2017 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

Last updated

2017 Georgia Southern Eagles football
Georgia Southern Eagles wordmark.svg
Conference Sun Belt Conference
Record2–10 (2–6 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBryan Cook (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorLorenzo Costantini (2nd season)
Home stadium Paulson Stadium
Seasons
  2016
2018  
2017 Sun Belt Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
Troy +  7 1   11 2  
Appalachian State +  7 1   9 4  
Arkansas State  6 2   7 5  
Georgia State  5 3   7 5  
New Mexico State  4 4   7 6  
Louisiana  4 4   5 7  
Louisiana–Monroe  4 4   4 8  
Idaho  3 5   4 8  
South Alabama  3 5   4 8  
Coastal Carolina *  2 6   3 9  
Georgia Southern  2 6   2 10  
Texas State  1 7   2 10  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules

The 2017 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia, and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by coach Chad Lunsford following the mid-season firing of second-year head coach Tyson Summers. [1] [2] They finished the season 2–10, 2–6 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for tenth place.

Contents

Following the season, interim head coach Chad Lunsford was promoted to head coach. [3] [4]

Schedule

Georgia Southern announced its 2017 football schedule on March 1, 2017. The 2016 schedule consisted of five home and seven away games in the regular season. The Eagles hosted Sun Belt opponents Arkansas State, New Mexico State, Georgia State, and South Alabama, and traveled to Troy, Appalachian State, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Coastal Carolina. [5]

The team played four non–conference games, one home game against New Hampshire from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), and traveled to three road games against Auburn from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Indiana from the Big Ten Conference (B1G) and UMass (Independent). Due to the then-impending impact of Hurricane Irma on southern Georgia, the home game against New Hampshire was relocated to Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. [6]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 27:30 p.m.at No. 12 Auburn * SECN L 7–4187,451
September 94:00 p.m.No. 12 (FCS) New Hampshire * ESPN3 L 12–223,387
September 233:30 p.m.at Indiana * BTN L 17–5242,886
October 48:00 p.m. Arkansas State ESPN2 L 25–4313,781
October 146:00 p.m. New Mexico State Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
ESPN3L 27–3516,278
October 213:30 p.m.at UMass * ELVN L 20–5510,690
October 283:30 p.m.at Troy ESPN3L 16–3823,846
November 43:00 p.m. Georgia State
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA (rivalry)
ESPN3L 17–2118,722
November 97:30 p.m.at Appalachian State ESPNU L 6–2723,110
November 183:00 p.m. South Alabama
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
ESPN3W 52–012,250
November 255:00 p.m.at Louisiana–Lafayette ESPN3W 34–2412,993
December 21:00 p.m.at Coastal Carolina ESPN3L 17–2815,951

[7]

Game summaries

At Auburn

1234Total
Eagles70007
No. 12 Tigers101410741

New Hampshire

1234Total
No. 12 (FCS) Wildcats1570022
Eagles005712

At Indiana

1234Total
Eagles0710017
Hoosiers211014752

Arkansas State

1234Total
Red Wolves31914743
Eagles0170825

New Mexico State

1234Total
Aggies14701435
Eagles14103027

At UMass

1234Total
Eagles7103020
Minutemen28200755

Tyson Summers was fired as head coach the day after the game. Assistant Head Coach Chad Lunsford was named Interim Coach for the remainder of the season.

At Troy

1234Total
Eagles730616
Trojans14143738

Georgia State

1234Total
Panthers707721
Eagles737017

At Appalachian State

1234Total
Eagles30306
Mountaineers01031427

South Alabama

1234Total
Jaguars00000
Eagles211014752

At Louisiana–Lafayette

1234Total
Eagles14310734
Ragin' Cajuns0731424

At Coastal Carolina

1234Total
Eagles377017
Chanticleers7714028

Related Research Articles

The Georgia Southern Eagles football program represents Georgia Southern University in football as part of the Sun Belt Conference. The current head coach is Clay Helton. The Eagles have won six FCS (I-AA) national championships and have produced two Walter Payton Award winners. Georgia Southern first continuously fielded a football team in 1924, but play was suspended for World War II and did not return until 1981. The Eagles competed as an FCS independent from 1984 to 1992 and as a member of the Southern Conference from 1993 to 2013, winning 10 SoCon championships. In 2014, Georgia Southern moved to the FBS level and joined the Sun Belt Conference, winning the conference championship outright in its first year. Georgia Southern's main Sun Belt rivals are Appalachian State and Georgia State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia State Panthers football</span> Georgia State University sports team

The Georgia State Panthers football team is the college football program for Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. The Panthers football team was founded in 2010 and competes at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Panthers currently play at Center Parc Stadium, about ten minutes from GSU's downtown campus.

The 2015 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Willie Fritz and played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. This season was the Eagles second season in the Sun Belt Conference and the first season for full bowl eligibility. The Eagles finished the regular season 8–4, 6–2 in Sun Belt play to finish in third place. In the Eagles' first ever bowl appearance, the Eagles defeated Bowling Green, 58–27, in the GoDaddy Bowl.

The 2015 GoDaddy Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on December 23, 2015, at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The 17th edition of the GoDaddy Bowl featured the Bowling Green Falcons of the Mid-American Conference against the Georgia Southern Eagles of the Sun Belt Conference. Kickoff was at 7:00 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concludes the 2015 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by Internet domain registrar and web hosting company GoDaddy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Summers</span> American football player and coach (born 1980)

Tyson Summers is an American college football coach. He is the defensive coordinator at Western Kentucky University, a position he had held since 2022. He previously served as an analyst at the University of Florida. Prior to that, Summers served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Colorado Boulder. Summers was the head football coach at Georgia Southern University from 2016 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Georgia State Panthers football team</span> American college football season

The 2016 Georgia State Panthers football team represented Georgia State University (GSU) in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Panthers were led by fourth-year head coach Trent Miles for the first 10 games of the year until he was fired on November 12, 2016 after a 2–8 record. They were led by interim head coach Tim Lappano for the remainder of the season. They played their home games at the Georgia Dome. The 2016 season was the Panthers' fourth in the Sun Belt Conference and seventh since starting football. This was also the Panthers final season in the Georgia Dome, as the stadium was demolished on November 20, 2017 following the opening of Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 26 of the same year.

The 2016 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia, and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Tyson Summers. They finished the season 5–7, 4–4 in Sun Belt play to finish in sixth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 LSU Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by first-year head coach Ed Orgeron after he led the Tigers as interim head coach for the final eight games of 2016. They finished the season 9–4, 6–2 in SEC play to finish in third place in the Western Division. They were invited to the Citrus Bowl where they lost to Notre Dame.

The 2017 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Ragin' Cajuns played their home games at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by seventh-year head coach Mark Hudspeth. They finished the season 5–7, 4–4 in Sun Belt play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place.

The 2017 South Alabama Jaguars football team represented the University of South Alabama in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Jaguars played their home games at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by ninth-year head coach Joey Jones. They finished the season 4–8, 3–5 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for eighth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Troy Trojans football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 Troy Trojans football team represented Troy University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Trojans played their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama, and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Neal Brown. They finished the season 11–2, 7–1 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for the Sun Belt championship. They received an invitation to the New Orleans Bowl where they defeated North Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Lunsford</span> American football coach

Chad Kevin Lunsford is an American football coach who is currently the tight ends coach at Florida Atlantic. He previously served as the head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles football team. He was awarded the job on November 27, 2017 after serving as interim for the second half of the season following the firing and departure of Tyson Summers. Following a 1–3 start, Lunsford was fired by Georgia Southern early in the 2021 season.

The 2018 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia, and competed in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Chad Lunsford. They finished the season 10–3, 6–2 in Sun Belt play to finish in third place in the East Division. They were invited to the Camellia Bowl where they defeated Eastern Michigan.

The 2019 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia and competed in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by second year head coach Chad Lunsford.

The 2020 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Ragin' Cajuns played their home games at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, and competed in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Billy Napier. The Cajuns began the season with an away matchup against a preseason top-25 Iowa State and concluded their regular season at conference and in-state rival Louisiana–Monroe.

The 2020 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia, and competed in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Chad Lunsford.

The 2021 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia, and competed in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Chad Lunsford until he was dismissed mid-season following his third consecutive loss within the first four games of the season. Cornerbacks coach Kevin Whitley was tapped to serve as interim coach until a new head coach was hired by the university. Whitley was in his third year as cornerbacks coach and previously played for Georgia Southern as a four year starter from 1988 to 1991, helping to win two national titles for the Eagles. On November 2, 2021, Clay Helton, former head coach of the USC Trojans, was hired to become the next head coach for Georgia Southern, starting in the 2022 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Sun Belt Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2021 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 21st season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference. The season began September 2, 2021 and concluded with its championship game on December 4, 2021. It was part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Sun Belt Conference consists of 10 football members split into two divisions. The conference released its schedule on March 1, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Sun Belt Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2022 Sun Belt Conference football season is the 22nd season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The season began on September 2, 2022, and will conclude with its conference championship game on December 3, 2022. It is part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The conference expanded to 14 football members for the 2022 season with the addition of 4 new member schools. The 14 members were divided into two divisions for play. The conference released its schedule on March 1, 2022.

The 2022–23 Georgia Southern Eagles men's basketball team represented Georgia Southern University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by second-year head coach Brian Burg, played their home games at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, Georgia as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 17–16, 9–9 in Sun Belt play to finish in a three-way tie for seventh place. As the No. 7 seed in the Sun Belt tournament, they defeated Louisiana–Monroe in the second round before losing to Louisiana in the quarterfinals.

References

  1. "Georgia Southern fires head coach Tyson Summers". Savannah Morning News. October 22, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Summers Relieved Of Georgia Southern Coaching Duties". Georgia Southern. October 22, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  3. "Georgia Southern taking interim tag off Lunsford". SBNation.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  4. "Chad Lunsford promoted to full-time head coach at Georgia Southern". Underdog Dynasty. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  5. "2017 Georgia Southern football schedule released" (Press release). Georgia Southern University Department of Athletics. March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Game Alert: Georgia Southern/New Hampshire Football Game Moved to Birmingham". Georgia Southern Athletics. September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  7. "2017 Georgia Southern Eagles Football Schedule". Georgia Southern Athletics. Retrieved March 3, 2017.