Eagles face big task at No. 5 Ole Miss

For the third year in a row, the Georgia Southern Eagles have started the year with a 2-1 record under head coach Clay Helton. On Saturday, the Eagles will travel to face 5th seed Ole Miss in Oxford MS.

On Saturday, the Eagles beat FCS member South Carolina State 42-14. The Eagles managed just 211 passing yards and 140 running yards, but played another clean game with no interceptions for new quarterback JC French, who is at the helm for the third year in a row.

“I think the reason we're 2-1 here is because we protect the football,” Eagle head coach Clay Helton said. “We're explosive on offense, too. JC moves the ball forward and protects it while doing it. He has 110 throws without an interception. They say if you have one interception per 100 throws, you're in an elite category. I'm proud of the way he plays, and he's going to have to keep playing that consistently on Saturday against Ole Miss.”

The offense continues to come through with some big plays from their receivers, but has been held back a bit on the ground. Of their 140 rushing yards against SCSU, 56 of those came on their final drive of the game. Senior running back Jalen White leads the Sun Belt with five touchdowns, but the Eagles are 12th in the league in rushing offense. This season, White has 103 rushing yards on 31 carries. Last year against ULM alone, White had 164 rushing yards on 26 carries. The Eagles have yet to have a running back run for 50 yards this year, but Helton isn't worried about the running game.

“I think our running backs really shined in the red zone,” Helton said. “We also used our receivers to make big plays with the ball. We also used our running backs to catch passes out of the backfield. Jalen still has issues with his ankle. He can play with it and be effective for us, but he's doing everything he can to get back to full health. I feel like it's going to get better and better as he gets healthier.”

The running problems are unlikely to improve on Saturday, as Ole Miss is allowing just 33 yards per game, which is tops in the nation. The Rebels are also second in the nation in defense, allowing just nine points in three games.

“We just have to go out there and do what we're trained to do,” said Eagles offensive lineman Caelan Williams. “Ole Miss is obviously a great team, being ranked No. 5 in the country. Nobody expects us to be able to do much against them, but I believe in us and I think we can surprise them. I think we have a lot of depth on our offensive line and that will come to fruition.”

The Rebels also rank second in the nation in scoring at 56 points per game, giving the defense every reason to be on guard on Saturday.

“Obviously, they're really big,” Eagle defenseman Cam Williams said. “That plays a big role when you get into the third and fourth quarters of a game. You have to have depth to play against those teams, and I think this year we have the depth and the size to play against that type of team. When they score, we can't hang our heads and talk bad about each other. They can score and we can score, but at the end of the day, we have to stick together as a team.”

In 2010, Helton was hired by Rebel head coach Lane Kiffin to be the quarterbacks coach at USC. In 2013, Kiffin promoted Helton to offensive coordinator. Helton served as USC's interim coach twice before being named the permanent head coach in late 2015.

“Coach Kiff changed my life,” Helton said. “He gave me the opportunity to come to USC. I also learned a lot about football from him. He is one of the most brilliant offensive minds in college football. He does a great job not only recruiting personnel but adapting to his system. He taught me a lot about the game and recruiting and I had a great time with him.”

Helton also recruited current Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, who came out of USC. Dart is currently the nation's leading passer with 1,172 yards and has eight touchdown passes.

“Jaxson is very dear to my heart,” Helton said. “We signed him from Utah to USC. He's an incredible young man with a great family. It's no surprise how well he's playing this year. He's a Heisman Trophy candidate and has always had that something special since he won the state championship at Utah.”

Kickoff between Georgia Southern and Ole Miss is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. in Oxford. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.