Georgia Southern Goes Retro

((HT: WTOC-TV))

A lot of schools are always looking for that marketing opportunity that others can't have...

Showing off an old look to salute the past and make a killing off the nostalgia...

Brother Phil's alma, Georgia Southern, is no different...

Georgia Teacher's College wore the style that GSU is breaking out for senior day from 1924-1941

Here's the sweet-looking throwbacks...
WTOC-TV: Savannah, Beaufort, SC, News, Weather

And, the HQ is sure, that Brother Phil will be buying his old-school threads...
As will the HQ...

Worst Kept Secrets Continue: Southern To Sun Belt Official...

The press conference actually happened...

Georgia Southern, Brother Phil, and all the alumni are heading to the Sun Belt Conference for 2014...

“This is a milestone day for Georgia Southern University, and we are very excited to be joining the Sun Belt conference,” Georgia Southern President Brooks Keel, Ph.D., told a standing room only crowd in the Williams Center during the official announcement. “This decision was made with the long-term interest of our University in mind. The Sun Belt will provide our student athletes with an outstanding opportunity to compete at a highest level, and we are excited to contribute to the conference's success both on and off the field. I am equally excited about the opportunity that it will provide Georgia Southern and the more than 75,000 alumni that make up the Eagle Nation.”

Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson was present as President Keel formally accepted the Sun Belt invitation. “We have built our reputation around a focus on the student, and this move will allow us to partner to provide our student athletes with the opportunity to compete on a national stage,” said Georgia Southern Athletics Director Tom Kleinlein. “Today, I invite the entire Eagle Nation to stand up and join us on this journey.”

Georgia Southern joins Georgia State as natural rivals in the new conference. The Panthers first Division I year is this season after spending time getting the feet wet in the Colonial Athletic Association.

65 percent of the GSU student body voted to pay an extra $75 a semester to help fund the move. That fee will be collected starting in the fall. Paulsen Stadium will also add 6,300 additional seats.

Gives the HQ the excuse to run this again...
((HT: EaglesGATA))

Ga Southern and App State Taking The Plunge To Sun Belt...??? (UPDATED)

Looks that way...

Sources close to one end of the situation in Statesboro tell OSG Sports and social media from the Winston-Salem Journal newspaper have both schools, rivals in the Southern Conference, pursuing the same in the Sun Belt Conference.

Tommy Bowman, sports beat writer for the Journal sent out the following from his Twitter: @AppTrailWSJ

Appalachian State will accept an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference this week, probably on Wednesday, according to a source at ASU

Georgia Southern, while currently not addressing anything resembling gossip, rumor, or innuendo, is moving on up- "sources" tell SB Nation's Steven Godfrey. Godfrey reports GSU will make the full move in 2015, with a transitional season in 2014 and no change to its 2013 schedule.

With FAU, FIU, Middle Tennessee, and North Texas moving to Conference USA, the new dynamic of the 10-team conference would be: App State, Arkansas State, Ga Southern, Ga State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy, and Western Kentucky.

This would also fall in line with the announcement being made introducing Brian Bohannon as Kennesaw State's new football coach for their fledgling program tomorrow morning on campus north of Atlanta. The SoCon is looking for members if the move of two of their heavy hitters is to happen and Kennesaw keeps their Atlanta footprint.

Here's how Southern ended their season...
((HT: EaglesGATA))


Southern voted for a fee increase to fund any kind of upgrade, so it was a matter of time...

1600 UPDATE: Matt Yogus at the Statesboro Herald is confirming from sources on his end as well...

2100 UPDATE: Dennis Dodd over at CBS Sports adds that former WAC members Idaho and New Mexico State will be added in 2014 as well. This will give the new Sun Belt 12 teams and will allow for a two-division, playoff structure.

With the new playoff set-up, if the Sun Belt champ finishes as the highest rated team among the Group of Five conferences (the Sun Belt, Conference USA, the new Big East, Mountain West and MAC) it will get a berth in one of the new playoff bowls when the new post-season look starts.

TWTW: The Good And Bad In Savannah... Georgia Southern and Savannah State

((HT: TheCoastalSource))

First, Jacksonville University seems to have fallen off the map in the Pioneer Football League even with Kerwin Bell still around...

His trademark high-powered offense wasn't all that high-powered in a 58-0 loss to Georgia Southern...


And, there really needs to be a mercy rule or some kind of equivalent in college football... the HQ saw that the Vegas number (probably "offshore number" is more accurate) was 67 to 67.5 for Oklahoma State against D2 Savannah State.

The Cowboys cleared that number and the Tigers got a paycheck...
Or, at least, the HQ hopes they did...

Jenni Carlson talks about the new records set for points in a game and largest margin of victory...
((HT: Newsok.com))

Georgia Southern Talks Needs and Division I

((HT: TheCoastalSource/Savannah))

Georgia Southern Athletic Director Sam Baker resigned from his post on Friday after 17 years, and for the first time since Dr. Brooks Keel had a press conference to talk about all the topics on campus in Statesboro...

Dr. Keel would talk about Sam Baker's contributions to the athletic department and the future of Eagle athletics, a possible move to Division I, and what he's looking for in an Athletic Director.

FOSG Frank Sulkowski has the raw video of the press conference...

OSG Buzzer Beater: Ga.Southern with the dagger on UTC

It wasn't a battle of two powerhouse teams, but it was a good game.

Southern Conference hoops. Georgia Southern and Tennessee-Chattagnooga. UTC leads for most of the game, pulling ahead by as much as 16 in the second half. But Southern comes back, taking their first lead of the game with just under 3-minutes left, 70-68.

It went back and forth and when the score was tied at 72 with just six seconds to go, Omar Wattad misses the runner, and the Eagles get the rebound with just a few seconds to go.

Southern takes it down the floor and when Willie Powers tries to drive in for the potential game-winning layup, he's cut off so he kicks it to the corner where a wide-open Jelani Hewitt drops the 3-ball from the left side.

Game over, Georgia Southern wins.

Your highlights from WRCB-TV in Chattanooga:

OSG I-AA: It's Bearkats And Bison In Frisco

((HT: KFBB-TV Helena))

When you can't stop the Sam Houston State running game, you're in trouble...
And the Montana Grizzlies were in trouble Friday night in Texas...

Here's the long version as to how...


The other semi had too many turnovers for Georgia Southern's liking as they traveled to North Dakota State and lost 35-7...

It was the biggest game in the history of the program...
And we post these highlights much to the dismay of Brother Phil...
((HT: Valleynewslive.com/Fargo))


Now, all they have to do is find their way to Frisco, Texas (wherever in the blue hell that is) by JANUARY 7th...???

Good for y'all...

OSG I-AA: Ga Southern Rolls To The Semis...

((HT: The Coastal Source))

The HQ just likes saying "Jaybo..."

Jaybo Shaw ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead Georgia Southern to a 35-23 win over Maine in Statesboro.

Georgia Southern will travel to Fargo, North Dakota to face North Dakota State next Saturday in the semifinals.

FOSG Frank Sulkowski has the post-game...


North Dakota State shut out Lehigh 24-0, Sam Houston State took out Montana State, and Montana beat Northern Iowa...

Here's your Griz look back...
((HT: KFBB-TV))

OSG I-AA: Another Round Down- Ga Southern, Busy Day In Montana, North Dakota

The HQ can say we covered Georgia Southern QB Jaybo Shaw in his high school days along with freshman running back Dominique Swope...

Both went off yesterday against fellow OSG HQ'er Old Dominion freshman QB Taylor Heinecke in a 55-48 win in Statesboro. It was the first 200-plus yard effort for an Eagles RB since 2007... 255 to be exact...

Here's how WAVY-TV in Hampton Roads treated Heinecke's homecoming...

Heinicke's homecoming: wavy.com

It was a busy and successful day for Montana schools as the Griz worked over Central Arkansas and Montana State needed some long arms to advance against UNH.
((HT: KFBB-TV Helena))


Rough day for the Colonial teams as James Madison had to go north to take on the Bison, but lost 26-14...
((HT: Valleynewslive.com Fargo))


The quarterfinals have Maine going to Georgia Southern and Lehigh going to ND State on the right-hand side. The left-hand side has Northern Iowa going to Montana and Sam Houston State hosting Montana State.

OSG I-AA: Number One Falls At Boone

((HT: WTOC-TV Savannah))

Georgia Southern travelled to Boone, NC but came up short in losing to App State, 24-17. But, as we all know, a lot of people do that...

The Eagles tied the score at 17 but the home team returned the favor to go back up 7. App State's defense stopped the Eagles three times in a row in the 4th quarter.

Jamal Jackson threw three touchdown passes for the Mountaineers who improve to 6-2, 4-1. The win avenges last year's win by the Eagles in Statesboro that ended the Mountaineers' 29-game conference win streak.

The Eagles are now 5-1 in the Southern Conference.
Next week, the Eagles are home against The Citadel.

Here's the highlights...
Ken Griner is standing...

Georgia Southern Takes Radio In-House

((HT: WMAZ-TV Macon))

Georgia Southern University is taking their radio broadcasting in-house for the foreseeable future because of an outstanding payment of $52,000 from the previous rights holder...

Georgia Eagle Media and their boss, Georgia state Senator Cecil Staton, wanted a year's extension so he could find a revenue-based way to pay the school the outstanding debt, but Southern isn't buying what Georgia Eagle is selling at present.

FOSG Lorra Lynch-Jones tells the tale...


Here are the documents detailing the debt and the paper trail, thanks again to WMAZ-TV