: Deion Stanley, S, 68
Sacks: John Douglas, DE, 5.0; Brent Russell, DT, 5.0
Interceptions: Hudson Presume, S, 3; Laron Scott, CB, 3
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 318.73 (2nd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 106.18 (118, 7)
Total Offense: 424.91 (20, 2)
Scoring Offense: 35.91 (7, 1)
Rushing Defense: 136.91 (37, 2)
Pass Defense: 198.27 (40, 8)
Total Defense: 335.18 (31, 3)
Scoring Defense: 20.36 (23, 2)
Turnover Margin: .36 (40, 5)
Sacks: 2.09 (T-53, 3)
Sacks Allowed:.64 (T-5, 2)
