SIX FCS NATIONAL TITLES | ELEVEN CONFERENCE TITLES @GSATHLETICS_FB 2016 GEORGIA SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GAME NOTES SAVANNAH STATE (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) GEORGIA SOUTHERN (0-0, 0-0 SUN BELT) TIGERS EAGLES SATURDAY, SEPT. 3, 2016 • 6 PM BROADCAST INFORMATION Television: WatchESPN/ESPN3 PAULSON STADIUM • 25,000 • STATESBORO, GA. PBP: Greg Mescall Analyst: Wayne Gandy Series vs. Savannah State: GS leads, 11-0 (2013 win vacated) Radio: Eagle Sports Network Last Meeting vs. Savannah State: 2014, Statesboro - GS won, 83-9 PBP: Danny Reed Analyst: Terry Harvin THE SERIES AGAINST THE MEAC Sidelines: Russ Brown • Savannah State and Georgia Southern have met 11 • GSAP/Coaches has played 36 games all-time against current teams ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS previous times with 10 of those games having been played in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, posting a 34-2 Asst. AD for Athletics Communications/FB: Bryan Johnston at Paulson Stadium. GS has won all 11 previous meetings mark with 14 wins in a row. Eleven of those wins have come o: 912-478-5448; [email protected] with SSU, the last an 83-9 win at Paulson Stadium in 2014. against Savannah State, although one win was vacated. c: 912-531-3575; c: 540-392-1994 The 2013 win (a 77-9 triumph under then-head coach Jeff Associate Director: Marc Gignac Monken) was vacated by GS in July due to NCAA sanctions. HOME OPENERS o: 912-478-5288; [email protected] • In the previous two meetings between the two teams, • Overall, the Eagles are 26-6-1 in home openers with a Assistant Director/#2 FB: AJ Henderson o: 912-478-5071; [email protected] GS has outscored the Tigers a combined 160-18. 26-5 mark at Paulson Stadium since its first game on Sept. Assistant Director: Milledge Austin • The 83 points GS scored vs. Savannah State in 2014 29, 1984 against Liberty. The 2013 home opener, a 77-9 win o: 912-478-1233; [email protected] was the highest point total for any FBS team in 2014. over Savannah State, was vacated due to NCAA sanctions. Communications Assistant: Maggie Tyler • This will be the seventh time Savannah State serves as o: 912-478-0352; [email protected] A NEW ERA Georgia Southern’s home opener. GS On the Web: gseagles.com/football • Saturday will mark the first game as head coach for Twitter: twitter.com/GSAthletics_FB Georgia Southern’s Tyson Summers, who came to Statesboro GEORGIA ON OUR MINDS Instagram: instagram.com/gsathletics after successful stints as a defensive coordinator at Colorado • Saturday’s home opener is the first of seven games in THE COACHING STAFF State and UCF. Summers previously coached in Statesboro the state of Georgia for the Eagles as they also have a game ON THE FIELD for one year, serving as the safeties coach in 2006. in two weeks at home against UL Monroe. GS will take on Tyson Summers ...........................................................Head Coach • GS has had pretty good success the previous three Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium in October and will Zo Costantini ...............................................Defensive Coordinator times it broke in a new coach. In 2007, Chris Hatcher went have a Thursday night home TV game against Appalachian Rance Gillespie ..................Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks 7-4 in his first year. In 2010, Jeff Monken went 10-5 and led State on Oct. 27. Chris Foster .............................................................Running Backs Allen Mogridge ........................................................Offensive Line the Eagles to the FCS semifinals and in 2014, Willie Fritz led • The Eagles will finish the season with three straight Jimmy Lindsey ....................................................... Defensive Line the Eagles to nine wins (one win was vacated), including a games in the Peach State, welcoming UL Lafayette to town perfect mark to win the Sun Belt. for a Thursday night ESPNU game on Nov. 10 and then will IN THE BOOTH David Dean .....................Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers head to the Georgia Dome to play Georgia State on Nov. 19, Year Old Head Coach Record Year New Head Coach Record Wins playing in Atlanta for the second time this season. Georgia Chad Lunsford ..................... Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator 2006 Brian VanGorder 3-8 2007 Chris Hatcher 7-4 +4 Pat Bastien ..................................................................Linebackers 2009 Chris Hatcher 5-6 2010 Jeff Monken 10-5 +5 Southern’s season finale, against Troy, is Senior Night and is Jeremy Rowell ...............................................Defensive Secondary 2013 Jeff Monken 7-4 2014 Willie Fritz 9-3 +2 set for Dec. 3. THE 2016 SCHEDULE Sept. 3 SAVANNAH STATE 6 PM COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF Sept. 10 at South Alabama * [ASN] 7 PM 10 Ten of the 11 games all-time against Savannah State have been played at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro. Sept. 17 UL MONROE * 6 PM 9 L.A. Ramsby has rushed for a touchdown in nine straight games played. Sept. 24 at Western Michigan 8 Senior running back Matt Breida needs 105 yards to pass Tracy Ham for eighth place all-time at GS for career rushing. Oct. 5 at Arkansas State * [ESPN2] 8 PM 7 The home opener is the first of seven games in the state of Georgia for the Georgia Southern Eagles this season. Oct. 15 at Georgia Tech 6 Georgia Southern returns six starters on both offense and defense this season. Oct. 22 at New Mexico State * 8 PM 5 The Eagles have lost just five home openers in 32 previous years dating back to Paulson Stadium’s opening in 1984. Oct. 27 APPALACHIAN STATE * [ESPNU] 7:30 PM 4 Four players who rushed for 600 or more yards last season return for the Eagles this year. Nov. 5 at Ole Miss Nov. 10 UL LAFAYETTE * [ESPNU] 7:30 PM 3 Since becoming a transitioning FBS school in 2014, the Eagles have dropped just three games against non-Power 5 Nov. 19 at Georgia State * teams: Navy (2014); Appalachian State, Georgia State (2015). Dec. 3 TROY * 1 PM 2 Georgia Southern has lost just two games in 36 contests to current MEAC squads. * - SunG BeltAME Conference 1: VS game;. SAVANNAH times listed areS TATEEastern 1 Saturday’s game#H AILis theSOUTHERN first game as a head coach for GS coach TysonG EORSummers.GIA SOUTHERN FOOTBALL NOTES SIX FCS NATIONAL TITLES | ELEVEN CONFERENCE TITLES GSEAGLES.COM HEAD COACH TYSON SUMMERS Tyson Summers is in his first season as the head coach Summers helped call the plays in UCF’s upset victory over of the Georgia Southern Eagles. Summers, who has ties high-powered Baylor in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, capping an to Statesboro from his time with the Eagles in 2006, has a unforgettable season for the Knights. The win enabled UCF coaching career that has spanned almost 15 years and seven to set a school record with 12 victories overall and achieve a schools and has been a part of seven bowl teams. program-high by being ranked No. 10 in the final AP Top 25 A native of Tifton, Georgia, Summers returns home from Poll. Plummer was named Defensive MVP of the Tostitos Fiesta Colorado State, where he served as the Rams’ defensive Bowl, along with his first-team all-conference honors. coordinator and safeties coach in 2015. Under his tutelage, the In 2012, Summers tutored three Knight linebackers into Rams defense ranked 20th in the country in passing defense, consistent a group that led UCF to a Conference USA East giving up just 186.3 yards per game heading into the Arizona Division crown, a Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl win and a 10-4 record. Bowl. After dropping two overtime games early in the season, Plummer, in his first year as the Knights’ middle linebacker, the Rams closed the regular season on a four-game win streak, went on to rack up 108 tackles with seven for loss. On the with three of those victories coming on the road. outsides, Ray Shipman broke out in just his second full season Prior to his work at CSU, he spent three seasons at UCF, as he amassed 91 tackles. Previously a running back, Jonathan where he served as defensive coordinator in 2014 for a unit Davis was named the team’s Most Improved Defensive Player, that ranked among the best in the nation. capping off the year with 99 tackles, including nine for a loss. In his first full season as a defensive coordinator in 2014, Summers’ tenure at UCF came after a five-year stint at THE SUMMERS FILE Summers, 36, guided the top defense in the American Athletic UAB that began in December 2006. He served as the Blazers’ RECORD: Conference, and one that ranked in the top 10 among FBS linebackers coach and added the roles of safeties coach and 0-0 (first season) schools in total defense (5th, 298.5 ypg), rushing defense co-special teams coordinator in the final season of his tenure. PERSONAL (6th, 104.3 ypg), scoring defense (9th, 19.2 ppg) and red zone In his first year working with the UAB safeties in 2011, Hometown: Tifton, Ga. defense (6th, 71.4%). Summers’ defense helped UCF to a 9-4 Summers helped mentor Jamie Bender in his senior season Born: April 11, 1980 in Tifton, Ga. record, a second consecutive American Athletic Conference as he led the Blazers with 119 tackles. Bender also posted Alma Mater: Presbyterian College (2002) title and a berth in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl. The Knights 7.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, six break-ups and four Education: Bachelor’s (political science) held six opponents under 100 rushing yards and nine under forced fumbles. He was voted on to the All-C-USA Second Family: wife, Beth; sons, Jake, Walker, Anderson 200 passing yards.