The 2018 Camellia Bowl will pit the Sun Belt and Mid-American Conference against each other this season. Georgia Southern will face Eastern Michigan on Dec. 15 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), the first day of bowl games. Here is the 2018 Camellia Bowl preview:
Georgia Southern remains a great college football story. The Eagles began as an FBS program in 2014 and one year later routed Bowling Green in the GoDaddy Bowl.
Photo by thegeorgeanne.com
Back to a triple-option rushing attack under coach Chad Lunsford, Georgia Southern ranks ninth in the nation averaging 260.8 yards on the ground. Five times this season, the Eagles ran for more than 300, highlighted by a 409-yard effort against Coastal Carolina. Wesley Fields and quarterback Shai Werts have combined for 1,788 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns.
With a victory here, Georgia Southern would secure its most wins since joining the FBS. The Eagles’ biggest triumph of the season came against then-No. 25 Appalachian State, 34-14, on Oct. 25.
From 2012-’15, EMU won seven games, now it’s making a second bowl appearance in the last three seasons. These Eagles enter this contest on a three-game winning streak, in which they held Central Michigan, Akron and Kent State to a combined 34 points. That defensive unit likely needs to maintain its strong play against Georgia Southern’s running game.
The highlight of EMU’s season came on Sept. 8, when it stunned Purdue 20-19 on Chad Ryland’s 24-yard field goal as time expired. It was the second consecutive season the program knocked off a Big Ten school (won 16-13 at Rutgers, Sept. 9, 2017).
Photo by collegefootballnews.com
The Eagles will likely want to run the ball after totaling 489 yards on the ground in their last two contests. Senior running back Ian Eriksen is one to watch after he rushed for 214 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries in the last two games.
This is the fourth time EMU will play in a bowl game. The Eagles lost their most recent bowl trip, 24-20 to Old Dominion in the 2017 Bahamas Bowl.
How well EMU can handle Georgia Southern’s run game is the story of the Camellia Bowl. Eastern allowed 289 rushing yards in a 37-22 loss to Army in October, so it’s familiar with the looks of the option. Still, Georgia Southern might be more of a complete team at the moment.
Georgia Southern 33, Eastern Michigan 27
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