Georgia Southern gave its home fans at Paulson Stadium plenty to cheer about Saturday night, edging Jacksonville State 41-34 in a back-and-forth battle that wasn’t decided until the final minutes
The Eagles built a 31-24 halftime lead behind explosive special teams and balanced offense, but had to regroup after the Gamecocks surged ahead in the third quarter. Quarterback JC French and running back OJ Arnold led the charge for Georgia Southern, while Dalen Cobb’s 95-yard kickoff return touchdown in the first quarter set the tone in front of a crowd of 24,585.
Georgia Southern struck first on a 2-yard run by French to cap a crisp 60-yard drive. After Jacksonville State’s Gavin Wimsatt answered with a 10-yard keeper, Cobb electrified the stadium by returning the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, giving the Eagles a 14-7 lead.
“That return gave us instant momentum,” said Head Coach Clay Helton. “Special teams are such a critical piece, and Dalen’s play lifted the whole stadium.”
Jacksonville State showed its own firepower when Wimsatt found Brock Rechsteiner for a 56-yard strike to tie the game at 14. But Georgia Southern pulled back ahead with Tripp Bryant’s 37-yard field goal and French’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Camden Brown in the second period. Arnold later added a 32-yard scoring burst to extend the lead to 31-17.
The Gamecocks clawed back with a field goal and Wimsatt’s second rushing touchdown before halftime, trimming the deficit to 31-24. They carried that momentum into the third quarter, tying the game on a 33-yard field goal and then taking a 34-31 lead when Rechsteiner broke loose for a 14-yard touchdown run.
Wimsatt was effective both through the air and on the ground, completing 16-of-24 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 59 yards and two scores. Running back Cam Cook added 120 rushing yards for JSU.
“They hit us in the mouth coming out of halftime,” Helton said. “But our guys never blinked. They just kept fighting.”
Georgia Southern faced a 34-31 fourth-quarter deficit, but Bryant tied it with a clutch 43-yard field goal midway through the period, and Arnold sealed the game with a 6-yard touchdown run with 6:23 remaining.
Arnold finished with 128 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns, averaging eight yards per rush. French added 191 passing yards and another 33 on the ground, including a rushing touchdown. Cobb paced the receiving corps with six catches for 70 yards to go with his game-changing return.
“We stayed patient,” said Arnold. “Our offensive line gave me great lanes, and I knew if I just kept my legs moving, we’d get the yards we needed.”
French praised the resilience of his teammates: “There were a lot of swings in this game, but we kept our composure. We trust each other, and that showed in the fourth quarter.”
Defensively, Ayden Jackson’s first-quarter interception set up a short scoring drive, while linebacker Brandon Tysonled the Eagles with 11 tackles
Georgia Southern had a slight edge in total yardage, 410 to 394, and both teams were perfect in converting red zone opportunities (GS 4-4, JSU 5-5).
The win will give Georgia Southern momentum in conference play. Head coach Clay Helton’s squad showed resilience after losing the third-quarter lead, leaning on Arnold’s running and Bryant’s steady kicking to close it out.
“This was a character win,” Helton said. “In conference play, you’ve got to win tough, four-quarter football games. Tonight, we proved we can do that.”
