HN went in-depth with an expert that covers MU's upcoming opponent. In this week's "Ask the Expert," we caught up with fellas at Sidelines - Georgia Southern (@SSN_GASouthern) to get their thoughts and perspective on this weekend's game.
What is the vibe around Georgia Southern right now after the 3-2 start and a bye week?
The vibe in Statesboro is great! We have great players, a great coaching staff, great administration, the best fans in the world and just beat our in-state rival to go 1-0 in Sun Belt play, but we all know we have some HUGE games coming up. That starts with trying to go 1-0 this week against Marshall. We had a great first half of the season last year before collapsing so I would call it cautious optimism, but we like our chances any given Saturday.
What are Georgia Southern’s strengths and what have teams done successfully against them to highlight their weaknesses?
The number one strength of any Georgia Southern football team is the culture of the program. We won 6 national championships in 16 seasons at the Division 1-AA level before transitioning to the FBS. Our fans, students, staff, administration and any player that dons the Blue and White expects to win any game. In terms of this year’s team, we have a quarterback that protects the ball, makes the right decisions, and that helps make sure that opponents do not get extra possessions. In addition, we have three running backs that are capable of scoring on any given play and we’re starting to find success in the run game which is going to help Coach Aplin have a more balanced game plan. The key this week is going to be for the offensive line to keep Mike Green out of JC French’s face and give him time to make plays. I imagine we will use a lot of quick hitters and screens to help keep him from being able to pin his ears back every play but he is a stud. Marshall gives up almost 200 yards a game on the ground, so I think we will see a heavy dose of RBs OJ Arnold and Jalen White early to see if we can establish the run game the way we were able to against Georgia State. Defensively, our biggest strength is linebacker group led by Marques Watson-Trent, but that whole group is extremely athletic and flies around the field making plays. Effective play by them causes mistakes by opposing quarterbacks and gives the secondary chances to force turnovers to get extra possessions for the offense. As far as weaknesses, I would say that the biggest weakness is the ability of the defensive line to consistently clog gaps and make stops in the run game, though we have improved week by week. A truly mobile quarterback causes issues for any defense in the country, so it is going to be very important to maintain contain against Braylon Braxton who can make people look silly with his legs and has the ability to extend plays and give receivers time to get open.
Could you tell Marshall fans about Quarterback, JC French?
He’s off to a great start. JC French is a great football player and an even better person. He originally played at Memphis but didn’t play in any games as a freshman and redshirted before transferring to Georgia Southern in 2023. Last season, he served as the backup QB for Davis Brin but showed glimpses of what we see now when he had opportunities to get into games. This season, the coaching staff brought in Indiana transfer, Dexter Williams II, to compete for the starting job with JC French and David Dallas. After a battle that lasted all offseason, Coach Helton named French the starter while highlighting the fact that he had nearly zero turnovers throughout camp. French is very athletic and his arm is strong enough to push the ball down field to guys like Derwin Burgess, Dalen Cobb, Sam Kenerson, and Josh Dallas. Coach Aplin, our offensive coordinator, likes to use his athleticism in zone read, RPOs and designed QB runs but he throws the ball a lot every game and he makes great decisions, throws it away when he should, and does not force the ball into coverage often. He’s a lot of fun to watch!
What are the keys to the game and how do you see the contest playing out? Score prediction?
Neither team has a great defense and with Braylon Braxton taking over at QB for Marshall, I expect this game to be a shootout. The biggest key to the game is going to be the turnover margin. Turnovers give teams extra possessions and when defenses struggle to make stops, those extra possessions can make it a 2-3 score margin in a hurry. Another key for the Eagles is to get RBs Jalen White and OJ Arnold involved early and let them establish some ground game. They started to break out last game against Georgia State, but it’s been a struggle up until then. Marshall gives up nearly 200 yards rushing per game, so it feels like an opportunity to balance out play calling and change the game. Lastly, I think everyone in the Sun Belt knows about this guy, but Marshall DE/EDGE Mike Green is an absolute game wrecker so the offensive line has to be on top of their communications and assignments to keep him out of JC French’s face. I expect a lot of quick hitters, screens, a misdirection to keep Green from pinning his ears back and rushing the QB every play. That guy is an absolute beast and make or break a game quickly! Predictions: Eagles are strong at home and Marshall has 7 straight road losses. Coach Helton gets his first win over Marshall by a 38-33 margin.
What is the vibe around Georgia Southern right now after the 3-2 start and a bye week?
The vibe in Statesboro is great! We have great players, a great coaching staff, great administration, the best fans in the world and just beat our in-state rival to go 1-0 in Sun Belt play, but we all know we have some HUGE games coming up. That starts with trying to go 1-0 this week against Marshall. We had a great first half of the season last year before collapsing so I would call it cautious optimism, but we like our chances any given Saturday.
What are Georgia Southern’s strengths and what have teams done successfully against them to highlight their weaknesses?
The number one strength of any Georgia Southern football team is the culture of the program. We won 6 national championships in 16 seasons at the Division 1-AA level before transitioning to the FBS. Our fans, students, staff, administration and any player that dons the Blue and White expects to win any game. In terms of this year’s team, we have a quarterback that protects the ball, makes the right decisions, and that helps make sure that opponents do not get extra possessions. In addition, we have three running backs that are capable of scoring on any given play and we’re starting to find success in the run game which is going to help Coach Aplin have a more balanced game plan. The key this week is going to be for the offensive line to keep Mike Green out of JC French’s face and give him time to make plays. I imagine we will use a lot of quick hitters and screens to help keep him from being able to pin his ears back every play but he is a stud. Marshall gives up almost 200 yards a game on the ground, so I think we will see a heavy dose of RBs OJ Arnold and Jalen White early to see if we can establish the run game the way we were able to against Georgia State. Defensively, our biggest strength is linebacker group led by Marques Watson-Trent, but that whole group is extremely athletic and flies around the field making plays. Effective play by them causes mistakes by opposing quarterbacks and gives the secondary chances to force turnovers to get extra possessions for the offense. As far as weaknesses, I would say that the biggest weakness is the ability of the defensive line to consistently clog gaps and make stops in the run game, though we have improved week by week. A truly mobile quarterback causes issues for any defense in the country, so it is going to be very important to maintain contain against Braylon Braxton who can make people look silly with his legs and has the ability to extend plays and give receivers time to get open.
Could you tell Marshall fans about Quarterback, JC French?
He’s off to a great start. JC French is a great football player and an even better person. He originally played at Memphis but didn’t play in any games as a freshman and redshirted before transferring to Georgia Southern in 2023. Last season, he served as the backup QB for Davis Brin but showed glimpses of what we see now when he had opportunities to get into games. This season, the coaching staff brought in Indiana transfer, Dexter Williams II, to compete for the starting job with JC French and David Dallas. After a battle that lasted all offseason, Coach Helton named French the starter while highlighting the fact that he had nearly zero turnovers throughout camp. French is very athletic and his arm is strong enough to push the ball down field to guys like Derwin Burgess, Dalen Cobb, Sam Kenerson, and Josh Dallas. Coach Aplin, our offensive coordinator, likes to use his athleticism in zone read, RPOs and designed QB runs but he throws the ball a lot every game and he makes great decisions, throws it away when he should, and does not force the ball into coverage often. He’s a lot of fun to watch!
What are the keys to the game and how do you see the contest playing out? Score prediction?
Neither team has a great defense and with Braylon Braxton taking over at QB for Marshall, I expect this game to be a shootout. The biggest key to the game is going to be the turnover margin. Turnovers give teams extra possessions and when defenses struggle to make stops, those extra possessions can make it a 2-3 score margin in a hurry. Another key for the Eagles is to get RBs Jalen White and OJ Arnold involved early and let them establish some ground game. They started to break out last game against Georgia State, but it’s been a struggle up until then. Marshall gives up nearly 200 yards rushing per game, so it feels like an opportunity to balance out play calling and change the game. Lastly, I think everyone in the Sun Belt knows about this guy, but Marshall DE/EDGE Mike Green is an absolute game wrecker so the offensive line has to be on top of their communications and assignments to keep him out of JC French’s face. I expect a lot of quick hitters, screens, a misdirection to keep Green from pinning his ears back and rushing the QB every play. That guy is an absolute beast and make or break a game quickly! Predictions: Eagles are strong at home and Marshall has 7 straight road losses. Coach Helton gets his first win over Marshall by a 38-33 margin.
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