Georgia Southern (1-0) at No. 25 Louisiana (2-0)
Saturday, September 26th at 11 a.m.
TV: ESPN2 | Radio: ESPN 1420
Virus Strikes Home
Louisiana will be without a handful of key players Saturday including leading Rusher Elijah Mitchell, starting tackle Max Mitchell, and nose tackle Tayland Humphrey. Starting Linebacker Joe Dillon and defensive back A.J. Washington remain out as well; both missed last week's game at Georgia State. While the university won't confirm their absences are due to the coronavirus, the players were not included on the depth chart or injury report. A Daily Advertiser report suggest virus protocols will keep those starters and a handful of others out Saturday. The coronavirus is no stranger to the Eagles, who went without 33 players in their 27-26 win over Campbell in the season opener. Georgia Southern's game last week was canceled by FAU due to the virus, too.
Ground and Pound
Losing Elijah Mitchell stings, but it shouldn't hold back the Cajuns, who have an immensely talented group of backs (Trey Ragas & Chris Smith) who have split the touches this season pretty evenly. Trey Ragas, who's had a slow start, is still fifth among active rushers in the nation with 2,905 career yards. Mitchell ranks seventh on that list. Georgia Southern's quarterback Shai Werts is eighth with 2,525 yards. Billy Napier described the four-year starter Wednesday as a "running back and returning" who plays quarterback. Last season, both Louisiana and Georgia Southern ranked in the top ten in the nation in rushing yards-per-game.
Upset Eagles
Frank Sulkowski from WJCL (Savannah, GA) calls the Eagles the "Sun Belt Ranking Beaters." Georgia Southern has won a top-25 game in each of the past two seasons, both against Appalachian State. The Eagles have scared quite a few other teams as well, playing close games with Georgia Tech, Georgia, and Minnesota in recent years. The Cajuns are 2-1 all-time against Georgia Southern, winning last year on the road 37-20.
Want More? Check out our Mic'd Up game preview with WJCL's sports director Frank Sulkowski
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