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Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009

Russell feels good about Eagles’ defense

STATESBORO — For Brent Russell and his Georgia Southern teammates on defense, this season has been a work in progress. And the progress has been good.

Eagles defenders, a maligned group last year, are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. And there is not a train behind the light.

If Georgia Southern (3-3, 2-1 Southern Conference) is going to remain in the conference race, the defense may have to give a struggling offense breathing room while it tries to establish an identity.

Georgia Southern will play its only October home game today when it hosts UT-Chattanooga (4-1, 2-1). The Mocs are riding a three-game winning streak and are off to their best start since 1997.

The Eagles are coming off a 42-12 loss at North Carolina, but they are far from discouraged. North Carolina managed only 69 yards in the second half against the Eagles and had 289 for the game. Russell isn’t buying that it was because the Tar Heels played reserves for much of the second half.

“We dealt with some adversity in the first half,” said Russell, who watched the Heels score 21 points in four minutes in the second quarter. “But we played a great second half. Some people will say they pulled their starters, but their quarterback was in there at the end of the third quarter throwing bombs trying to score.

“I’m really proud of the way we came out and played the second half. We didn’t change the game plan. We just came out and played harder and shut them out.”

Russell, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound redshirt freshman defensive end from Madison County, believes the Eagles have a legitimate shot at making it to the playoffs.

He also realizes that goal goes by the wayside with one loss.

“I think it’s like a crack in the dam, and we’re about to bust that crack open and get going,” Russell said. “That’s how close we are to being a good team.”

With 30 freshmen and sophomores on the two-deep roster, the Eagles have had their moments. Consistency, especially on offense, has been hard to come by.

In one-sided losses to South Dakota State and Elon, the Eagles got in a hole early and couldn’t dig themselves out. Much of the problems were due to an offensive line that gave up 17 sacks, while the offense had seven turnovers.

Going into the season, the defensive line was a major question mark as all three starters from last year had used up their eligibility.

Russell actually started one game last year — the opener at Georgia. But he suffered a torn ACL in the second quarter and was lost for the year.

“That was a bummer,” he said of the injury. “I had worked so hard in summer and preseason to earn a starting position. But it was a blessing in disguise because I got a medical redshirt, so I still had my four years eligibility.”

Russell has a team-high six tackles for loss and three sacks.

“I have a decent pass rush, but you can’t rush from my position a lot,” Russell said. “I’m pretty strong against the run. I don’t bust a lot, I stay on my keys pretty good, so I’m always in the hole.”

The Mocs are led by sophomore quarterback B.J. Stokes, a transfer from Tennessee who has passed for 1,132 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior tailback Bryan Fitzgerald will miss the game with an ankle injury. Fitzgerald was leading the conference in rushing at 105 yards per game when he was injured in last week’s 14-10 win at Samford.

“Chattanooga is pretty tough right now,” Russell said. “We have to stay focused and stick to our game plan. Their quarterback is sound. We’re just looking at the next five games.”