Transcript
Speaker: All right, welcome everybody back to warm other fans to Sunbelt podcast. It is me Brian Stone and Zeke Palermo your usual hosts of this podcast. But as today we are all here to talk about and preview the 2026 Georgia Southern Eagles season. We decided who better to bring on to talk about the program, the coach, the players, then the guys from Gata talk. You've got Matt Monty and Cody Anderson.
Speaker: Thanks, guys, for coming in. Really appreciate it. And looking forward to kind of breaking down everything and getting you guys' takes on just sort of the state of Georgia Southern football. Yeah, thanks for having us, guys.
Speaker: Yeah, thanks. We talked a little bit, yeah, off air. I would love for you guys to just kind of introduce yourselves. Tell us about your show, how long you've been doing this, what your background with the program is. Give yourself, you know, show off your pedigree a little bit.
Speaker: go ahead matt you you you usually take the ball on this you do it with both of us okay so we're we're entering what season nine now cody yes yes um which is crazy so i think we're ah like officially the longest running like dedicated georgia southern podcast out there um beating the the one run by the school i don't know what's going happen with that with danny reed leaving but beating that just by like a month or two But we started in 2018.
Speaker: um Cody and I are alumni. I graduated in 2010. He graduated ah right before me in 09. We went to high school together. So we've known each other a long time. And, you know, yeah, we were there for kind of the the dark, the dark years, right? With, with Van Gorder and with Hatcher. and we both left right before Munkin's first season. So, you know, we saw a pass happy offense, which of course we're seeing now with the Helton era. But yeah, we just started this thing just to kind of give back to the fans and honestly just kind of connect with each other as alumni and friends and talk about, you know, the program that we love.
Speaker: Absolutely. Um, all right. So this has been the Clay Hilton years have been tenuous. I would say if I'm putting it mildly, uh, I want to get you guys as like overall takes just on where, where Georgia Southern sits right now. Like people that listen to this show on a regular basis, like no kind of where I sit on everything. um,
Speaker: But Matt and then Cody, like if you guys want to go, if you guys differ at all, you know, where where does this like sit right now for you guys? You know, you're coming off of another six and six regular season. You beat a shorthanded app, which was nice. You know, no no taking credit away from that in the bowl game.
Speaker: But like where where where are you guys with the team as it sits like right now? You want to, look I want to let Matt start with this. And then I'll go into it. Yeah. I think fatigue, the word fatigue comes to mind, right? Like, i mean, look, I was, I was high on the team coming into last year and go back and listen to the preseason episodes. Cody somewhat was too, I think, but me slightly more, um you know, a lot of continuity going into the year, um year four of Clay Helton, returning starting quarterback, returning offensive defensive coordinators, um,
Speaker: you know returners across both lines and skill positions and you name it um where there was a lot of turmoil right across uh the sunbelt and outside of james madison obviously going to the college football playoff um that was a very winnable league right like i mean that was the most down year the sunbelt has had um in recent memory and um you know probably dating back at least in like the current formation right with with with the teams in the east and west divisions um A lot of optimism going into that this year for me, it's just kind of like I'm in wait and see mode.
Speaker: Honestly, I'm just like, you know, if you know, fool me once, fool me twice kind of thing. Right. We're entering year five. Like you said, Brian, I mean, three of the last four years, six and six regular seasons, finally get the monkey off of back with the. uh bowl game and and honestly like i mean yes it's good it's always great to beat app but you know like you said it was a downtrodden that was the worst app state team probably in the last what 20 years like certainly in fps yeah um like that's not a great notch on the belt honestly and um We're a mediocre football team. We've been a mediocre program for the entire Clay Helton era. And you could argue, know, dating back to Lunsford, but, you know, we did have more winning seasons with him. So I think there's just a lot of fatigue with the fan base right now and a lot of just like. wait and see attitude of I'll believe it when I see it. um You know, the glass half full type people um I do think can point to things in this that I'm sure we're going to get into that they can, you know, point to and say, Hey, these are good signs. Like we could be a very competitive, you know, and a contender in the Sunbelt. But, you know, you could have said that about past seasons and we finished, you know, back video.
Speaker: So yeah, it's just kind of wait and see for me. Yeah, i would I would also add a little bit of frustration as well. um I think what nobody truly expected was the defense to be as bad as it's been the last four seasons.
Speaker: um And compare that to how seamlessly the transition was with their offense's scheme change from the option base to obviously a pass happy area type offense.
Speaker: um And so it's great to see that we finally have a defensive coordinator. i think probably for the first time that Helene's been here, like one that has actually defensive coordinator experience, has been around good defensive systems for decades at this point.
Speaker: um And so, yeah, I think I would take it not with fatigue, but a little bit frustrated because the pieces just have not been able to be put together. I think as fans, we all hope they would be by now.
Speaker: Yeah, and I mean, even like two years ago, right? Like you have a good team. they have they know They sort of ah avoided the Hilton lull that has become sort of a hallmark of his teams. And then even then, it comes down to the season finale, and you're sitting there watching Marshall JMU going, all right, well, are we going to go to the Sunbelt title game and represent the East, or is Marshall going to pull out this like 24-point comeback and do it? And then they do that, and you're just sort of left, you know,
Speaker: with your hands like what do i you know Ricky Bobby style what do I do with my hands style like i'm I'm just stuck ah everybody everybody who listens on a regular basis sort of knows where I like stand on this I I was thinking about this today I think this is the best way to put it Since Binko took over, Georgia Southern football and athletics, I guess, as a whole, has been the closest thing to like North Korean state media that I've seen.
Speaker: like It's almost like Kim Jong-un at the top. And it's like every day, it's like the wins get lauded to endlessly and you never stop hearing about them. And then when they lose, it's...
Speaker: dead silent like total radio silence and you're just sort of left being like well wait a minute now like you can't you can't take all of the wins and extrapolate them and be like we're the greatest team that's ever existed and then you blow you know two years ago for example a game to a four and eight troy team and then turn around and go uh well we cut the lights off in the athletics office don't ask us any questions And and like that's the problem that I have with the the program as a whole is like they don't own anything when they when they mess up. like Even last year when Helton came out and had to like apologize when they went on that like huge losing streak, it was almost like you're just trying to squeeze like blood from a rock. like Even when he was giving the apology, it was like, yeah, I'm sorry, everybody. It was like through gritted teeth almost. And it took way too long. man And it took way too long. And I mean, we we had a span of episodes there where that's all we talked about. Right. Of where is yeah accountability? There was no there's no accountability to your point, Brian, not just with the head coach, but even the athletic director obviously had to change their probably even less accountability there with Banco. Banco was a lot more.
Speaker: ah vocal and a little bit more forthcoming with the fans right he would send memos and letters and things like that he was a lot more active on on x and twitter um where chris davis really isn't so yeah no it's it's a it's a great point and like you never hear from the coordinators i know cody would uh love to hear me say that because yeah i mean uh he he said that all all the time on the podcast right of like we're never hearing from applin We're never hearing from Brandon Bailey. So I hope that changes from from the little bit that I have heard from new defensive coordinator Mike Moots. You know, he's well-spoken guy. he knows his stuff. um I hope we get to hear from him, you know, after wins and losses. Same with Applin of like different play calls and things like that of what's going on in his head. But yeah, I think that's a fair point to to say that there's been a severe lack of accountability, both with the administration and the coaching staff throughout the entire Helton era.
Speaker: It's funny hearing you guys talk about like not hearing from coordinators and a apparent lack of accountability from an administration and coaches because that's something that I've become accustomed to and following and supporting Georgia State football.
Speaker: But we've talked about several ah many times as long as I've known Brian we've talked about kind of the differences between football and athletics at State and Southern in that. Southern, it's a little more serious, especially in football. Georgia State is just kind of not a serious, generally speaking, broadly speaking, not a serious football program.
Speaker: We don't hear from the coordinators, and that's okay. It's because that program is there to make the school money, um you know pay off the debt they owe for Turner Field, and and call it a day. Whereas with Southern, there is a pedigree. There is an expectation of like, hey, we need to win football games here. So hearing the same complaints um that I hear or or have for a from a team that is just simply not supposed to be in the same orbit um is makes makes me not feel good for you guys. I get the frustration. I'll take it a step further than that. When we played Boise State two years ago, I was obviously watching a lot of their media build it up to that opening game.
Speaker: And in their media days, or I should say their press conferences leading up to it, both coordinators had a Q&A session. And so if ah if a Boise State-type program is having that sort of session, you would hope that we would want to get to that point. So let's start doing that.
Speaker: um with our coaching staff. And that just hasn't been the case. And again, ah we'll go back. If for those who don't know, during our press conferences and the media days after the games, it's Helton and then an offensive and defensive player.
Speaker: There's no um of the defensive coordinator, office coordinator, taking coaching or taking questions um or just in the media at all. And so you're kind of just left guessing, honestly, throughout the season, regardless if it's a good game or a bad game,
Speaker: What was the thought process? What was the game plan going in? How did they adjust within the game? A lot of questions that you would hope to get answered or see or of understand the thought or the or the thinking throughout the week. And you just don't get that. So for, gosh, I mean, we're just kind of in the dark except for what Helton and the players decide to let out. Which you don't get. I mean, the players, like, you know, the players are the players are going to talk about kind of like locker room morale and all that kind of stuff. Not really like a lot of X's and O's and Helton, unfortunately, like that, that could work. That dynamic can work if the head coach takes that accountability and is like forthcoming with stuff. But I mean, you talk just about like a PR by the book coach speak machine.
Speaker: I mean, that's yeah what Clay Helton is. And, you know, i think it was fine at first, you know, early on because we're like, oh, it's the way it is. And he came from USC and blah, blah, blah. And we're, you know. But then, you know, you start stacking up the losses and it's like, dude, just tell it like it is. And and like you said, Brian, he finally got there after pulling his teeth, you know? Right. Yeah. so So it's like, just just admit that, like, the defense sucks. Like, we we have to figure something out. And he just, he wouldn't he wouldn't do it. And that's frustrating. And i feel like a normal coach, if they were trying, like, I guess what the problem is, is that Hilton feels absolutely no pressure because a normal coach,
Speaker: if if let's say the total issue with the team is on one side of the ball, right? Like the defense was terrible last year. Brandon Bailey, normally that person would be like, Brandon, you got to go answer some questions, bud. Like I don't coach defense. You do. We need to figure out like, how do we have all these pieces that people like in the preseason? And then we get out there and it's just none not, not, none of it is the sum of its parts, you know, you know? And so,
Speaker: And he like shields everybody, including himself from criticism, and it just makes it tough to like believe in him at all. And I think some of that, I don't know if you guys have gotten this feeling too.
Speaker: It's sort of trickled down into like the fans themselves where it's like there's like a real schism between like, hey, this isn't. like what we're used to in in regards to Georgia Southern football, like we're used to being successful.
Speaker: You know, there was a quote from Binko when he came in. It was like, what was it, seven or eight wins or whatever wasn't acceptable. And it's like, OK, well, we've hit that mark once since Clay Hilton has taken over. So like.
Speaker: Are we being like what when you when you say that and then you turn around and laud every single win as if it's like the Super Bowl. Right. It makes it difficult said to believe anything anybody says because it's like, OK, well, a year ago, eight wins was unacceptable when Chad Lunsford got fired and like all that stuff. And you bring Helton in and then he has none of the same success. And you're just sort of like, all right, well, when is it unacceptable or or is it only acceptable? It's your guy.
Speaker: And like that's sort of where I've been with it since then. yeah no that's fair that's fair yeah i mean like that first year i think we were like cody and i anyway were i don't want to say a static but like we were very happy with the results with that right because you completely over it was house money it was yeah exactly and and then now it's just more of the same every like i said three out of four years six and six so it's just like the luster is gone right like and you you can't pr spin it anymore with right we beat this you know insert P5 team, or we you know almost knocked off this ranked team, or we went to four straight bowl games. like No one cares about that stuff. Win conference championships.
Speaker: the I think the other thing and we can we can get off of this and start moving along. But I think the other thing that also hurts and with anybody with a pair of eyes knows that all also Southern's rivals have also taken that step down. So it's like, you know, Georgia State, for Zeke's perspective, went from Darren Granger giving Georgia Southern like a fit in like they were winning, you know, going to bowl games and all that stuff. And now with Dale McGee, it's like they're lucky to win one game a season.
Speaker: app now you know last year dowel logins didn't have ah offensive coordinator he was like i'll do it all myself and he was just piecing everything together and there were there were really bad pr stuff where like his kid was on the sidelines looking at the tablet like during a game where they were getting blown out and it's just it's all weird so with southern though now because those rivals have taken a step back you've got the athletic department going well we beat both of our rivals like what else could you possibly ask for and you're like um a lot I could ask for a lot more actually than this that and then I would also say the drumming that we've gotten from ODU the last couple of seasons where it seems like we just have not been able to figure out their ah offense nor their defensive scheme and just looks like we have no idea what we're doing when we come in worst home loss in Paulson State history last year that happened in November and like you made the point earlier Brian of like yes that was a monkey that I guess he got off Helton got off his back of like being able to win down the stretch, but it was like desperation, right, just to get to back to a bowl game. um But you also had those terrible losses. like both I want to say, i know last year was, um I think both losses to ODU were in either late October or November. late in the season and they were just like complete blowouts. and i mean That was utterly embarrassing as an alumni to get beat that bad you know impulse in stadium.
Speaker: Yeah. yeah um ah and And just to extend that point as well, it's like, ah from what I've noticed, and and maybe this changes under Moots, but they just can't figure out what to do with a mobile quarterback when they're on the other side of the ball. Like, you saw it with Jalen Rayner last year gave them trouble. You saw it with Colton Joseph. You saw it with Barnett, who could run. it was like any Braylon Braxton. Anytime someone gave them the threat of running, it was like,
Speaker: deer in the headlights. Like we have no idea what to do. And I'm like, put a spy on him. Like how hard, like other defensive coordinators have figured these teams out except for JMU. Like what, why is it so difficult when we do it versus like when I watch another team do it? ah Okay, so with all that said, before we sort of jump into the X's and O's and like the two deeps and everything, what are you guys is like, what would a successful season be for Georgia Southern, like realistic successful, like you can say, yeah, we're gonna go 12 and oh, we win the Sun Belt, show up in the college football all playoff, like, of course, that would be successful for anybody. But like, a realistic successful season, and then like, what would be just unacceptable in you guys's eyes?
Speaker: or um ah I would say acceptable would be
Speaker: an overall improvement on defense. Maybe mean not wins and losses, but I want to see obviously the points per game to go down below 30. I want to see a legitimate defense that can get ah the team off on third down instead of continuing giving up third and long situations or not being able to get the opposing offense off the field.
Speaker: um For the offense, um I would like to see more of, i don't want to say continuity, but defensively,
Speaker: to see more of them not go hot for a series and score and look great, and then like the next two series go three and out, and they don't know what to do with the football. um That was the best thing that was frustrating. So I would say just some obviously better defense. than just I'm not having any hopes up just because there's so much turnover on defense and with a new system.
Speaker: I just want to see improvement. for the offense, if there is improvement on defense, I actually wanna see them take advantage of it and actually be able to put a better product on the field and in in in that way. In terms of wins and losses, the home schedule is a legit hard home schedule. I mean, we got App, JMU, ODU you at home, and I think Marshall as well.
Speaker: And so and as well as Houston, the first P4 school to come in. So I say if we go like three and three at home, fantastic. I think I would take that all day.
Speaker: um So probably if you're looking at record wise, if we can just get to six and six, seven and five, i would be happy with that. is it Is it possible yet? Matt's shaking his head like yeah he doesn't think that we're going to get there. No, no, no, no. i'm I'm shaking my head because of the sad reality. I don't think you're i don't think yeah wrong, Cody, but I mean, just going back to what we ah we've been talking about thus far is like, that's not acceptable.
Speaker: Like that's not Georgia Southern football. That's not the program that like I love, you know, hoping that we find a way to scrape together six or seven wins in a season. No, I mean, my answer is what does success look like? Winning the East. That's what success looks like.
Speaker: Getting to the Sunbelt Championship game. That's a successful season. Anything else is par for the course, more of the same mediocrity. It's not a win or loss thing. I said that last year of like, I don't like to put like, you know, I want to reach at least eight wins or nine wins or whatever, because yeah, we've got a hard out of conference slate. You know, outside of Charleston Southern, we could be 0-3, right? In that we could be 1-4 and out of conference, but still win the East, you know, and whatever that record looks like. So, yeah.
Speaker: that That's what success looks like. It's as as when finally winning the East. um And you know i think getting there, anything can happen. Is it going to be like a JMU type year? No, because of that out of conference schedule. So but probably won't sniff a ranking, probably won't sniff the playoffs or anything like that. But yeah,
Speaker: i I do think we could get there, especially if all the things Cody's talking about improves, especially on defense. So, yeah, that's that's what success looks like for me, not six and six.
Speaker: Yeah. i think ill but No, please. ah Oh, I was just going to say, I think offensively for me, you know, when you go back and look at the points per game numbers, they've gone down every single year that Hilton's been at Southern. Like it went when he came in in 2022, you would think, oh, this is like a really hard transition. You're going from an option offense to like more of an air raid.
Speaker: And they averaged 32. What was it? 32.7 points per game. Yeah, and then this it's gone down steadily every single year. And, and you know, they've gone through. They're they're on their second offensive coordinator.
Speaker: You would think, like, Hilton's an offensive guy, but that he seems to just be, like, hands-off and just let whoever the offensive coordinator is run it, ah whether it be Applin or who was it, Brian Cook? ah Ellis.
Speaker: Yeah. ah So it's just kind of like – Yeah, I would like to see the points per game numbers like go back up. I don't know how realistic that is, given like the amount of personnel turnover on that side of the ball. And then defense, it's like, if you just give me a defense with a pulse, like that would be a step in the right direction. like There were so many times last year where I was just like, they they seem like they are...
Speaker: unprepared on you know unmotivated don't don't really care there were games you know especially you could tell like in the opener against fresno fresno scored that like third touchdown and it was just like the defense it just felt like they were just like all right forget it that's like you know yeah don i don't think you're gonna see that under boots um i think from a like scheme standpoint i think it's gonna be like night and day i just you know That was just such a bad hire. It just was the Brandon Bailey thing. It was kind of a knee jerk reaction, um you know, and he's over to really on on defensive coordinators in his tenure. So I think he might have finally, you know, Moots comes from kind of the Fritz tree. You know, he he really cut his teeth under Fritz at Tulane. former linebackers coach at Georgia Southern Underfritz, and then you know had a lot of success at Stephen F. Austin, which is you know not not a powerhouse FCS program. And you know certainly Mutz doesn't take all the credit for their kind of like turnaround and and getting to the playoffs and you know the rankings and all that kind of stuff. But i yeah I think he was a big part of it. So, yeah, and I think he's going to have a lot of talent to work with. It is a new scheme. It is a lot of new bodies. But I think that's actually a good thing. I think you know we have upgraded at coaching and we've upgraded at talent on on the defensive side of the ball. It's just can they put it together?
Speaker: Yeah, and we've kept some of our best talent on the defensive side of the ball too with MJ Stroud and Chance Campbell coming back. i thought that Both those two guys coming back were huge for the defense. Yeah, absolutely. um So let's let's start off, though, talking about the side that's changed the most on the offense. You get you get Ryan Applin back for another year as your offensive coordinator.
Speaker: You have a brand new offensive line and then a seemingly brittle quarterback in Max Johnson taking snaps behind them. Don't know if I love that combination of new offensive line and guy who can who's basically made of glass.
Speaker: ah That might be tough. And then... You can't get around the fact that his son is the backup quarterback. Like you just can't like maneuver around the fact that Clay Hilton's son is is back there. And, you know, he we're one hit away from the Turner Hilton era of being, you know, Georgia Southern football. So it's just like it's tough to separate yourself from.
Speaker: OK, well, we have like, you know, you were talking about this offense where it's just like one series. They go out and it's. six plays, 80 yards, touchdown, no questions asked. The next time they go out and it's ah run, run, run, or run, run, pass, punt.
Speaker: And you're just like, well, where where did the continuity go? Like last series, yeah all this stuff worked. And then we just threw it out and and started basically started over from something that worked. And that's that's one thing I've noticed a lot from Applin is like, he finds something that works and then he just quits doing it like immediately.
Speaker: And it makes me want to pull my hair out on Saturdays. Yes, it does. um No, i I share your concerns. I watched the spring game. I thought Max Johnson played fine during the spring game. I think he had like one fumble, but that was maybe the the worst play he had the entire time.
Speaker: um I, to me, and you mentioned at the very beginning of this, the biggest concern for me is the offensive line. And you talk about five new guys all trying to learn how to play together. um to i don't have no clue how good these tackles are going to be, but you know, if you're, if you're weak at tackle, there's some good defensive edges on, in this conference and you're going to get lit up and you're right. A guy's like Max Johnson. He couldn't, you know, it takes one hit and,
Speaker: you know you're either to Turner Helton, you're to Weston Bryan, and you know, there you go. You know, you're he's he's done for you at least the game or more. um So i to me, it's not so much the injury history for Max Johnson that concerns me. It's the offensive line because that obviously determines how well your quarterback plays. And on top of that, your rushing attack. And if we can't run and we have no time to throw the ball, your fifth year of going down points per game, that's going to be the case going into year six of of Clay Helton if he's still around.
Speaker: Yeah, ah i'll I'll add to that of like, yeah, look, I mean, yeah, Max Johnson, not a mobile guy never was even before the injuries. um You know, he obviously had some good years almost a decade ago, right? It's the seventh year with with LSU and and Texas A&M. He's played played a big hit. I mean, it is. he's he's Listen, he's not throwing to Brian Thomas he's gonna be twenty anymore. Those days are over. Yeah, he's going to be 24 or 25 by the time the season starts. yeah I think he might even be 26 by the time like it ends. but um So, you know, oldest guy we've ever had back there behind center. He's been around. He's been at big programs. He's played in big environments. um He's won in big environments. um you know but he it's you know we're falcons fans um so like it's a very similar situation there right with two uh pinnicks it's like yeah you've you've got you know glass back there that's that's really fragile so um i think
Speaker: yeah The biggest question mark is offensive line. If they can hold up, um i I don't think we will have a big drop-off um at QB1 going from J.C. French to Max Johnson. and We might have an uptick, to be honest. um but It's ah it's a big...
Speaker: big question mark of like can he stay healthy um with you know with a lot of unknowns um on that line and then i'll say this about the turner health and thing cody and i discussed this obviously when he came on board um you know I, yes, he's listed as the backup quarterback. He probably will be QB two going into the season. I think Wes and Brian's going to get a lot more reps this year than he did last year. He was a gadget guy last year, huge quarterback for those that don't follow Georgia Southern ah closely. um He's a a true sophomore, played as true freshman last year, burned his red shirt, six, three, two 50 built like a linebacker.
Speaker: Dude can run. And he's got a howitzer for an arm, you know, but most of the time it was designed runs or like, you know, play action or kind of like trick play deep passes. We haven't really seen what he can do, you know, between the hashes or out on the flats or anything like that. um I'm hoping that, you know, if it's Max Johnson and he can stay healthy, that we get to see a lot more Weston Bryan and we don't really see Turner Helton at all. He's just there as a safety net. um I honestly do think that's the coaching staff's plan. From what I've heard from like inside the program and stuff, they believe in Weston Bryan. I think the kid's talented. I think, you know, the more we play him, the secret is out. And like he's going to get looks from other programs. He's going to get opportunities to be a starting quarterback at other programs, even if it's FCS. But I think he could start at other group of five schools. So, you know, we use them or lose them. Right. Like that's that's kind of where we're at with them. And I think the coaching staff understands that. And even if he's listed as the third on the depth chart, I think he's really the second. um And if something, God forbid, happens to Max Johnson, I wouldn't be surprised if it's Weston Brian. If the coaching staff believes he's ready, then
Speaker: you know, Turner Helton for half a season because this is his final year. Yeah. Right. So, yeah. Yeah. My, I mean, my, my ultimate fear is that Max Johnson goes down in like game two or three. That would be worse. consider And then Turner Helton plays all season because we've seen under Clay Helton, the Davis Bryn, I will not take this quarterback out under any stubbornness. Yeah. part Yeah. And so I'm like,
Speaker: If his son comes in that's going to go in even ah another branch further to like, is he ever going to come out unless he like gets crushed back there? Like, it you know, he could he could throw nine interceptions a game and Clay's going to get up there on the post game with ah a smile from ear to ear and be like, I thought it was a great game and both teams competed. and I don't know if I agree with that, honestly. Yeah, I don't know if I agree with it. Like, I like I know everything we we said, i think.
Speaker: Look, the guy's not an idiot. Like, you know, like, I think he understands optics and he gets like, Hey, if I put my son in here, he's got to play well. And if he doesn't play well and we start losing a bunch of games and he makes a ton of mistakes, those nine interceptions, like I've got to pull them.
Speaker: Like ah that. I mean, yes, he's stubborn. Yes, he's hard headed. we were throwing a bunch of NL, NIL money at Davis Brynn. That's something we're not doing with Turner Helton as far as I know. So, you know, i think he's just there to get a college education and be a backup quarterback. And yeah, if he's desperate, he'll play him. But if things go awry, I think like he's not he's not that stubborn or that obtuse. Yeah. Yeah, and I would say the main difference between now and that Davis-Bryn season is I don't think anybody could have came in and done any better than Davis-Bryn at all. I know that was J.C. French's like very first year here, but I think even in his own words, he didn't he wasn't mentally ready to to take over at all, much less but yeah besides the one or two like design run plays that he would come in for on third and short or fourth and short.
Speaker: um But I will say that With this, if for some reason Max Johnson decides to not play well or has a terrible start to the season, I think there's a lot more confidence in the quarterback room for Helton and Appling to make the switch.
Speaker: And we can go to Weston Bryan or we can go to to to Turner Helton and and let's get the ball rolling. it I think with the Davis Brin here, we were just trapped with Davis Brin one because of the NIL money and two because there was really nobody back there to to come in for him. Vantrese as well. I mean, like, it and Hilton's openly admitted that he was like, if he went down, we were screwed. um You know, so, and and and I think year over year, I think we have gotten deeper at the court. I mean, we've we've got other guys we haven't even talked about. um you know that that i think are are coming along with the program so yeah i mean you've got two like you know last year guys and max johnson and turner helton and then a lot of youth you know behind that and if helton wants to stay here i think you know if it if it comes to it he's going to play the young guys and see what he's got um you know from a future standpoint
Speaker: Sure. Something I want to ask about that I'm sure you guys are probably tired of imagining. This is our first healthy spring for Terrence Gibbs, right? Is this finally the year? Do we finally get to see it?
Speaker: What's going on there, man? I hope so. he got He got a little playing time last year. Now with OJ Arnold and Badinga kind of handling the load, there wasn't a lot to really disperse after that.
Speaker: um I think he played, if I'm not mistaken, in the bowl game, I think he played pretty well. I'm trying to remember the the cycle of running backs that he went through against App. And I think he had a a few series or so that he was really good at.
Speaker: To me, it's wide open. Obviously, Bediga comes back for the running back group. But after that, it's's I think it's truly a wide open race as to who can come in and get either first or second down spots or take over third down situations.
Speaker: So yeah, i'm I'm hoping that Gibbs is the guy. He should be the guy. He's been here the longest outside of Bedinga. He should know the system better as well as anybody else on the offensive side. So I'm hoping so. um Now, there is a Juco transfer that we got that I think can probably be one of the best running backs we've seen since um Coach Helton's been here. And that's saying a lot with Jalen White and with OJ Arnold. I'm mistaken the name, but he played high school ball i in Georgia.
Speaker: um And i think he's coming off an injury with his labrum. But if he can get that healed up, I would not be surprised for to see him continue for like the second or third spot in that running back rotation.
Speaker: Is that what Tyrese would get? Does that sound right or no? No. then Jamarian Samuel is another guy that he played a little bit last year. no it is yeah yeah yeah you're right tyrese would get yeah yeah right yeah so georgia georgia military college yeah he racked up a ton of yards there but yeah jamarian sandal samuel um and then who else was that uh bryce baker bryce baker tayo todd yeah i think it could be a running back by committee situation i don't think that's necessarily a bad thing And Todd and Baker played well in that Marshall game, if i remember correctly, because they rotated in and out because Badinga and Arnold were both injured for that game as well as Gibbs. they all three of them were gone
Speaker: um So yeah, you're right. I think – is Gibbs – is the opportunity there for Gibbs to answer your question? Yes. But like what Matt said, is it going to be a running back by committee? It sure can seem that way.
Speaker: yeah I just have doubts that a guy in, I like Badinga as like in like the change of pace role. I just have a hard time believing that a guy that's five, seven, one 90 is going to be handling like 200 carries this year. Like he's just not, I don't see. all you could say You could have said that about OJ Arnold too, though. You know, and and and i was yeah I was thinking of that going into last year of like, hey, he's that great change of pace back um right to Jalen White. But you get rid of Jalen White and say you're you're the the bell cow. That's that's a they know big load to put on him. But yeah, so I mean, I like I hear you, but I thought the same thing about OJ.
Speaker: Yeah. I would say the biggest, I mean, obvious returning starter on the offensive side has got to be ah Josh Dallas at at slot receiver. I mean, like there were rumors last year, like during the season that he he was on his way out and like he was looking at the transfer portal. And then we got that, like, I guess report or whatnot at the end of the season that was like, no, he's returning along with, you know, Chance Gamble and like some of these guys. So,
Speaker: I think that's going to be the biggest thing of continuity because, frankly, it's like Badinga played sparingly. He only had like 196 yards last season. ah the The offense, as a by and large, offensive line is brand new.
Speaker: You got River Helm coming back at tight end, but he is sort of, you know, Georgia Southern has made it very clear that their tight end position is like, I don't know if it's a talent thing or a role thing, but it's not like a premium position in that, like, we're not going to hyper target someone at the tight end spot. Like they will be a a red zone guy, but not. We've brought in a lot of talent here is the crazy thing. We had the kid out of Kentucky.
Speaker: We had River Helms who got injured quickly. But like you know weve've we've prioritized recruiting for the position, but we so severely have underutilized the position. Right.
Speaker: And obviously, cant you know, Cam Brown is going to have to be replaced. I mean, he was he was huge for them last year, you know, led the what was it, the country and receiving touchdowns. ah You know, they've got a couple of guys, Ashton Hollins. They've we're looking at Phil Steele's magazine just for everybody listening. So he talked to to Helton. So if you have any quibbles, take it up with Mr. Steele. ah Ashton Holland, 200, transfer from Illinois. he is sort of the same thing as Brown was, where he like played sparingly, but hasn't really you know had like a full-time role. And then you've got Andre Green, who's a transfer from Virginia, who also hasn't hasn't played a whole lot. Those are presumably your X and Z receivers, and then you've got
Speaker: you know, you figure it out in the slot ah gadge guys and ho with Dallas. With Dallas, and then you've also got the kid from Colorado, who's, I think, a local kid. He's an a Statesboro high kid. Highly recruited, went and played for Deion, did have some injuries. He's like a true athlete kind of guy, right? Where it's like, is he a wide receiver? is he i think I think he played like defense in high school, too. I think he ran back kicks. He did everything. where d i But you'll see him...
Speaker: Lined up all over the place, running yeah back slot outside receiver. You know, you'll see him all over. He could be a dark horse at running back, to be honest. Like we we we don't know. We don't have any inside information. But I mean, he did play some of that at Colorado. And, you know, it's it's very much like a Josh Dallas. Like if he can recover from his injuries, that is like a weapon.
Speaker: um You know, if if he's back to full health. And you got to figure out a way to get on the ball any way you can. So yeah line them up, motion them. But no, to get to your point about Cam Brown, I don't think you can look at it in terms of we've got replace him, you know, because there's no way to really replace a receiver like how effective he was. You just got to hope that the pieces that you brought in can at least try to replace most of them and that there's not this huge drop off in receiver like that. We're not going from 14 receiving touchdowns.
Speaker: All of a sudden next year, the leading touchdown receiver is at six. and You're like, oh, man that's a huge drop off. you know, ah but no, I, it's, my perspective is that it's impossible to replace Brown, but do we have a lot of good candidates to come in to, to kind of take over that top spot for sure?
Speaker: um Again, it'll come down to, you know, offensive line and do the attempt to throw the ball. So there, Yeah, it's it's like a money ball formula, right? If you're familiar with that movie, it's kind of like that. like Yeah, we got to get him in the aggregate. Exactly. So, um you know, and and here's the thing.
Speaker: No one knew Cam Brown was Cam Brown. Like, like yeah he he came in like, yeah, we talked about him. Came from Auburn. That's always going to get some headlines. He didn't play. in the And the times that he played, he dropped every ball thrown to him virtually, you know, and then leads the nation and touches. So, yeah.
Speaker: It could happen. It could be Hollins. It could be the kid from Colorado. Who knows? But it's okay if it's like a wide receiver by committee type deal where, yeah, it's the aggregate and they they they all add up to that same production. um It's just spread out. like I'll take four guys with 650 plus yards receiving you know all day long over like one guy that just scrapes over 1,000 and you know leads leads the nation in touchdowns.
Speaker: Yeah, fair enough. ah So we talked, I mean, we've talked a little bit about the offensive line. It's it's a glaring hole on the offense. I mean, it's it's like Kaylin Williams played sparingly a little bit. And then, i mean, i don't remember this person.
Speaker: but Phil Steele has him written out. Colin Alexander, the right presumed right tackle, has played on and off the past two years. That's what Phil has written. ah Outside of that, it's like I don't recognize any of these names except Kayla Williams. It's like Mo Clipper is a transfer from Charlotte.
Speaker: Don't know anything about him. Ty Furnish, a center from UVA. You know, guys like that. Ty Furnish, I think, actually played um quite a few games last year for Virginia a that center. And I think he, if I'm remembering correctly, I think he's like a versatile guy that you can move.
Speaker: to He didn't play last year. he didn't play last year, Virginia. He came in to Southern last year. OK. um And I think they had to wait a couple of games to even see if he was eligible to to play for us. But yeah, I think he was in.
Speaker: um in and out of the lineup or offensive line rotation and the i think it says 10 games on phil stills va so yeah uh but yeah it seems to be i think he's sort of like the jack of all trades in terms of offensive line he could play anywhere and the biggest need probably is center um so that's where they have him lined up i think we have another guy though that i want to say played in fcs and started at center Uh, you, yeah, the kid East Tennessee state. That sounds right. Yep.
Speaker: Okay. Yeah. And my, my, my take on like offensive line is like, I don't really care where you played last as long as you played. Like I'd, I'd, I'd take college experience over. I sat on a P four, you know, somewhere for three years and and never saw the field. So like, you know, it's tall task, you know, to get the continuity and get the reps and, uh, you know, cohesion together and all that. But like if if we're filling those holes with guys that played, even if it was at the FCS level, I'll take that all day over, you know, and I think we got a good mix of that.
Speaker: The the Clipper who you mentioned, he was a starter at Charlotte last year, so he does come in with starting experience on the line. My biggest thing is can all these guys gel? um And to me, where you see it it makes maybe the the least amount of started experience is that the tackle right and left tackles. And again, if if we're good interior, that's fine. But if we're getting beat on the edges, that's going to be problems for us, especially when we're oh a mid or third or long and we have to try to get ah those first downs.
Speaker: ah Zeke remembers this because we talked about it quite a bit last year. not Not Southern directly related. This team is reminding me a lot of last year's Louisiana Cajuns team where it was like, we've got a big P5 transfer and a brand new offensive line.
Speaker: And it turns out the the quarterbacks a little more brittle than we would have liked. And the offensive line just sinks like basically the offense. And I'm like, that's the absolute worst case scenario for this season is like just what Louisiana went through last year because they were also similar to Southern like scraping and clawing to get the six wins with their like their third string quarterback like at a point. So it's like it's like I just hope it doesn't go down that road. Like I hope we avoid that. That's fair. But I will say like, you know, the first year under Helton, right, we had a great offensive line. um we We led the nation and sacks allowed and, you know, with Vantrese and we threw them all, you know, a billion times. um But, you know, so and of course, that's not all Helton. That's the offensive coordinator that's long gone um or offensive line coach has long gone. um But
Speaker: it It can't be done. We have seen it. So like and correct me if I'm wrong, Cody, but I think that first season, that was a patchwork job, too. Right. Like we may have had a couple guys returning. but Yeah. And nobody thought that offensive line was good.
Speaker: Prior to what happened that the year before um under that lunch for ah her interim head coach season when he was fired. So, yeah, no, we had our doubts about that offensive line going into it. oh We knew that we had a good offensive line coach come in from UAB. We just didn't know how good he was.
Speaker: yeah And then we saw what was what was possible. But yeah, no, i I think that's where my optimism is what Matt just said is that if you want to look for the half-class full type of perspective, it's that we've been in maybe a ah worse situation before and really look good the following year.
Speaker: um And so, yeah, it's not as bad as what it has been. um But it is it is a glaring spot to say that you're taking five new guys yeah and shoving them together and yeah here you go. Go try to be a great collegiate product to go win a conference. And you don't see that a whole lot.
Speaker: You see those good offensive units um are built behind offensive lines that usually have at least two or three or four guys that are coming up and through together and they and they stay together throughout their their college career.
Speaker: Yeah. um All right. So let's transfer to the defensive side of the ball. we've got Mike Moots, who we we talked about a little bit off the top. New defensive coordinator coming in. Mercifully, we finally let go of Brandon Bailey. I don't know. I don't even really know what took this long, ah but it it did. ah We have some some pieces coming back who who, frankly, I like, ah you know, Stroud, Gamble.
Speaker: even like guys that have been rotational, you know, Kebaseca at the at the other defensive end spot, Brandon Tyson, guys like that. So I'm like, I'm more optimistic for the first time in I don't know how long about the defensive side of the ball than I am the offensive side of the ball for Georgia Southern football, which is not a sentence I don't think I've uttered during the the Clay Hilton era.
Speaker: I think that's fair. i think that's fair to say. I'm, I'm trying, you know, I'm cautiously optimistic about the defense. um But yeah, like I said, I think it's an upgrade both certainly with coaching um and not just moots, but the guys that he brought in. um These are experienced guys there, you know, have been on field coaches before, not all of them, but you know, some, and you know, I just, I just think it's going to be a night and day difference in the discipline and the preparedness um you know all that uh but then talent i think we retained our best pieces to build around um mainly in mj stroud and chance gamble and then we brought in a lot of talent um you know a lot of it yes it came from fcs but they were like all americans um you know one from uh moots's stephen f austin team But one I want to say from like Abilene Christian, we got, you know, guys that um a kid from Wingate, which the last kid that we got from Wingate worked out really well. So like um I think Moods has proven to be a really quality recruiter. And I think that has shown both in the guys that we've retained and the guys that we've brought in.
Speaker: I don't have a problem with... with ah So, i ah Zeke knows. I've been pushing for FCS coordinator hires for a long time because I feel like he's... Helton has a little bit tried to galaxy brain the the coordinator hires, and it's it's more than, you know, often than not gone poorly. So, I'm just like...
Speaker: what What is it? a pride I'm like, this is rhetorical. Is it a pride thing that makes you look at FCS coaches and go, oh, no, I wouldn't pull from there. Those guys are a lower level than me. It's just like, you know that these guys can do it at at another level. At least you know these guys can be coordinators, which has been like a big question under the other guys that that Hilton's hired. It's like a lot of inexperienced coaches that come in and they don't really have like an idea. It's like,
Speaker: brother just just hire the best offensive coordinator you can afford from fcs give him a pay bump let him come in or or whoever defensive now like let him bring their guys over to help fill some of those roles like what i i just feel like it's it's been like staring him in the face and he's finally been like okay fine i'll do it like we'll see how it yeah the the word on the street is is that there was some persuasion within the you know boosters and things like that to bring Mike Moods in. I don't know if that's true or not. That's just what I've heard from people of that that it was a not at all cost situation, but but like, hey, we strongly suggest that you go and give this guy a look. So, ah so yeah I mean, there's definitely a theme there with Heldon of being like digging his heels in the ground and and being stuck in his ways. But, you know, hey, look, I'll i'll take it. Mutz is here. You know, I think it's going to work out whether it was Heldon's first choice or last choice. i
Speaker: I don't really care. He's he's here. So, know, just let him do his thing. And I will also say this. yeah Let's say in two or three years, for whatever reason, this moot hire does not work out.
Speaker: The defense still plays poorly. It still is giving up 30 points a game. I don't think any of us can go back and say, oh, man, that was a terrible hire. What was he looking at when he brought him in? Because you look at top five in almost all FCS categories in defense.
Speaker: When he started there at Stephen F. Austin, I think they were like mid or like bottom in most defensive categories. He was a part of Fritz's defensive staff who has done well at every stop that he's done from Georgia Southern to Tulane and now Houston.
Speaker: um So yeah, at least on this, when it looks at the paper and the resume, you can't blame him at all for saying, all right, Mutz, come on, let's bring you here and let's lead this defense. You can definitely look at Will Harris and Brandon Bailey and say, maybe maybe we should have stopped and thought about this ah but before we make these hires.
Speaker: um But yeah, this one is this one is, at least on paper, knocked out of the ballpark. We'll see what the results are. But I think to go back to what you were trying to point out is is that most of these successful FCS hires turn out to be really good, successful hires and that they produce the results that the fans want.
Speaker: Yeah, and and i it even if it goes not poorly, but even if it's not optimal defensively, I'm i'm not going to look at the first-year defensive coordinator and go, well, it's all his fault. like It's like yeah you've had, as Helton, you've had years to kind of stock the defensive cabinet. like If it doesn't work, it's the guy who's been here for five years, not the guy who's been here for...
Speaker: eight months or whatever like i'm not gonna put lay all the blame on his feet like maybe he just doesn't have the guys to run his system yet and like that's that's a thing that's got to kind of mature over time but like i i like a lot of the pieces they have on defense i mean it honestly can't get it can't get worse guys no i can't we were in most categories the worst defense of the country so like the only way to go is up and and i think you know like how how big of a a gap will we close you know to be determined but um i i definitely think they're going approved allowed 218 rushing yards per game last season at a 5.7 yards per carry on the ground as long as it's better than that i'm like we're moving in the right direction sure yeah i don't think we're gonna be anywhere close to that
Speaker: yeah um It's funny that you mentioned Phil Still's magazine because if you look at the comments that Phil Still make with the defensive line and the linebacker groups, he quotes Helton as saying that he feels like these are the two best units that he's had since he's been here, which if that's the case, our front seven's the best.
Speaker: he also He also said that a Brandon Bailey-led defense. He says a He's on tape saying, ah last last year at Sunbelt Media Days, he swore up and down that this team was so motivated because they got left out of the title game in 24, and then they just laid an egg on the West Coast. So like well he says a lot of things. Well, then I think Matt was about to bring up the top 25 defense. Top 25. Was that last year's team that he said? Two years ago. two was two years ago. Yeah.
Speaker: But yeah, just to say that, let's say this is his our legit best defensive line and linebacker group that we have, which I will say it does look, at least the names that you see on there, looks pretty looks pretty good.
Speaker: um Then yeah, we should not be anywhere close to how bad those rushes. And now we have a ah coordinator to that I think the fan base really believes, okay, when it comes to schematics, are we gonna actually out-schemed or is he actually gonna have an answer for what maybe these offensive coordinator are gonna be throwing at us? And then also, can he think on the fly?
Speaker: Like if he sees something that he wasn't prepared for, can he scheme it within game to least try to come up with an answer, just not stop it per se, but to at least slow it down. um And I think that's where, at least for me, the confidence goes up because I didn't have that with Brandon Bailey at all.
Speaker: you I don't think the players did either. know the quick The quick story I was going to give was you know we don't have a lot to go off of in offseason, right? but like and And to your point of like the North Korea analogy, but like the school does do like these Q&As with coaches and with players. They did one with Mike Mutz, but the one that I want to highlight is one that they did with Chance Gamble. And Chance Gamble was at Kennesaw State. Now he's been with Georgia Southern for a couple of years. His defensive backs coach, right, came down with him. um But in that Q&A, he said from like whatever it was at that time, like two months, six weeks with Mike Moose, that he has learned more about defense than he has his entire playing career.
Speaker: he he He said that. And that to me, right, with the first team, you know, all-conference preseason player, And Chance Gamble saying, I've learned in in six weeks you know from this guy more than two years under Brandon Bailey, I think tells you all you need to.
Speaker: Yeah. Last little bit before we, I want to talk schedule a little bit with you guys, but ah just an all time name position combo with Chance Gamble being the corner. I just needed to put that out there. It's like the ultimate cornerback name. It's like, you have a chance. He's going to gamble. Let's see how it goes. The only, the only one that position wise, Ironhead Gallon was like fantastic. oh i mean i macker And then we had Vegas Harley, which never really worked out, but I, yeah.
Speaker: Ironhead Gallon was great because he was just like an A back and he would just run head first and you were just like, that's that's why they call him that. yeah ah All right. So let's talk schedule a little bit. We talked about it just a tad, but I'm just going through. i just kind of want to do like three game chunks and just kind of get you guys this overall thoughts. So open with Charleston Southern. That feels like it should be ah an easy win. um The one thing I know about the Hilton era is no wins are a given, but ah you know you should be able to beat Charleston Southern at home in the opener. Don't don't really have any concerns there. And he's done a pretty good, and better than Lunsford, right? that Cody and I talked about that. Lunsford struggled with those FCS teams. Hilton's handled them pretty easily. yeah Oh, yeah. At Clemson's probably a loss. However, it would be the funniest thing of all time if that was like Dabo Sweeney's final game at Clemson. Like we pulled like a we we pulled like a Scott Frost and just got it got him canned after like game two. That would be hilarious. ah And then Jacksonville State on the road.
Speaker: Jacksonville State has been a weird team because we've Zeke and I have kept up with them enough because they play enough Sunbelt schools that we kind of have a feel for them. They are like the Terminator of Kusa.
Speaker: And then when they play outside the division, it's like it looks like peewee ball. like they They have not had a quarterback in the last couple years that has been able to get the ball from point A to point B. And like I know ah they run a lot of that run-heavy option concept stuff, but it it really shows... like They really just cannot get the ball out to like any receivers. like They are very hamstrung. So what are you guys' as sort of overall thoughts, whether you want to keep key on on Jacksonville State because it's like the most even matchup or like just general thoughts on this pregame stretch? General thought, to me, the FCS game, we should handle that.
Speaker: As Matt just said, we've handled that under Helton pretty well. um To me, the Clinton game will be the first game that shows us just how far off our offensive line is as far as gelling together or how… much they've grown in coming together. If Max Johnson is on his back every other play and we have no rush, then we know that maybe this offensive line is going to take a long time before we actually see any sort of productivity out of them.
Speaker: But let's say they hold it together and we're moving the ball well and we're able to get a ah ah rush and and then maybe we're ahead of schedule and maybe I'm starting to get excited regardless of what the score is at the end game.
Speaker: Maybe going to get excited about conference play thinking, hell, we may not, we may have a chance to actually win the whole thing. um Jacksonville State scares me because it's a game I think on paper we should win, but I don't know if we're going to win because it's on the road after we play Clemson.
Speaker: yeah um And then they're also they also lost their offensive coordinator with Clint Trickett. He's going to, I think, Maryland or Arkansas. the I think he was supposed to go to Maryland and then hired at Arkansas as their QB coach. That's right. So they have a new offensive coordinator that they're going to bring in. don't know who that is because I haven't gotten into any their scouting aspect of it yet.
Speaker: But ah yeah i to me, the the Jacksonville State game being sandwiched between Clemson and Houston is, one, a game that we may overlook even though we're the better team, or we may come in a little bit more banged up because we just got through with Clemson the week before. yeah Either way, I don't like where that game is being – when it's being played.
Speaker: And i'm um so I'm really scared that we're going to be one in three after these first four games and that there may be an overreaction from the fan base because of that one in three record.
Speaker: that so That's fair. No, no, no. That's fair. I could i could see it too. um I could see two and two too, but like that Jacksonville state game scares me. I think that definitely is the trap game yeah of the out of conference. The fact that it's on the road, the fact that it's a competitive team that they ran all over us last year. So yeah, I mean, Clemson obviously is going a good test and and tune up, you know, to see what Mike Moots' defense has. a Great point, Cody, about the offensive of line too, because if You know, the Dabo Sweeney era I know is under turmoil. But, you know, one thing we know from his teams, he has defensive lines. Right. So if they could survive that. But with Jacksonville State, man, I mean, that was just a shootout last year. Right. I mean, they they they ran on us and and we knew it was coming it couldn't stop them. So um and then, you know, historically, Helton just hasn't been good at the on the road. He's gotten a little bit better and in recent years, but still not great. So and they've got a pretty good for a Conference usa environment. They've got probably the one of the better, you know, home advantages in Conference USA. So. That's going to be a tough one. And I honestly wouldn't be shocked if we somehow beat Clemson and then lose my two touchdowns to Jacksonville. Yeah. That's the ultimate George Southern experience. ah And then September 26th, you've got the the Willie Fritz out for blood game. I'm sure you know nobody nobody was here that screwed him over with the contract stuff like when he dipped and went to Tulane. However, I still feel like he's like, I'm going to sacrifice these guys on Saturday and it's going really bad. ah
Speaker: And then at Coastal is interesting because if it was still Tim Beck and his failure to like identify a quarterback, I would be like, we're we're in a pretty good spot. However, with the new like head coach coming in, like i don't I don't know what to expect. He's a defensive guy. came from, what was it, Missouri State, I think. yeah Yeah, who was like a new FBS call-up last year. So, like, don't really know what to expect there. I would tentatively say a win in year one of that guy's tenure. um Bobby Petrino's son-in-law, but we'll we'll see how it goes. And then...
Speaker: jmu normally you would look at that and go ah it's it's a loss whatever but seemingly when one team plays at home they just have the other team's number two and oh against them at home yeah yeah and then and then we we were talking about brandon bailey one of the most inexplicable defensive performances i've ever seen was them against jmu in 2024 at home i was like is this the 2000 ravens defense what are we doing Like, where where did this come from? And then all of a sudden the next week it was it was over with. So I i i would like to see another home win against JMU. But like, there's too many variables at this point for me to definitively say anything, I think.
Speaker: So, ah want me to go yeah yeah, I'll let you take this this this three first. OK, well, yeah, I mean, Houston, obviously, yeah, headlines right itself. um I agree. I think not only is Fred's going to be somewhat like out for blood, like making a statement. Houston is a possible playoff team.
Speaker: like that they are i mean you know that this this is not you know if if we were getting them we've had the worst luck with uh playing p4s on the road obviously this is technically the first p4 to come to paulson um so that's going to be huge fritz's return's huge um but we've had terrible luck of playing these teams at the worst possible times right in LSU, you know, we opened against them in the Joe Burrow National Championship year. Clemson National Championship year, Alabama National Championship year. So like, um you know, this year with Clemson, probably not going to maybe, you know, maybe they rebound. But they they might be you know a a possible you know competitive game where Houston, that they scare me more than Clemson. That's what I'm getting at here. They're a juggernaut. We know they're well coached. And we know on top of Clemson,
Speaker: Not losing to a group of five team or Sunbelt team, you know, Houston's going to be looking for rankings. They're going to be looking, you know, to to make a run. They're not making the college football playoff if they lose to Georgia Southern.
Speaker: Right. So, like, they're they're coming in to make a statement. Yeah, i was I will say this for a little bit of hope. Stephen F. Austin played Houston last year and um held them to 27 points yep with Mike Moots as the defensive coordinator. So it's at least Mike Moots will have familiarity with Houston and and what they will will try to do schematically on ah offense.
Speaker: And it will be at our place, so hopefully that – or Stephen F. Austin was going to Houston to play. um So that's my one little hope to where maybe it's not like a 56 to nothing blowout that day.
Speaker: But I will say this, the next two games, Coastal and GMU, new head coaches, new staff. um It's not like... we haven't really touched at all about the the the state of college football, but programs aren't what programs used to be. It you know it changes immediately once when there's a new coaching set that comes in and comes out. It's hard to maintain that constant winning you know tradition.
Speaker: But JMU surprisingly has done it. They've made two great hires with Singeti and with Chesney. um Now they bring in um the guy from Florida. and who and ne Billy. bill Some Billy. As they as they derogatorily called in the team. Yes.
Speaker: So we'll see how this hire, this is, again, different. We go back to your FCS hires that you're very high on. This is the first time Jamie was not doing that. They're kind of doing what we did, the splash hire. Let's go get the big name and bring them in and see what see what we do.
Speaker: um um To me, that's a home game. Home teams have been undefeated in this series so far since they've been to the Sun Belt. um i got I got a quick fun stat that I just thought of. day right So Cignetti and Bob Chesty, we beat them in their first year at JMU at home. Yes. so There you There go. yeah Do you guys want a really fun stat that I gave Zeke last year before the Georgia Southern JMU game?
Speaker: ah Georgia Southern and JMU, I know there was a long gap where they didn't play each other. The last time that these two teams have played and the score, the margin was within seven points, like six points or fewer, was 1992.
Speaker: i want to say that we, we should have known that. Like I saw that. or maybe like so That was just the craziest thing. It's like, it it just is so lopsided. Like no matter who plays at home, it's, it's, it's just like a ah going away type thing where it's just not even really competitive. Uh,
Speaker: And the only thing that gives me a little bit of hope about the JMU game is like JMU, when they bring in a new coach, like they are good for that first year, but they're not that dominant, like lay everybody out team. Like Chesney's first year, they won like what, eight games or something, eight or nine. Yeah. And they were good, but they weren't like last year where it was like,
Speaker: just cut through everybody on the way to like the playoff or whatnot. It was, and honestly, I don't, I don't think they were that good last year. If if I'm being completely, yeah I mean, they weren't like signety teams. Good. Yeah. that wasn' you know insane and you would yeah they They benefited from a really down Sunbelt and an easy out of conference schedule.
Speaker: yeah um moving on October 15th old Dominion on the road seems like worst case scenario uh they still have a running quarterback it's a th on a thursday road it's a Thursday night game on the road they still have uh they have a guy that runs even more than Colton Joseph did in Henical so if we're still, if we're still haunted by the ghost of Brandon Bailey and not being able to contain a running quarterback, like that's going to be a long night. ah You get a bye week. And then on a Halloween play app at home,
Speaker: I've got to say Dowell Loggins year one didn't give me a whole lot of of didn't scare me. Let's say that like I was very like underwhelmed by finally to like finally they made a bad coach hire. Yeah, the horseshoe finally unlodged itself from their butts. ah And then Marshall, the homecoming game November 7th.
Speaker: Marshall had a really interesting season last year, too, because they were good to start and they gave they beat ODU like a drum behind like a bunch of turnovers and they gave JMU pretty much all they could handle as well. And then I was looking the other day down the backstretch. They went one in four in their last five and the game that they played against us. I specifically remember I came on the podcast the the after the game and was like,
Speaker: it just felt like Marshall showed up and was just like, we don't care. Like it that was just the vibe they gave me was like, we're done with this. And it was like, Bowl game on the line for both teams, bowl eligibility, and they just came out totally flat and didn't look like they cared to me. And Georgia Southern kind of jumped on them, and I was like, wow, I kind of expected this to go the other way, where it was like Southern kind of limped in and was like, we need to win another one to get to the bowl and like all this other stuff. And it was it was totally the opposite result of of what I expected. So...
Speaker: If you guys have any takeaways, Old Dominion, which feels cursed at this point, Appen and ah Marshall, any any thoughts on those? I'm just glad we don't have to play Colton Joseph anymore when it comes to ODU. I mean, my gosh.
Speaker: He tore us up. oh Appen and Marshall are home. I think that bodes well for us, um given the last – I know people are higher Marshall than they are on app. um For me, Marshall's almost wait and see, man. like Let's see how they perform in the first four games of the season, five games, before I'm ready to crown them the East champions or that they're going to go up against JMU as the East contenders.
Speaker: um But I'm... The bye week and then back-to-back home games should bode well for us. i Five days off to go play ODU at ODU, I'm just – I don't see – based on the last two, three seasons against ODU, I don't see it happening unless no the ODU offense just goes down you know off a cliff and the team implodes. Yeah.
Speaker: I'll just add to that that, like, I agree. um You know, it it doesn't look good, but to have the successful season that I talked about earlier of being a contender, like things could be really rough to Cody's point. You know, going like the the first half of the schedule is is brutal. And, you know, we could be one and three coming out out of conference. Obviously, that doesn't, um you know, ah account for anything with uh you know making or winning in the east but um you know we could have a really bad losing record you know going into this like final stretch and if we don't correct the ship you know against old dominion and find a way like it could be a terrible season like not a six and six season like a losing season yeah like a four and eight type thing yeah exactly yeah so so like
Speaker: For all the reasons that everyone has said, that game scares me. It doesn't bode well, just given history. um But I think that's a must win because like you know I don't think James Madison and Coastal are shoe-in wins. And yeah, to to to start Sunbelt play, and we could be limping into Sunbelt play after a really rough out-of-conference.
Speaker: I think if you took a single game from our schedule and what team scared me the most with like history and like how it's how it's all laid out, I think Old Dominion is like easily far and away like the the toughest. like When you think about Road Thursday night,
Speaker: playing a quarterback that runs. I know it's a new defensive coordinator, but they've had so much issues with like trying to contain these these running quarterbacks. It's like been a nightmare. And then the last three to end the season at Georgia State, Zeke, correct me if I'm wrong, Del McGee is probably going to be fired at this point, right? I mean, unless we get stuck in this like limbo of...
Speaker: we We don't really care about being serious. We care about culture. i can't imagine that this is you know, he makes it through this year four or this would be year three for him rather. Yeah.
Speaker: Like last year was it was really brutal. And then like the year before wasn't great, but it was sort of. yeah it's year one. What can you do? like That type of stuff. Last year was demoralizing, I would say. ah And so I wouldn't be surprised if Southern picked up a win there.
Speaker: At Troy, it's going be tough. Troy was a good team last year. They bring back both of their quarterbacks. I don't know which one's going to be starting this late in the season because like Goose Crowder is a good quarterback, but he man, he takes a beating and he's like he's like on ah auditioning for an episode of Jackass behind all offensive line. Like he's just getting smashed every time the JMU the Sunbelt title game last year. I was like, brother, you you need to learn to throw the ball away like you're going get killed back there like it was it was really rough. ah I think Troy probably wins that game. like I think they're just set up better as of today than than Southern is, and it's on the road. That's not a great sign. And then Louisiana Tech has been a huge question mark for us like all offseason. We truly don't know what to expect.
Speaker: Even like when you went back and looked, ah who did they play in the bowl game? Was it Southern Miss, Zeke? Do you remember that? That sounds right. Yeah, because they've been playing some of those teams forever.
Speaker: Right, and they had like a potpourri of quarterbacks that none of them had great numbers, but they still won games, and it was just baffling to kind of look at and be like, this guy's thrown four touchdowns to three picks all season? like what how are they How are they winning games? So it's it's just a big mystery as far as like what they're going to bring to the table in Sunbelt play. But ah any any thoughts on the stretch, these three-game stretch to kind of end the season to put a a period on it?
Speaker: So like Troy's been the old dominion for us out of the West, right? they They've been that one that even if they're not a good team, they find a way to beat us. They've, you know, beat us, you know, there in Alabama, they've beat us at home um when they shouldn't have. um So, yeah, that one makes me nervous. um Georgia State, ah basically a home game, extra home game for us always is if we're playing well. If both teams are not playing well, it's going to be a ghost town there at Turner Field. And then, yeah, Louisiana Tech, I have no idea, honestly, but I'm glad that we get them at home. um And, you know, I feel like had had to put money on it, I feel good about us in that game, mainly because it's, you know, It's a home game, um and we could once again you know need it to make a bowl game.
Speaker: you know Yeah, this is usually the Clay Hilton end-of-season push to try to get the six wins, so he's he's like on his he's like minding his P's and Q's and everything, and he's like, no, we actually have to win these games. Yeah. yeah Yeah, i think i think if Helton is still the court or the the coach, I see that we probably have a good shot of winning. But to Matt's point earlier, if we've gotten down bad and and we're at 2-6 or two and seven and we finally give Helton a this will probably be a Louisiana Tech
Speaker: victory But no, I think um you're right. Louisiana Tech, I think, is a huge mystery in in this entire Sunbelt Conference and how one the how they will play and how they'll all they' do. And then, too, just um I think, honestly, the instant rivalry. That louisiana state of Louisiana becomes an intense battleground.
Speaker: with ulm and then ul so i i um i think i feel like i'm the rare one that it kind of was like happy that louisiana tech came into the conference when they did oh yeah people were people were throwing a lot of shade at louisiana tech last year like just in general so You know, maybe they maybe they show up with a chip on their shoulder and kind of prove everybody in the in the conference wrong. ah yeah Last question for you guys before we kind of do the outro and get out of here.
Speaker: Realistically, if you took a look at this schedule, what do you what would you say the the win loss is at the end of the season? What's the record?
Speaker: That's not a great sign. A big, sigh like, oh. I think i think we go one and three and out of conference. I really do. I think we go one and three. um I think that we try to get our footing against Colesville and JMU. I would not be surprised if we win those two games. We lose to ODU.
Speaker: And then we pull off a run after that bye week and win the rest of them. I think that is probably maybe, the in my mind, the best case scenario that happens. So that would be, what, 7-1 conference, so maybe eight and four could be a realistic high.
Speaker: But, again, think as a – as a fan that's been traumatized the last five or six years or longer, ah I can really see this going downhill. so I'm going to say, unfortunately, I'm going to have to go like six and six in just and just say that's probably where we're going to be at. Yeah, that exactly. That we're going to do probably what we're saying I'm going to do the first half of the year, and then it's going to look really good going to the bye week.
Speaker: And then we're going to crap in the bed against probably Troy and Louisiana tech. And we're going to finish six and six, you know, like something's crazy like that. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if you're a better man, you have to say six and six, right? Like that's what, that's what everyone's telling you. Like, I mean, as i so yeah, I mean, looking at it, I, I think I could see us being in two and two and not a conference, but I could see one and three certainly as well. But I'll, I'll, I'll say two and two there. And then,
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, I think the realistic like high would be eight wins, but I don't think that gets my successful season done right. and Especially, i mean, maybe if we go one and three, it does, but I don't, if we go two and two and out of conference, I don't think...
Speaker: what would that be? Only six. We'd be six and two in conference. I don't think that gets it done. So I think we have to be seven to one in conference to win the East or better, obviously. um But realistically, yeah i think we're like seven or eight wins high and then probably five or six low.
Speaker: i This is kind of a reiteration of some of the stuff we talked coaching in the earlier section of the show, but yeah, Do you guys feel as fans or like, is that kind of the worst case scenario though, to win six games, seven games?
Speaker: Because I think like Georgia Southern is getting started to get caught in same cycle we're seeing in Arkansas state with Butch Jones. It's like administration is okay with winning six, seven games and you're just kind of stuck here. You're going to win eight games every four years or something, but you're stuck in this repetitive cycle. Like it is, are are we just stuck here? If you win six, seven games, it's a great quack. Go ahead, Cody.
Speaker: I was going to say, think he has like one more year of winning that number. And then after that, it's, it's, he's out and there's just, you know, we're going to this year, counting this year. Yeah. Because have the new defense coordinator. If we go like six and six or seven to five, but the defense is just really just like taken off and a great,
Speaker: um you know a lot better than what it's been a couple years i think we're like all right fine defense seems to be on its way we'll give her another year under helton but um if it's like another just repeat of what we've seen and there's no improvement at all i don't know where this fan base is going to accept another six or seven tight win season and be okay with it without there being a lot of uproar down here in statesboro That's the key. The administration might be fine with it. The fan base won't be. um And I think they're already at their wits end. I mean, some of them are long gone, right? i mean There's a good faction that's already pretty fit. There's a faction that was gone on year one, right? And then year two, and then year three, and then year four. We're entering year five. um I just, yeah, another even five to seven win season. um i just, I think they...
Speaker: Yeah, i I don't think that bodes well. Yeah. Unfortunately, I think he made the defensive coordinator change one year too late, honestly. yep Sure. You know, and I think that's where it's at.
Speaker: I think the one thing that really demoralized me at the end of last season was seeing that Coastal looked at Tim Beck going 6-6 and went, this isn't acceptable, cut him loose, yeah let's start over, you know, blah, blah, blah. And it's like, I don't know, our administration, if you gave him truth serum, would be like, that's a great season for us. And I'm like, why is it unacceptable at Coastal who like...
Speaker: they had grace the grace of mccall years and like they had some good seasons but like by and large they're not like this program that you are like oh my god look at the pedigree look at like the history like all this they're just kind of like or or finances because that's what it's about now right is money and like you can look at jmu and they you know uh basically tax their students right and student fees like out the yin gang right and and that's how they fund their program where, you know, a Georgia State or Georgia Southern or Coastal, they don't do that. So like if if you're looking at those comparable programs, but it's like their their finances are very in line with ours and me awkwardly isn't acceptable for them, but it is for us. That's yeah that's a problem. Yeah, that that that was like a gut punch for me at the end of last season, seeing like I was like, they really cut Tim back loose and we're just running it back and hoping for different results like that was killer. ah
Speaker: Matt, Cody, thank you guys so much for joining us. ah This has been maybe the most comprehensive preview we've ever done, ah even even when we've had JMU Sports News come on and stuff like that. So thank you guys so much. ah Do you guys want to plug ah the podcast, socials, like any sort of that that thing before we get out of here?
Speaker: Go for it, Matt. You want me to do it again? See, Gata Talk is the name of the podcast, G-A-T-A-T-A-L-K. It's Gata Talk Podcast on all socials. So at Gata Talk Podcast. um We're super active on X, um trying to get more active on Instagram and Facebook.
Speaker: um And yeah, once we haven't record we haven't kicked off season nine yet, but we will um you know probably right around the time this airs or or soon after, We'll have a couple of preseason episodes and then, yeah. And then every week of the season all the way through bowl season. So, and you can check us out anywhere you listen to podcasts and got to talk.com.
Speaker: awesome And as always, you can catch us on X at Warm Weather Fans. You can catch me on X at Watch the Stone. Zeke is at Zeke Palermo. Thank you guys again for joining us. And, you know, best of luck with the podcast this season. And go Eagles.
Speaker: Yeah, thanks, guys. go Eagles. Yep, thanks. Hail Southern.
