Georgia Southern Aims to Fly High Over Broncos in Week 1

The Georgia Southern Eagles and the Boise State Broncos come into their opening season matchup ending their 2023 seasons on losing notes. The Eagles finished 6-7 and lost to the Ohio Bobcats 41-21 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. The Broncos finished 8-6 and lost 35-22 in the LA Bowl to the UCLA Bruins. They will both try to start the new season on a positive note as they face off at 4:00 p.m. EST on August 31 at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga.

What's at Stake?

The Eagles enter this game in head coach Clay Helton's third year at the helm. In their history, the Eagles are 33-7-1 all-time in home openers and have won 16 of their past 17 home openers. Helton is 7-1 in season openers and is 8-0 in home openers in eight seasons as a head coach including five full seasons at USC. This is the first time that Georgia Southern will play Boise State in football in both schools' history.

The Broncos enter this game in head coach Spencer Danielson's first full season as he had previously been the defensive coordinator for the team the past three seasons. In 2023, Danielson served as the interim head coach the last three games of the season and won them all including a 44-20 win over UNLV in the 2023 Mountain West Football Championship. Danielson became the first ever interim head coach to lead his school to a conference championship game title in FBS history.

Boise State's starting quarterback for this season is Redshirt sophomore Maddux Madsen. In the 2023 fall camp, Madsen beat out former five-star USC transfer Malachi Nelson for the job, who sat primarily behind now Chicago Bears starting quarterback Caleb Williams when he was a freshman last season. He was notified on August 18 of his starting position by the Broncos coaching staff. Madsen is a highly seasoned quarterback. In 2023, Madsen played in nine games with one start and passed for 1,191 yards and nine touchdowns. He also rushed for 120 yards with two touchdowns.

Key Players: Georgia Southern

Offensive: Key Players include running back Jalen White and wide receiver Derwin Burgess Jr.

Burgess Jr. is a senior coming into this season and he put up great numbers in his past two years with the Eagles. In 2022, he brought in 58 catches for 717 yards and 7 touchdowns. In 2023, he had 74 catches for 813 yards and six touchdowns. Burgess Jr. is a key player who looks to improve on his 2023 numbers and bring in more touchdown catches.

White is a senior coming into this season and he also put up some really good numbers in his past two years at Georgia Southern. In 2022, he had 162 carries for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2023, he had 160 catches for 889 yards and 9 touchdowns. White is key for an offense that likes to start drives by running the ball down opponents' throats and see if they can stop it.

Defensive: Key Players include linebacker Marques Watson-Trent and defensive lineman Isaac Walker.

Watson-Trent is a senior coming into this season and put up strong numbers the last two years at Georgia Southern. In 2022, he had 113 tackles to go along with a sack and a forced fumble. But in 2023, he put up his best numbers yet. In 2023, he had 116 tackles to go along with 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and two interceptions. Watson-Trent is a key player on defense for the Eagles who need to get after the quarterback more and get some stops.

Walker is a junior coming into this season and put up decent numbers in 2022 but really flashy numbers in 2023. In 2022, he had 11 tackles to go along with 2.5 sacks and an interception. In 2023, he had 24 tackles to go along with 6 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. Walker is key for an Eagles defense that needs to continuously force turnovers and get the ball back for their offense.

Jalen White — ©David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

Key Players: Boise State

Offensive: Key Players include running back Ashton Jeanty and quarterback Maddux Madsen.

Jeanty is a junior coming into this season and put up solid numbers in 2022 but much better numbers in 2023. In 2022, he had 156 carries for 821 yards and 7 touchdowns. In 2023, he had 220 carries for 1347 yards and 14 touchdowns. Jeanty is key for a Broncos offense that loves to use Jeanty in the running and passing game and needs to get him going early.

Madsen is a Redshirt sophomore and in 2023, he completed 81 of his 132 passes for 1191 yards and nine touchdowns. Madsen is key for a Broncos offense that looks to adjust and can hope to fit in rather easily.

Defensive: Key Players include safety Alexander Teubner and defensive end Ahmad Hassanein.

Teubner is a senior coming into this season and played more snaps in his past two seasons. In 2022, he had 38 tackles. In 2023, he had 85 tackles to go along with a fumble recovery and an interception. Teubner is key for a Broncos defense that looks to lean on Teubner and his fellow linebackers to close the gaps and get off the field.

Hassanein is a senior coming into this season as well and really played a ton in the 2023 season and put up good numbers. In 2023, he had 53 tackles to along with a huge 12.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Hassanein is key for a Broncos defense that looks to continue to get after the quarterback.

Ashton Jeanty — ©Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Trends to Watch

The Eagles will try to take advantage of the Broncos' weakness defending the passing game. In 2023, Boise State had the second worst passing defense in the Mountain West. Georgia Southern aims to get the most out of its wide receiver Derwin Burgess Jr.

The Broncos, as the defending Mountain West Champions, hope to establish a balanced passing and rushing attack led by Madsen and Jeanty and start Danielson's first full season with a win.