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STATESBORO, Ga. - Behind the third best rushing performance in school history, the Georgia Southern Football team (3-0) improved to 2-0 in the Southern Conference with a 52-20 win over Western Carolina (1-2, 0-1). The Eagles ran for 634 yards and had four players with over 90 yards on the ground. The ground game was third only to a 665 yard rushing performance against Glenville State in 1994 and a 638 rushing performance against Youngstown State in the1999 NCAA FCS Championship Game.
Ezayi Youyoute (Wauchula, Fla.) led the team in rushing with 119 yards including an 83 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. J.J. Wilcox (Cairo, Ga.) recorded 115 yards on six carries, while Jerick McKinnon (Marietta, Ga.) tallied 114 yards. Robert Brown (Macon, Ga.) finished with one yard short of 100.
Georgia Southern scored in all four quarters and opened the game with a 17 point first quarter. The Eagles led 24-7 at halftime and added 14 points in both the third and fourth quarters, while holding the Catamounts to 13 second-half points. Wilcox started the scoring with a 36-yard touchdown run on GSU's first play from scrimmage.
Following an 80-yard touchdown drive by WCU, Georgia Southern rattled off 17-straight points, including a career-long 75 yard rush by McKinnon. He became the first Eagle quarterback to throw, catch and rush for a touchdown in his career since Jayson Foster. The sophomore finished with 115 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground while throwing for 39 yards and a score.
Western Carolina's Brandon Pechloff completed 16 passes for 233 yards, but tossed a pair of interceptions after not throwing a pick all season. Deja Alexander caught eight passes for 143 yards, the second best outing in his career. Michael Johnson carried the ball 16 times for a gain of 53 yards and scored two of the team's three touchdowns.
The Catamounts' offense was buoyed by 211 kick-return yards. George Richardson tallied 165 yards on six returns including a long of 60 yards. Richardson posted three returns for 129 yards in the first quarter, but was held to just 36 yards on his final three returns.
The Georgia Southern Football team returns to action next Saturday at Elon. Kickoff on October 1st is set for 1:30 p.m. in Elon, North Carolina.
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