STATESBORO — Matt Breida rushed for 159 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and Georgia Southern forced five Citadel turnovers as the Eagles topped the Bulldogs 48-13 before a record crowd on Military Appreciation Day in Paulson Stadium Saturday night.
Breida took the handoff on the first play after a Bulldog punt in the second quarter and was untouched as he went straight up the middle. The Eagle receivers locked their men up on the outside for the junior to breeze up the field all alone to tie to fourth-longest touchdown run in school history.
Kevin Ellison also made a little history, becoming the 14th Eagle to rush for over 2,000 career yards with a 9-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter. Breida and Ellison each rushed for two scores, while L.A. Ramsby and Wesley Fields added touchdown runs.
Fields finished with 62 yards on 10 carries, and Ramsby added 60 yards on 10 carries. Chaz Thornton also ripped off a 66-yard run. The Eagle offense unleashed a bit of an aerial attack with 12 completions for 101 yards between Ellison and Favian Upshaw. Ryan Longoria had five receptions for 43 yards.
"We've worked hard to improve the passing game, and we took a step forward tonight," said Georgia Southern coach Willie Fritz. "We were able to run the ball effectively, and that opened some things up. Ryan Longoria had a few catches, and Myles Campbell made a nice catch on 3rd-and-long to keep a drive going."
Ross Alexander and Darrius White each picked off passes, and Antwione Williams led the Eagles with nine tackles. Thomas Banks had a forced fumble on special teams, and Logan Hunt added a forced fumble and five tackles.
"Our guys did a great job with ball security," said Fritz. "We were plus four in turnovers – that was pretty much the game. We got some timely takeaways, and I thought our defense played really well."
Evan McField led The Citadel with 163 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The attendance of 24,872 was the largest regular-season crowd in Paulson Stadium history.
The Eagles scored on their first five possessions of the night and tallied 13 points off of turnovers in the game. Alexander set the Eagles up deep in Bulldog territory with his first career interception on the third play of the contest, and Alex hanks nailed a 22-yard field goal to give the Eagles an early 3-0 cushion.
Georgia Southern took seven minutes off the clock with a 16-play drive on its next possession, and Ellison plunged into the end zone from a yard out for a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Fields ripped off a 25-yard run and three plays later, Breida found daylight for a 35-yard touchdown run and a 17-0 lead early in the second.
Breida's long run put the Eagles on top 24-0 midway through the second, and Darrius White's interception and return set the Eagles up at the Bulldog 35-yard line. Ellison scrambled 13 yards to The Citadel 9-yard line and found a seam for a touchdown run on the next play for a 31-0 lead at halftime.
The Eagles travel to Idaho for their Sun Belt Conference opener next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. Eastern.
