Georgia Southern

1-1

Sun Belt · Clay Helton, year 5 (28-26) · Allen E. Paulson Stadium · 25,000 · 22,426 avg in 2026

The nationunrankedAP / Coaches
The model#83 CFB ZeitgeistSP+ #86 (-5.8) · FPI #100
The marketJacksonville State by 3at Jacksonville State · our model 32% Georgia Southern · a number, not a pick

LastL 7–22 at Clemson · Sat Sep 12 · Jakyri Jones 1 TFL, 1 INT, 7 tackles

Nextat Jacksonville State · Sat Sep 19 · 7 pm ET · AmFirst Stadium · Jacksonville State by 3 · series 1-0 · Game preview

Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2

Key stats — 2026 — FBS rank
Points/game
19.0
Pts allowed/game
11.0
Total yards/gm#85 / 138 · 39th pct
389.5
Rush yards/gmT-#131 / 138 · 5th pct
92.0
Pass yards/gm#35 / 138 · 75th pct
297.5
Yards allowed/gm#21 / 138 · 85th pct
232.0
Rush yds allowed/gm#27 / 138 · 81st pct
79.0
SacksT-#8 / 138 · 94th pct
8
InterceptionsT-#29 / 115 · 61st pct
2
3rd-down conv#125 / 138 · 10th pct
30.0%
All 83 stats
Offense / Defense
Total yards
Team
779389.5/gm5.45/play#85 / 138 · 39th pct#50 / 70 · 29th pct#8 / 14 · 46th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
464232.0/gm3.46/play#21 / 138 · 85th pct#20 / 70 · 72nd pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Rush yards
Team
18492.0/gm1.29/playT-#131 / 138 · 5th pctT-#68 / 70 · 3rd pct#13 / 14 · 11th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
15879.0/gm1.18/play#27 / 138 · 81st pct#22 / 70 · 69th pct#3 / 14 · 82nd pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Rush carries
Team
4824.0/gm#135 / 138 · 3rd pct#69 / 70 · 2nd pct#14 / 14 · 4th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
7035.0/gmT-#79 / 138 · 42nd pctT-#48 / 70 · 31st pct#7 / 14 · 54th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Rush TDs
Team
31.5/gmT-#77 / 138 · 34th pctT-#45 / 70 · 29th pctT-#9 / 14 · 25th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
00.0/gmT-#1 / 138 · 92nd pctT-#1 / 70 · 87th pctT-#1 / 14 · 93rd pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Net pass yards
Team
595297.5/gm4.16/play#35 / 138 · 75th pct#20 / 70 · 72nd pct#2 / 14 · 89th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
306153.0/gm2.28/playT-#34 / 138 · 75th pctT-#27 / 70 · 61st pct#2 / 14 · 89th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Pass attempts
Team
9547.5/gm#9 / 138 · 94th pct#3 / 70 · 96th pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
6432.0/gmT-#88 / 138 · 36th pctT-#46 / 70 · 34th pctT-#10 / 14 · 29th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Completions
Team
6030.0/gmT-#7 / 138 · 95th pctT-#2 / 70 · 97th pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#12 / 13 · 15th pct
Opp
2914.5/gmT-#30 / 138 · 77th pctT-#19 / 70 · 71st pct#3 / 14 · 82nd pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Pass TDs
Team
21.0/gmT-#94 / 138 · 25th pctT-#54 / 70 · 19th pctT-#9 / 14 · 32nd pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
10.5/gmT-#13 / 138 · 80th pctT-#11 / 70 · 72nd pctT-#1 / 14 · 89th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Passer rating#91 / 115 · 21st pct#51 / 60 · 16th pct#10 / 13 · 27th pct#8 / 13 · 46th pct
118.5118.5
Interceptions thrown
Team
00.0/gmT-#92 / 138 · 17th pctT-#42 / 70 · 21st pctT-#9 / 14 · 21st pct#12 / 13 · 15th pct
Opp
21.0/gmT-#77 / 138 · 33rd pctT-#40 / 70 · 29th pctT-#7 / 14 · 50th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Sacks (def)
Team
84.0/gmT-#8 / 138 · 94th pct#7 / 70 · 91st pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
42.0/gmT-#74 / 138 · 37th pctT-#42 / 70 · 31st pctT-#7 / 14 · 43rd pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Tackles for loss
Team
2412.0/gmT-#2 / 138 · 99th pct#2 / 70 · 98th pctT-#1 / 14 · 93rd pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
105.0/gmT-#66 / 138 · 47th pctT-#42 / 70 · 37th pctT-#6 / 14 · 57th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
First downs
Team
4020.0/gmT-#86 / 138 · 36th pctT-#51 / 70 · 27th pct#9 / 14 · 39th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
3216.0/gmT-#46 / 138 · 65th pctT-#35 / 70 · 48th pct#5 / 14 · 68th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
3rd-down conv
Team
94.5/gmT-#85 / 138 · 32nd pctT-#50 / 70 · 24th pctT-#6 / 14 · 50th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
73.5/gmT-#29 / 138 · 76th pctT-#20 / 70 · 67th pct#3 / 14 · 82nd pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
3rd-down att
Team
3015.0/gmT-#29 / 138 · 78th pctT-#11 / 70 · 84th pct#2 / 14 · 89th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
3216.0/gmT-#110 / 138 · 19th pctT-#60 / 70 · 14th pct#11 / 14 · 25th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
4th-down conv
Team
10.5/gmT-#85 / 138 · 29th pctT-#44 / 70 · 32nd pctT-#8 / 14 · 32nd pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
10.5/gmT-#26 / 138 · 66th pctT-#15 / 70 · 61st pctT-#4 / 14 · 54th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
4th-down att
Team
42.0/gmT-#47 / 138 · 60th pctT-#24 / 70 · 59th pctT-#4 / 14 · 71st pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
10.5/gmT-#3 / 138 · 92nd pctT-#2 / 70 · 92nd pctT-#1 / 14 · 86th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Time of possession
Team
64:1432:07/gmT-#50 / 138 · 64th pctT-#24 / 70 · 66th pct#4 / 14 · 75th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
55:4627:53/gmT-#41 / 138 · 70th pctT-#24 / 70 · 66th pct#4 / 14 · 75th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct

FBS rankings · 2026 season · all stats vs 136 FBS programs

Player stats — 2026 season
Quarterbacks
Player#GCmp/AttPctYdsY/ATDINTRateZPRQBRAdj ANY/ASack%
Pocket Passer · +0.08 EPA/play7255 / 8664.0525
#38 FBS
6.120122.93451.46.04.4
Receivers
Player#GRecYdsAvgTDLong
Possession Receiver · +0.37 EPA/play2213203
#28 FBS
15.62
#24 FBS
57
81289812.2027
Possession Receiver · -0.17 EPA/play19214825.9029
Complete TE · +0.37 EPA/play8728536.6015

2026 stat leaders · Georgia Southern

through 2 games

Rashon Myles Jr. leads Georgia Southern with 19 tackles through 2 games.

1. Rashon Myles Jr. LB 19 tackles
2. Ashton Hollins WR 203 receiving yards
3. Max Johnson QB 525 passing yards
4. Jeremiah Ware WR 98 receiving yards
5. Anthony Bynum LB 8 tackles
How They Play · 2025

Georgia Southern fields a strong offense behind a porous defense.

Offense
65th pct EPA/play
Defense
6th pct EPA allowed

Percentile vs all FBS, based on this season's per-game production. Bar = where this team ranks — right is better.

The Savant Card · Georgia Southern · 2025

Georgia Southern reads strongest in rushing epa (top 32%) and epa / play (top 35%); the crux lives in rushing epa allowed, where Georgia Southern sits at the 3rd percentile.

offense · strengths lead

EPA / play +0.19
65th
Success Rate +0.43
61st
Explosive Plays +1.23
42nd
Rushing EPA +0.15
69th

defense · higher bar = harder to play against

EPA Allowed +0.26
6th
Success Rate Allowed +0.49
3rd
Explosive Plays Allowed +1.26
52nd
Passing EPA Allowed +0.33
24th

hidden math · special situations

Passing EPA +0.29
58th
Rushing EPA Allowed +0.23
3rd
Elite · 90+Strong · 70+Average · 40-70Concern · 10-40Bottom · <10
Sources · CFBD tier-2 advanced stats · per-game production · 13 games this season · percentiles vs. up to 136 FBS peers

Home-field advantage · Georgia Southern · 2018–present · FBS opponents

Georgia Southern is worth +7.2 points more at home than on the road.

Top tenth of FBS, 94th percentile of 133 programs

66% at home, 35% away against FBS opponents since 2018 (27–14 home, 17–31 away). Interval ±3.6.

95% intervalmodel 2.3 · books ~3Weakest home edge in FBSStrongest

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge — per-team modelling was tested and did not survive scrutiny (why) — and the books use about 3. Against the closing line, Georgia Southern has beaten the number by 6.6 points more at home than away over 74 games — outside the ±6.4 that many games can resolve. This is one of the few buildings where the results say something the flat number does not.

Allen E. Paulson Stadium seats 25,000 and has averaged 85% full (21,280, 24 games reported). Visitors cover a median 395 miles to get here since 2018 — 65th-shortest of 135 FBS venues, inside the ordinary range. 10% of the 2026 roster (12 of 117 located players) grew up inside 100 miles of the stadium.

Edge = half the gap between average home margin and average road margin, FBS opponents only, non-neutral games since 2018; the interval is 95%. Market line: closing spread, seasons with lines on file. Trip length is straight-line miles from the visiting team's campus to the venue, measured across all 50 home games since 2018.

Home27–14Away17–31Edge+7.2 ±3.6Visitor trip395 mi

More in this tab

Scheme claimsFive specific, testable claims about how this team plays.

Fourth-quarter reliability, corrected

Georgia Southern's 4th-quarter offense, before and after garbage time

Raw Q4 EPA/play ranks 20th percentile in FBS. Strip out snaps taken with a blowout margin and it drops to the 15th — the correction is the finding, not a footnote.

league medianRaw 4th quarter · 20t…Competitive snap…Worst in FBSBest in FBS
Source CFB Zeitgeist · CFBD play-by-play, garbage-time adjusted by pre-play margin

Standard downs vs. passing downs

Does Georgia Southern hold up once the down-and-distance turns against them?

24th percentile success on standard downs, 45th on passing downs — a 21-point gap between the two.

Fragile off scheduleBalanced, both workStruggles even on scheduleStandard-downs reliantGeorgia SouthernWeak on standard downsElite on standard downsFalls apart off scheduleHolds up off scheduleHawai'i18th standard · 41st passingUNLV51st standard · 7th passingStanford76th standard · 15th passingEastern Michigan52nd standard · 10th passingSan José State54th standard · 22nd passingNew Mexico State45th standard · 75th passingSacramento State23rd standard · 14th passingOklahoma State41st standard · 49th passingDuke20th standard · 29th passingFlorida State28th standard · 65th passingRutgers30th standard · 71st passingKansas70th standard · 35th passingBoston College27th standard · 56th passingNorfolk State16th standard · 9th passingLouisville96th standard · 70th passingMissouri36th standard · 85th passingMemphis69th standard · 65th passingGeorgia Southern24th standard · 45th passingOle Miss94th standard · 50th passingJacksonville State65th standard · 82nd passingNorth Dakota State86th standard · 27th passingArizona92nd standard · 86th passingUSC97th standard · 99th passingWake Forest56th standard · 97th passingTCU93rd standard · 8th passingDelaware70th standard · 31st passingUAB65th standard · 81st passingMichigan State62nd standard · 29th passingSouth Florida91st standard · 52nd passingFlorida International46th standard · 43rd passingNavy98th standard · 59th passingWisconsin13th standard · 18th passingOregon State10th standard · 38th passingSyracuse48th standard · 64th passingOhio State90th standard · 40th passingBall State12th standard · 24th passingPittsburgh30th standard · 76th passingColorado35th standard · 77th passingGeorgia Tech58th standard · 44th passingAuburn75th standard · 55th passingBaylor40th standard · 96th passingNorth Texas49th standard · 68th passingApp State44th standard · 90th passingIowa State4th standard · 23rd passingUTSA99th standard · 29th passingArkansas60th standard · 80th passingBoise State58th standard · 46th passingOregon35th standard · 33rd passingTulsa56th standard · 1st passingTulane31st standard · 2nd passingPurdue83rd standard · 88th passingMiddle Tennessee87th standard · 68th passingVanderbilt80th standard · 12th passingSan Diego State4th standard · 40th passingLSU33rd standard · 98th passingClemson1st standard · 19th passingCentral Michigan16th standard · 6th passingTexas Tech88th standard · 48th passingMichigan2nd standard · 62nd passingWestern Michigan39th standard · 20th passingOhio38th standard · 17th passingBuffalo7th standard · 14th passingTexas72nd standard · 94th passingCoastal Carolina61st standard · 52nd passingColorado State82nd standard · 91st passingWyoming65th standard · 36th passingTexas A&M85th standard · 72nd passingLiberty14th standard · 59th passingFlorida Atlantic43rd standard · 87th passingLouisiana19th standard · 92nd passingSouth Alabama50th standard · 73rd passingTroy22nd standard · 59th passingSam Houston78th standard · 61st passingNevada77th standard · 52nd passingWestern Kentucky25th standard · 34th passingWashington State8th standard · 3rd passingWashington81st standard · 4th passingCalifornia9th standard · 25th passingCharlotte73rd standard · 83rd passingTennessee65th standard · 78th passingUtah State4th standard · 93rd passing
Source CFB Zeitgeist · advanced team stats, Connelly success-rate definition
View all FBS teams as a table
TeamStandard-downs percentilePassing-downs percentile
App State44th90th
Arizona92nd86th
Arkansas60th80th
Auburn75th55th
Ball State12th24th
Baylor40th96th
Boise State58th46th
Boston College27th56th
Buffalo7th14th
California9th25th
Central Michigan16th6th
Charlotte73rd83rd
Clemson1st19th
Coastal Carolina61st52nd
Colorado35th77th
Colorado State82nd91st
Delaware70th31st
Duke20th29th
Eastern Michigan52nd10th
Florida Atlantic43rd87th
Florida International46th43rd
Florida State28th65th
Georgia Southern24th45th
Georgia Tech58th44th
Hawai'i18th41st
Iowa State4th23rd
Jacksonville State65th82nd
Kansas70th35th
LSU33rd98th
Liberty14th59th
Louisiana19th92nd
Louisville96th70th
Memphis69th65th
Michigan2nd62nd
Michigan State62nd29th
Middle Tennessee87th68th
Missouri36th85th
Navy98th59th
Nevada77th52nd
New Mexico State45th75th
Norfolk State16th9th
North Dakota State86th27th
North Texas49th68th
Ohio38th17th
Ohio State90th40th
Oklahoma State41st49th
Ole Miss94th50th
Oregon35th33rd
Oregon State10th38th
Pittsburgh30th76th
Purdue83rd88th
Rutgers30th71st
Sacramento State23rd14th
Sam Houston78th61st
San Diego State4th40th
San José State54th22nd
South Alabama50th73rd
South Florida91st52nd
Stanford76th15th
Syracuse48th64th
TCU93rd8th
Tennessee65th78th
Texas72nd94th
Texas A&M85th72nd
Texas Tech88th48th
Troy22nd59th
Tulane31st2nd
Tulsa56th1st
UAB65th81st
UNLV51st7th
USC97th99th
UTSA99th29th
Utah State4th93rd
Vanderbilt80th12th
Wake Forest56th97th
Washington81st4th
Washington State8th3rd
Western Kentucky25th34th
Western Michigan39th20th
Wisconsin13th18th
Wyoming65th36th

Halftime identity

Georgia Southern by half

1st-half offense ranks 47th percentile in FBS; 2nd-half, 21st — competitive snaps only, garbage time excluded from both halves.

league median1st half · 47th pctile2nd half · 21st pctileWorst in FBSBest in FBS
Source CFB Zeitgeist · advanced team stats, garbage-time adjusted by pre-play margin
Tendency driftHow this coordinator's calls have drifted since arriving.

Season by season

How Georgia Southern’s current staff calls plays, year over year

Offense: Ryan Aplin (2024–2026)
1st-down pass rate
2024: 50% → 2026: 63% · 18-pt range · #25 of 184 · more than most
Red-zone pass rate
2024: 46% → 2026: 35% · 11-pt range · #109 of 182 · a typical amount
4th-down go rate
2024: 25% → 2025: 38% · 13-pt range · #111 of 172 · a typical amount
Pass defense by zoneThe part of the field opponents keep attacking.

Pass-depth identity

What this team throws, and gives up, by depth.

On short throws (≤19 air yards), Georgia Southern’s passing game completes a completion rate above the FBS mean (68.5% vs 68.3% league-wide, shrunk toward the mean for its 83-play sample) — mid-pack, 20 of 41 qualifying offenses.

We won’t show a deep-ball (20+ air yards) leaderboard here, on either side of the ball: even a full season of charted plays gives most teams well under 30 deep attempts — too thin to tell a real tendency from noise, so we won’t guess. Same refusal for yards-after-catch allowed and where a team’s attempts land by zone: both measured and both came back statistically indistinguishable from season-to-season noise.

Screened 59 claims, 59 survived · 2025+ only, charted plays (parse_status='complete'); n=83 short-zone plays, raw rate 68.7%
RatingsWhere the public rating systems put this team.

Model Consensus

Where the Models Rank Georgia Southern

CFB Zeitgeist

#83

-1.2

SP+

#86

-5.8

FPI

#100

-7.8

Elo

#99

1359

The national models put Georgia Southern between 86th and 100th nationally — CFB Zeitgeist is higher on them than any of these models, at 83rd.

National rank of 138 FBS teams · 2026 season. SP+/FPI/SRS published; Elo & CFB Zeitgeist ranked by rating.

Comparable teamsPrograms built like this one — tier, prestige band, kind of fanbase, roster size. Not a stat match.

Most similar programs · Georgia Southern

Reads like

Matched on how the programs are built — tier, prestige band, kind of fanbase, conference, voice and roster size — not on this season's stats. A calibration, not a prediction.

ConditionsThe weather and altitude visitors have to deal with.
Venue texture

73°F average kickoff temp; 9% of games had measurable precipitation; 5 mph average wind.

Based on 70 home games with weather data.

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