| 2018Georgia Southern Eagles football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Camellia Bowl champion | |
Camellia Bowl, W 23–21 vs.Eastern Michigan | |
| Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| Division | East Division |
| Record | 10–3 (6–2 Sun Belt) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Bob DeBesse (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pistol |
| Defensive coordinator | Scot Sloan (1st season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | Paulson Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appalachian State xy$ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Troy x | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coastal Carolina | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia State | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana xy | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State x | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana–Monroe | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Alabama | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas State | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship:Appalachian State 30, Louisiana 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2018 Georgia Southern Eagles football team representedGeorgia Southern University in the2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games atPaulson Stadium inStatesboro,Georgia, and competed in the East Division of theSun Belt Conference. They were led by first-year head coachChad Lunsford. They finished the season 10–3, 6–2 in Sun Belt play to finish in third place in the East Division. They were invited to theCamellia Bowl where they defeatedEastern Michigan.
The Eagles had the biggest turnaround inFBS in 2018, going from a 2–10 record in 2017 to 10–3. They also set a new FBS record by losing only five turnovers during the season. The previous record of eight had been achieved by six teams, most recently byLSU in 2017.[1]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | South Carolina State* | ESPN+ | W 37–6 | 15,260 | |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | UMass* |
| ESPN+ | W 34–13 | 15,071 |
| September 15 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 2Clemson* | ESPNU | L 7–38 | 79,844 | |
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | Arkansas State |
| ESPN+ | W 28–21 | 17,320 |
| October 6 | 3:30 p.m. | South Alabama |
| ESPN3 | W 48–13 | 17,622 |
| October 11 | 7:30 p.m. | atTexas State | ESPNU | W 15–13 | 9,545 | |
| October 20 | 6:00 p.m. | atNew Mexico State* | W 48–31 | 7,300 | ||
| October 25 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 25Appalachian State |
| ESPNU | W 34–14 | 19,252 |
| November 3 | 3:00 p.m. | atLouisiana–Monroe | ESPN3 | L 25–44 | 13,787 | |
| November 10 | 1:00 p.m. | Troy |
| ESPN+ | L 21–35 | 16,289 |
| November 17 | 5:00 p.m. | atCoastal Carolina | ESPN+ | W 41–17 | 9,886 | |
| November 24 | 2:00 p.m. | atGeorgia State | ESPN+ | W 35–14 | 20,011 | |
| December 15 | 5:30 p.m. | vs.Eastern Michigan* | ESPN | W 23–21 | 17,710 | |
| ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Eagles | 13 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 37 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutemen | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Eagles | 0 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 2 Tigers | 0 | 21 | 3 | 14 | 38 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Wolves | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 21 |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Eagles | 7 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 48 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| Bobcats | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 10 | 14 | 21 | 3 | 48 |
| Aggies | 14 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 25 Mountaineers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Eagles | 0 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 25 |
| Warhawks | 13 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 44 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trojans | 3 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 35 |
| Eagles | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 3 | 10 | 21 | 7 | 41 |
| Chanticleers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 35 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMU Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| GASO Eagles | 7 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
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Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rimington Trophy[3] | Curtis Rainey | C | SR |
| Doak Walker Award[4] | Wesley Fields | RB | SR |
| John Mackey Award[5] | Ellis Richardson | TE | SR |
| Lou Groza Award[6] | Tyler Bass | K | JR |
| Wuerffel Trophy[7] | Wesley Fields | RB | SR |
On July 19, 2018, the Sun Belt released their preseason coaches poll with the Eagles predicted to finish in fourth place in the East Division.[8]
The Eagles had six players selected to the preseason all-Sun Belt teams.[9]
Offense 2nd team Wesley Fields – RB Ellis Richardson– TE Curtis Rainey – OL | Defense 1st team Logan Hunt – DL Monquavion Brinson – DBTae Hayes – DB | Special teams 2nd team Tyler Bass – K |
Twelve Georgia Southern football players were honored by the league coaches and members of the media as the Sun Belt Conference announced the selections for its all-conference teams.
per Sun Belt Conference[10]