Leading up to the Georgia Southern-Georgia State game this past Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, all the hype of this newborn "rivalry" between the two teams spanned from Twitter all the way to class lectures in advance of the the 2 pm kickoff. However by 5 o’clock all questions were answered when the Eagles came out and destroyed the hapless Panthers, 69-31.
While Georgia State lays claim to the title of "GSU," it didn’t help much as the Panthers were outmatched both on the field and in the stands. Of the 17,000+ fans that attended the game almost seventy-five percent were dressed in white, as called for by the Georgia Southern athletic department.
Georgia Southern ripped off over 600 yards on the ground and running back Matt Brieda had 201 yards and 4 touchdowns. To add insult to injury Georgia Southern made a huge statement by having their cheerleaders run the school flags across the end zone after an Eagle score - traditionally something the home team does after a score.
In this game, it was not just the end result but also the way Georgia Southern won that really set the tone for this future “rivalry,” if you want to call it that. State fans can humor themselves by thinking we consider them a rival. However, here at the real GSU we know a State game is more like a yearly easy win.
As much fun as Paulson North was this weekend, next year at home against Georgia State will be even better than this time. After all, we'll actually sell out the stadium.
