Georgia Southern readies for tough task at Georgia

Georgia Southern is preparing for an in-state showdown with the Georgia on Saturday in Athens, and the Eagles enter the game on a two-game winning streak as they look to knock off an SEC program.

The Eagles are no strangers to this situation as they beat Florida just two seasons ago. Georgia Southern head coach Willie Fritz was not with the program for that win, but he will be looking for the same result.

"We do not talk about upsets or whatever," Fritz said. "We do it in the same exact preparation for this game as we did last week and what we will do next week. I think the game will hype itself a little bit for our players. I'm would be naive to think it wouldn't."

The Eagles will face a tough task in trying to stop the Bulldogs' running game. Tailback Sony Michel has performed well the past two games for a total of 242 yards. The Eagles' defense is only allowing 137 yards per game and more than 4.0 yards per carry.

"They have got a bunch of big fast guys, which is what you expect out of an SEC team and a team that has had so much success as Georgia," Fritz said. "We have to play with leverage and tackle. Try not to give up the big play particularly in the run."

The Eagles' coverage teams will be relied upon this week to stop a dangerous returner in Isaiah McKenzie, who has returned two punts for touchdowns this season, including a 53-yarder last week against Auburn that sealed the win for the Bulldogs. McKenzie is also dangerous out of the backfield or lined up in the slot.

"I am taking suggestions if you've got any for me," Fritz said as the Eagles look to slow down McKenzie. "Obviously, he is a dynamic return guy; he kinda blew the game open last week. He has tremendous speed and runs north-south. We just have to do a great job of coverage.

"In fact, they have a lot of guys that are dangerous in the return game,"

Georgia Southern boasts the nation's top rushing attack, averaging 378.9 yards per game. The Bulldogs are giving up 139 yards per game on the ground, but against teams with a winning record, that number jumps up to 218 per game. The Eagles are led by junior running back Matt Breida, who sits 12th in the country with 1,242 rushing yards, and he has 12 touchdowns.

"He has done a great job," Fritz said. "Just tremendous speed that can do everything, to run inside even though he is not a real big guy and can get out on the perimeter. He is one of the fastest guys we have. He will block and catch the ball. Just a good overall back. He is a home-run hitter without a question. When he gets out in open space, it's hard to catch him."

The Eagles' secondary faces a Georgia team whose identity at quarterback has been ever changing the past few weeks. Greyson Lambert has thrown only two interceptions, but he has been shaky the entire season. The Eagles' defense has been strong at forcing interceptions, and Antonio Glover is tied for third in the nation with six.

So the Eagles will stack the box and try to force the Bulldogs' passing game to beat them.

"Just get out there and compete, play to the best of our ability," Fritz said. "It is going to be a big-time challenge without a question. These are big guys and they are fast guys. They are very well-coached, as well. We just want to get out there and play to the best of our ability like we do every week."

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Georgia Southern readies for tough task at Georgia ."