The unstoppable Sam Houston Bearkats met the immovable Georgia Southern Eagles in this year’s New Orleans Bowl. The Big Easy was anything but as these two teams threw haymakers back and forth at each other. This slug-it-out type of college football game, however, should come as no surprise to those familiar with the FCS style of play.
Sam Houston Georgia Southern
Kats Have Claws
The best way to describe the first quarter is total Sam Houston domination. As Last Word On Sports discussed earlier this week, the transfers remaining made a world of difference. Even with this being their last game under the Bearkats banner, these players were giving it their all.
Whether it was penalties or a tenacious Sam Houston defense, the Eagles couldn’t get anything going in the first fifteen minutes. JC French’s very first play of the game was snatched out of the air by Jaylon Jimmerson and ran back for an amazing pick-six.
Anyone who was doubting that Sam Houston could persevere without their head coach was, very quickly, forgotten.
Eagles Have Talons
Ryan Aplin’s team wasn’t ready to fly home just yet, though. After being pushed down, Georgia Southern got back up, dusted itself off, and knocked Sam Houston straight in the teeth. French, despite his early interceptions, showed why he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the Sun Belt. Working in tandem with running back Jalen White, he led the Eagles on an eighty-yard drive down the field.
Indeed, the Bearkats defense was clearly caught off guard as the mobile quarterback kept bouncing back and forth between the lines. The opening minutes of the second quarter were everything the first quarter wasn’t. Despite some good effort, the Sam Houston defenders couldn’t keep up. A final pass to Josh Dallas put the Eagles on the board.
While the Georgia Southern offense was stumbling to success, the Eagles defense was putting the fear of God into the Sam Houston offense. Defenders and linebackers alike kept blasting through the Bearkats’ line. Hunter Watson stuck in the backfield, was their target each and every time. Each time Watson got back up, it was clear he never wanted to get hit like that again.
Clawing Back the New Orleans Bowl
A late Georgia Southern drive in the first half couldn’t close the gap fast enough, and the third quarter would open with a 21-10 lead for Sam Houston. That’s when the Eagles began clawing their way back into this bowl game.
A touchdown and field goal would bring that big lead down to just three points. Big hits began closing the walls on Watson and the Bearkats. Somehow, some way, their lead was disappearing. In the fourth quarter, Georgia Southern took as much time off the clock as they could. Yet, just as it had been all game, they couldn’t maintain the momentum.
French would throw his fifth interception of the night, Dallas fumbled a punt recovery, and then the Eagles followed this up with a personal foul and a targeting penalty. Despite a last-minute push, these mistakes held a Georgia Southern victory well out of reach.
The 2024 New Orleans Bowl: By The Numbers
At 31-26, the Bearkats walk out with the victory. Watson completed 23 out of 28 passes for 213 yards of offense. The leading rusher for the Bearkats is Jay Ducker with 26 total yards on the ground. Overall, Sam Houston comes away with 265 total yards of offense and 28 minutes of possession time.
Georgia Southern leaves the New Orleans Bowl with 393 total yards of offense and 31 minutes of possession time.
The Future of Sam Houston and Georgia Southern Football
Both teams have some big decisions to make in the future. The New Orleans Bowl may have been the end of Sam Houston’s football dominance- at least for now. With so many outgoing transfers, the Bearkats are in an uncomfortably similar position to the SEC’s Oklahoma Sooners right now. It’s not rebuild time just yet, but the success of 2024 will be difficult to recreate in 2025.
Georgia Southern, on the other hand, is looking to next year with hope. Unlike so many teams in college football, the Eagles are a cohesive unit. Perhaps it’s the FCS legacy, but this team is one that’s sticking together. As college football competition heats up, Georgia Southern and the Sun Belt’s 2025 season is looking to be the hottest yet.
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