The Eagles pulled out a close one in Reno with a 20-17 win over Nevada to improve to 1-1 on the young season. Now, Georgia Southern returns home for a tune up game against the FCS South Carolina State Bulldogs. Matt and Cody break down the good and bad on offense and defense, the bright spot of special teams, and what we'd like to see in a must-win game against South Carolina State in Paulson.

Show Notes: 

• Special Teams the Bright Spot in Reno
• Defense Struggles Early, Then Bends but Doesn’t Break
• Offense Goes Cold in Second Half
• Concerns with Run Game and Play Calling?
• Too Many Costly Penalties
• South Carolina State Preview: Bulldogs Should be Overmatched
• Eagles Need to Smooth Out Run Blocking and Execution This Saturday

The Boise State Broncos stampeded into Paulson Stadium, putting up over 650 yards of total offense in a 56-45 win over Georgia Southern in the season opener. Matt and Cody discuss what went wrong with the Eagles defense and why they looked so inept, especially rush defense. The guys also preview a Nevada team that will provide a big test on the road and critique the Georgia Southern fan base, specifically those still living in the 80s and 90s eras of Eagles football. 

Show Notes: 

• Broncos Run on Eagles at Will
• Defensive Front Seven Needs a Lot of Work
• Bad Start to ‘Top 25 Defense’ Claim by Helton
• Don’t Panic: The Hype Around Boise and Jeanty Is Real
• Secondary Played Decent Other Than One Drive
• JC French’s Grade In Debut at QB1
• Offense Was Forced to Be One Dimensional
• Lot of Options at Wide Receiver
• Aplin Did an Excellent Job with Offensive Play Calling
• Key Criticism of Offense? Ball Security
• Kicking Was Limited But Solid
• Nevada Preview: Much Tougher Test Than Originally Thought
• Wolfpack Isn’t Boise, But They’ll Test Our Rush Defense
• Eagles Have to Find a Way to Win on the Road
• Cody Calls Out the ‘Old Guard’ and Unrealistic Expectations
• Doing More with Less Doesn’t Exist in FBS Football
• Game Day Experience: SXC, Ribbon Board and HEAT

It's finally game week, and it's time for our first opponent preview of 2024! Matt and Cody discuss the QB1 decisions for both Georgia Southern and Boise State, and preview the Broncos' elite running back, experienced defense, their game manager at quarterback and their young and inexperienced head coach. What will it take for the Eagles to pull off the upset as home underdogs? Find out on this jam-packed episode!

Show Notes: 

• GATA Talk Meet-and-Greet Coming This Saturday!
• QB1 Decision: We (and many others) Were Wrong
• Boise Goes with 5-10 Game Manager Over Former 5-Star
• Boise State’s RB Is the Real Deal
• WR: Many New Faces at Wideout for the Broncos
• Defense: Front Seven Strong, Secondary Questionable
• Special Teams Could be the Difference in Boise’s Favor
• Coaches: Can a Young Head Coach Keep the Magic Alive?
• Outcome Likely to Be Razor Thin
• Atmosphere: Sellouts and Student Crowds on Holiday Weekend?
• Send Us Your Tailgate Info!

It's the episode Eagle Nation has been waiting for — season expectations! How many games will Georgia Southern win in 2024? What's the ceiling? What's the floor? Matt and Cody break down the recent scrimmages, the schedule game-by-game, and the Sun Belt East and West in this jam-packed episode! 

Show Notes:

• Two Scrimmages in the Books: Thoughts?
• QB1 Battle: Now a Two-Person Race?
• What Will Being ‘More Balanced’ Look Like?
• Sun Belt East Preview: Wide Open with Parity
• Sun Belt West Preview: Texas State’s to Lose?
• 24th Hardest Schedule: Absolutely Brutal Start to Finish
• Expectations: Matt and Cody’s Floor and Ceiling
• Do Bowl Games Matter in the Group of Five?
• Our Reality: Future Schedules Won’t Be Any Easier
• How Will Results Play Into 2025 Expectations? 

Part 2 of our Georgia Southern football preview is here, and we're talking about the offense! Matt and Cody discuss what the offense may look like under new Offensive Coordinator Ryan Aplin, what the run-pass ration may be with a young quarterback and who that QB1 might be. Can the offense surpass 2023 numbers? Who will replace Khaleb Hood as the top wide receiver? Will tight ends and running back be utilized more? And will a revamped offensive line with a new coach give up less sacks than a year ago? We'll answer all this, and more! 

Show Notes: 

• Offense by the Numbers: Better or Worse Than 2022?
• How Many Turnovers Is Too Many?
• Scaling Down Passing Expectations for Young QB
• O-Line Has Experience and Depth, & New Coach
• Tight Ends Need to Be Utilized More
• Receiving Core Is Filled with Weapons
• Running Back Room May be Most Talented Ever
• Who Is Going to be the Quarterback?
• Weighing the Options at QB
• Wrinkles in the Eagles Offense Under Aplin
• Great to Have Choice, Depth and Longevity at QB
• Tyler Budge: The Future at Quarterback?
• QB1 Needs to be a Strong Leader, Not Just Talented
• Final Thoughts on Georgia Southern's Offense

We're just weeks away from the start of the 2024 Georgia Southern football season. We kick off our four part Season Preview by breaking down the Eagles' defense and special teams. Head Coach Clay Helton had some high praise for this year's defense. Can they truly be a top 30 or even top 25 defense? What about special teams? A new kicker and new punt returner could have an immediate impact - positive or negative - on how this season goes for the Eagles. 

Show Notes: 

• Bold Claims About Defense at Media Days
• What Would It Take to Be a Top 30 Defense?
• D-Line: Best Position Group on Defense?
• Who Will Carry Linebackers Other Than Watson-Trent
• Secondary Needs Big Leap Forward for D to Dominate
• Biggest Threats from Opposing Offenses
• Special Teams: Question Mark at Kicker
• Smith Returns as Punter
• Even Without Hood, Returners Should Be Solid
• Long-Snapper: Yes, We Discuss the Long-Snapper
• Final Thoughts About Defense

After our usual hiatus and ghosting after another embarrassing bowl loss to a MAC team, GATA Talk is back baby! Matt and Cody go through all the major storylines of a very eventful offseason for Georgia Southern football, complete with coaching changes, record donations, a fresh crop of transfers, and more. 

Show Notes: 

• Apologies, Not Excuses, for Hiatus
• Field Naming Rights Controversy
• ‘Adapt of Die’ Mentality
• New OC: Blessing in Disguise?
• O-Line Coach: Biggest Move of the Offseason?
• QB Development Is a BIG Need
• Under-the-Radar Coaching Hires
• Position Group We’re Most Excited About
• Coaching Carousel: Dell McGee Back in the Sun Belt
• 4 p.m. Kickoff for Boise: Advantage?
• Little Bit of Baseball Banter
• Tease for Season Expectations

Fun Facts are BACK for our Myrtle Beach Bowl preview. That's right, our short-lived, yet wildly popular segment returns! We also talk football as Georgia Southern prepares for their final game of the 2023 season as they face the Ohio Bobcats in Myrtle Beach...errr Conway...to kick off the bowl season. 

Show Notes: 

• Myrtle Beach Bowl a Good Selection, All Things Considered
• Changes: New CB Coach and Beau Allen Enters the Portal 
• Fun Facts: Famous Ohio Alumni, Drunken Jack and Cults
• Ohio Preview: Great Defense, with Top Offensive Player in Portal
• Who Will Our QB1 Be? Who Should It Be? 

November ends with zero wins, and Georgia Southern finds itself with its second straight 6-6 end to the regular season. Matt and Cody discuss what went wrong to close out the season, break down some stats from Clay Helton's two seasons in Statesboro, and predict where the program goes from here. 

Show Notes: 

• Winless Novembers Is Not the Standard Benko Promised
• App State Recap: Rival Pours Salt in our Wounds 
• Success and Turnaround of Peers Makes Our Regression Look Worse
• Breaking Down Some (Unfavorable) Stats from the Helton Era
• Where Do We Go From Here? QB, Coordinators, Transfers?
• Way Too Early 2024 Season Projections

After its third straight loss, Georgia Southern is looking for answers, and fans are looking for changes — change in attitude, game planning, play calling and overall offensive play. Matt and Cody discuss what needs to happen to salvage the season and give this program some momentum headed into 2024.

Show Notes: 

• Worst Offensive Showing of the Season
• Team Does Not Look Ready or Motivated to Play
• Who Is to Blame and What Needs to Change?
• Addressing Helton's Flippant Press Conference Comments
• Leadership Lacking, Especially on Offense
• Will Helton Make the Tough Decisions to Move Us Forward?
• Hate Week: App State Coming Off Biggest Win of the Year
• App's QB May Be One of the Most Efficient They've Had in a While
• Low Expectations for Saturday: Can We Avoid an 0-4 November?

This was a difficult episode to record, and we had to do it twice due to technical difficulties. Georgia Southern is still searching for its first Sun Belt Conference road win, and it only has one more opportunity when the Eagles close out the regular season at App State. But first, the Eagles will try and go 6-0 at home as Old Dominion heads to Paulson. 

Show Notes: 

• Road Struggles Continue 
• Offensive Play Calling Has Been Terrible 
• Tackling Continues to Be an Issue for the Defense
• Changes That Need to Be Made in Short-Term, Long-Term
• Future of QB1 Still Up in the Air 
• Old Dominion Preview: Scrappy Team with Solid Run Game