SoCon Notebook: Week Three Previews (Part 2)

(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Western Carolina (0-2, 0-0) at Georgia Southern (1-1, 0-0)

— Georgia Southern and Western Carolina will kick off SoCon play on Saturday evening at Allen E. Paulson Stadium, where the Catamounts have never claimed a victory. This will mark the 20th meeting between the two SoCon rivals, with the Eagles holding a commanding 17-2 all-time advantage in the series, including having won 14 straight.

A win by the Eagles this evening will tie the league’s longest active streak of consecutive victories over an opponent, as the Furman Paladins defeated the Chattanooga Mocs for the 15th straight time last Saturday in the Scenic City. The last time the Eagles dropped a game to the Catamounts was way back in 1994, when the Catamounts were able to notch a thrilling 35-31 win on that particular Saturday.

Though the Catamounts have never claimed a victory in Statesboro, they have come close on a couple of occassions, getting clipped by the Eagles, 19-18, in 1993, and dropping a hard-fought, 31-25, decision a decade later.

— Both teams are coming off difficult losses, with the Catamounts suffering a 27-20 home-opener loss to Gardner-Webb last week. Georgia Southern went on the road for the first time in the ‘09 season last Saturday, visiting nationally ranked South Dakota State and came away 44-6 losers to the Jackrabbits.

It was Georgia Southern’s lowest point total in a loss since getting blanked 45-0 on the road in the FCS playoffs to eventual national champion Montana. The Georgia Southern offensive line was accountable for nine sacks in last Saturday’s debacle in Brookings, S.D.

— The two teams produced one of the greatest games in Southern Conference history last season. The Eagles, who were trailing 31-3 with a little over 11 minutes remaining in the game, reeled off 28 unanswered points to force overtime and proceeded to win the game on their first offensive possession in the overtime after recovering a Western Carolina fumble. Georgia Southern running back Adam Urbano ripped off a 25-yard TD run to deliver the Eagles a 38-31 win, which accounted for the largest come-from-behind victory in SoCon history.

— Georgia Southern comes into Saturday evening’s SoCon opener led by one of the league’s emerging signal-callers, sophomore Lee Chapple, who has already produced a streak of 18-consecutive pass completions this season.

In ‘09, Chapple has connected on 55 of 82 pass attempts for 433 yards, two TDs and three interceptions. In last season’s victory over the Catamounts, it was Chapple’s coming-out party, as he was simply brilliant in the second half. Chapple shared time with starter Antonio, completing 10-of-14 passes for 140 yards, with a TD pass and an interception. Chapple also rushed for 14 yards in the amazing comeback.

— The Eagles are led on the ground by sophomore running back Adam Urbano, who has rushed for 75 yards on 11 attempts this season. He’s averaging an impressive 6.8 YPC. The running game must show improvement Saturday evening if the Eagles hope to keep their streak intact against the Catamounts.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?