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STATESBORO, Ga. —Georgia Southern went for it on fourth-and-2 at the Marshall 30. Weston Bryan ran for seven yards, and Max Johnson hit Jeremiah Ware for a 23-yard touchdown on the next snap. On Marshall’s first play after the score, Chace Calicut intercepted Zion Turner and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. Seven seconds separated the scores, and Georgia Southern led 14-0.
Johnson threw four touchdown passes and ran for another in the 49-13 win over Marshall. A homecoming crowd of 24,023 watched the Eagles win their third straight and move to 4-1 in the Sun Belt.
Marshall comes away empty on two fourth downs
On its opening drive, Marshall faced fourth-and-5 at the Georgia Southern 34. Jorge Diaz Nicolas had made all five of his field goals at Old Dominion the week before, the longest from 35 yards. This one was from 52, and he missed. It might have been worth giving the offense another snap. An incompletion would have left Georgia Southern at its own 34, right where it took over after the miss.
You could feel some of the life go out of the Marshall section when Calicut scored. Jo’Shon Barbie’s 45-yard touchdown run got people back into it. Early in the second quarter, the Herd was down seven with fourth-and-1 at the Eagles’ 5.
Going for it made sense. Georgia Southern stopped Judah Price at the line on a shotgun handoff up the middle. T.J. Lester had already converted a second-and-1 on that drive, and play-action to Toby Payne was another option. Marshall never got back inside the 20.
Tony Gibson pointed to the interception return and the fourth-down stop afterward. “We never recovered,” he said in Marshall’s postgame recap.
Georgia Southern scored on four straight drives after halftime
Alex Taylor’s 70-yard touchdown catch put Georgia Southern up 21-7 before halftime. Marshall forced a punt to start the third quarter, then punted it back. Josh Dallas returned it 42 yards, leaving the Eagles 52 yards to go. They covered it in seven plays, with Johnson finding Andre Greene Jr. from a yard out.
The Eagles started their next drive at their own 9. Eight plays later, Ware scored on a 45-yard pass. Johnson and Ty Cummings each ran one in from 16 yards on the next two possessions.
Georgia Southern made football look easy in the second half. Johnson finished with 271 passing yards and no interceptions, and Taylor and Ware had 94 yards apiece. Gibson had talked before the game about how quickly Johnson gets the ball out and how well Marshall would have to tackle in space. The Herd’s secondary gave up the long touchdown to Taylor before halftime, then let Ware get loose in the third. Georgia Southern led 35-7 after three quarters.
Marshall should give Khalil Wilkins more snaps at quarterback
I’d have given Khalil Wilkins a series on Marshall’s first possession after halftime. The defense had just forced a punt, and a touchdown would have made it a one-score game. Wilkins had already taken a carry and caught an 11-yard pass, and he’d led Marshall with 69 rushing yards in the win over South Alabama.
Marshall punted twice in the third quarter before Chance Gamble intercepted Turner. By the time Wilkins ran 66 yards for a touchdown, the Eagles were up 49-7. All three of his pass attempts came on Marshall’s last possession.
Wilkins is a redshirt sophomore. Turner and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson are both redshirt seniors on Marshall’s roster. If Wilkins is the guy the staff sees taking over in 2027, give him a series in the first half against App State. Let him throw on an early down and see how he handles a drive while the game is still close.
What’s next
Clay Helton said before the Marshall game that Georgia Southern needed to go 4-0 in November. His staff and team took care of the first one and came out of homecoming still first in the Sun Belt East. The Eagles go to Georgia State on Nov. 14, with both teams a win away from bowl eligibility. The Panthers beat App State in Boone a week after losing to Coastal Carolina.
A large contingent of Marshall fans made the trip to Statesboro. There was some lighthearted jawing in the stands, a fine sunset over Paulson Stadium and good hospitality from the Georgia Southern folks. After wins over South Alabama and Old Dominion, the Herd faithful had reason to expect a closer game.
Marshall hosts App State that same day in the annual ‘75’ game, 56 years after 75 people died when the team’s flight home from East Carolina crashed. Both teams are 5-4, and the winner becomes bowl eligible. I’d treat this as a must-win for Gibson and his staff. Marshall has two more chances if it loses, but it ought to get its sixth win at home against a team with the same record.
Marshall–Georgia Southern box score · Follow Herd Syndicate on X