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  • Navy edges GSU, 13-7

    ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Georgia Southern held Navy scoreless in the second half but the Midshipmen capitalized on a 13-0 halftime margin to take a 13-7 victory at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon (Sept. 11). Junior quarterback Jaybo Shaw (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and sophomore J.J. Wilcox (Cairo, Ga.) connected for a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter for the Eagles. It was Wilcox's first career touchdown reception and Shaw's first touchdown pass as an Eagle.

    A tentative Georgia Southern team struggled in the first half and both teams played less than crisp football as the two squads combined for seven penalties in the first quarter. Despite only 23 yards of offense and two first downs over the first 30 minutes, Georgia Southern's defense made a statement for the team allowing only 110 yards of offense and forcing Navy to punt three times. The 109 yards rushing by Navy for the game was the lowest rushing performance since 2002 vs. Connecticut and the 193 yards of total offense was the lowest since the Mids played Rutgers in 2006.

    Navy's Joe Buckley hit two field goals, both in the first quarter, to give the Midshipmen a 6-0 lead. His first was an 18-yard field goal off the first series, completing a 10-play 35-yard drive over 6:44. The second field goal came on Mids' third drive of the game, after Navy recovered an Eagle fumble on the Georgia Southern 25-yard line. Buckley connected on the 42-yard field goal to put Navy ahead 6-0.

    Georgia Southern came out and scored on its first series of the second half with the Eagles calling a timeout on fourth-and-8 to set up the 17-yard Shaw-to-Wilcox touchdown. Junior Adrian Mora (Dalton, Ga.) connected on his 56th career PAT to put the Eagles within striking distance at 13-7. Navy punted on its two series of the quarter as the Eagle defense held the Mids scoreless for the quarter.

    The Eagle defense maintained its tenacity in the fourth quarter and Navy assisted with a clipping penalty to put the Mids on their own 18 with a second-and-25 and eventual punt. On the ensuing Georgia Southern drive, the Eagles converted their second fourth down of the game to put the offense near midfield. Freshman Darries Robinson (Brunswick, Ga.) rushed 11 yards to give the Eagles another first down. A holding penalty pushed Georgia Southern back 10 yards and the Eagles couldn't generate another first down.

    Sophomore mike linebacker Josh Rowe (Opelika, Ala.) finished the game as the top tackler, doubling his previous career best with 10 tackles on the day. Junior defensive end Dion DuBose (Norcross, Ga.) set a career best with two tackles for loss for a total of 11 yards, including his sack of Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs for a 10-yard loss. Senior E.J. Webb (Roanoke, Va.), who celebrated his birthday Saturday with 70 friends and relatives in attendance at the game, had seven tackles. Four Eagles finishes with six tackles each: Roderick Tinsley (Soperton, Ga.), DuBose, Derek Heyden (Atlanta, Ga.) and John Douglas (Augusta, Ga.)

    "I think our guys decided at halftime that they had a chance to win the game," said Georgia Southern Head Coach Jeff Monken. "Navy did a great job, they had a short week with only two practice when typically they would have four. The credit goes to them. We fought hard in the second half and I am proud of our effort. In the end, Navy made more plays than we did and we weren't able to come out with a victory."

    Georgia Southern plays at Coastal Carolina next Saturday, September 18th, at 6 p.m.



    Georgia Southern 0 0 7 0 7
    Navy 6 7 0 0 13