Farrwell to 2016: Georgia Southern Eagles

Georgia Southern Eagles
5-7 (4-4)

2016 Schedule
Beat Savannah State 54-0
Beat South Alabama 24-9
Beat UL Monroe 23-21
Lost to Western Michigan 49-31
Lost to Arkansas State 27-26
ost to Georgia Tech 35-24
Beat New Mexico State 22-19
Lost to Appalachian State 34-10
Lost to Ole Miss 37-27
Lost to UL-Lafayette 33-26
Lost to Georgia State 30-24
Beat Troy 28-24

MVP Offense: QB Kevin Ellison
The Eagles were expected to compete for a Sun Belt title in the first year under coach tyson Summers, but that did not happen. Kevin Ellison was the one consistent piece in the offense. Ellison, a triple option QB, passed for 871 yards and eight TDs to just three picks, and then led the team in rushing with 678 yards and eight scores. They were not numbers to rave about, but that is as bad as it was at times for the Eagles in 2016.
MVP Defense: LB Ukeme Eligwe
Eligwe, a junior, was the team leader, by far, as a junior on defense. He led the team with 104 tackles (9.45 per game), and also led with 9.5 TFLs. His 2.5 sacks, a paltry number in most respects, also led the team. He also broke up three passes, caused three QB hurries, and forced three fumbles.
Others of Note
Matt Breida, who rushed for over 1600 yards in 2015, was held to just 646 yards rushing in 2016.
Georgia Southern saw their rushing average drop from 363 yards per game in 2015 to 224.17 in 2016.
BJ Johnson III led the team with 42 receptions as a senior, and was one of only three receivers to catch at least 20 passes on the year.
Ironhead Gallon finished with 102 tackles.
The Eagles got performed quite well in the tackle efficiency game, as they recorded just 61 tackles per game, but yet forced 79.
Younghoe Koo connected on an amazing 19/20 FGs in 2016 to close out his career.
The Eagles were not at all disciplined as a team in 2016, averaging 7.6 penalties per game. They were hit for 7.4 per game at home, and 7.7 on the road.
Best Win: Troy
The Eagles needed anything positive that they could grasp for in the season finale, as they entered the game on a four game losing streak. The four point upset win over the Trojans gave thema chance to end on a high note.
Worst Loss: Georgia State
The loss to Georgia State was their fourth straight at that point, and was a loss to a terrible Panthers team at that. Of course, it never helps to lose to your main rival in that regard either. This was indicitive of how bad things got for the Eagles in 2016, as it was simply a season to forget.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: 9/2 Auburn, 9/9 New Hampshire, 9/23 at Indiana, 10/21 at U Mass
The Eagles have a chance for wins against New Hampshire, a solid FCS team, and U Mass. They will be definite dogs against Auburn and Indiana. Best case here is 2-2.