Georgia Southern will look to bounce back from its only conference defeat when it hosts Texas State on Thursday in Statesboro.

GSU suffered its first-ever Sun Belt Conference loss when it lost 31-13 to Appalachian State on Oct. 22 in Boone, North Carolina. The Mountaineers’ defense was the big story of the game.

According to gseagles.com, ASU held the powerhouse Eagles rushing game to 188 yards, well below their NCAA-high per-game average of 399 yards going into the contest. GSU’s star running back Matt Breida was limited to 78 yards rushing, ending his streak of consecutive 100-plus-yard games at five.

The Mountaineers also had two interceptions and 10 tackles for loss and allowed the Eagles (5-2 overall, 3-1 Sun Belt) to convert on third down just twice in their first 10 attempts, according to gseagles.com.

The loss dropped the Eagles behind ASU and Arkansas State in the conference standings, with the Mountaineers and Red Wolves tied at the top with 3-0 records.
The Bobcats (2-4, 1-1) will come armed with the nation’s No. 33 offense in terms of total yards per game (452.7) and are 39th in points per game (34.3), according to txstatebobcats.com. Texas State uses good balance in its attack, averaging 220 rushing yards per game — good for 19th nationally — and 232.7 passing yards.

However, the Bobcats allow 44.2 points and 555.7 yards per contest.
The Bobcats are coming off a 36-18 win over South Alabama on Saturday at home, which ended a three-game losing streak.

The game will be televised on ESPNU and broadcast on the Georgia Southern Radio Network. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.