Oct. 22, 2005

Statesboro, GA - Running back Jermaine Austin rushed for 137 yards and seven different Eagles scored touchdowns as 24th-ranked Georgia Southern handled The Citadel, 49-14, in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon at Allen E. Paulson Stadium.

The Eagles, coming off a disappointing 24-7 loss at Appalachian State last week, rolled up 517 yards of offense and improve to 5-3 (4-2 in the Southern Conference) on the season while the Bulldogs, which have now dropped three straight games, fall to 2-5 overall (1-3 in the league).

After the Bulldogs' defense forced the Eagles to punt on their first possession, The Citadel drove 67 yards on five plays to lead, 7-0, when Nuru Goodrum ran over left tackle and then cut right for 37 yards with 10:05 remaining in the opening quarter.

On their next possession, GSU evened the score when Brandon Andrews ran over right tackle from two-yards out with 8:17 remaining. The Eagles added another touchdown and led for the first time, 14-7, when Bulldogs' quarterback Justin Knox's screen pass was intercepted by Jason Earwood at The Citadel 30-yard line and returned it for a touchdown with 4:42 left in the quarter. It was the most points the Bulldogs allowed in the first quarter all season.

Georgia Southern added three more touchdowns in the second period starting with Lynon Jefferson's five-yard TD run on the second quarter's opening play. On the Bulldogs' next possession, Knox was faced with a 4th-and-1 from the GSU 28 but was dropped for a two-yard loss, turning the ball over on downs.

The Eagles' Marquice Maynard scored from four yards out with 5:51 left and GSU added another score when Jayson Foster found receiver Chris Dickerson from 23 yards out to increase the score to 35-7.

The Citadel opened the second half with an 84-yard, 15-play drive that took 8:03 off the clock when Knox connected with tight end Aaron Kelly from three yards out to make the score, 35-14. It was Kelly's first career touchdown reception. GSU promptly added another touchdown when Foster rushed three yards with 4:54 remaining in the third period, making the score 42-14. The Eagles added their final score with 11:23 left when Darius Smiley rushed for 15 yards, increasing the score to 49-14.

"Georgia Southern has an explosive offense, so we wanted to get ahead early," said Bulldogs coach Kevin Higgins. "We were able to do that, but unfortunately they were too explosive, too often."

Goodrum led the Bulldogs in rushing with 118 yards, the first 100-yard rushing performance for The Citadel this season.

The Bulldogs return home for Saturday's 4:05 encounter with Wofford while Georgia Southern travels to South Dakota State.