The 2024-25 college football postseason continues on Thursday, Dec. 19 with Georgia Southern and Sam Houston meeting in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. This game takes place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. This is the first meeting between the Eagles and Bearkats on the gridiron.
This matchup features two of the top Group of 5 teams in the nation this year, but Sam Houston has been hit hard by change in recent weeks. Coach KC Keeler departed to take over at Temple, leaving offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen in charge for Thursday night’s game. Additionally, the Bearkats have a handful of players considering a new program in the transfer portal. The recent change overshadowed a 9-3 season for Sam Houston, which included victories over Texas State and Liberty and a 10-point defeat to eventual CUSA champ Jacksonville State.
Thursday night’s game marks the third consecutive bowl trek for Georgia Southern under coach Clay Helton. The Eagles won six contests in back-to-back seasons (2022-23) before going 8-4 and just missing a trip to the Sun Belt Championship this year. Included in the team’s eight victories was a one-point win over eventual Sun Belt champ Marshall (24-23) and a victory over rival Appalachian State (29-20)…