Charleston Southern at Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern’s route to control is straightforward: let its returning defensive playmakers dictate down-and-distance, give the eventual quarterback manageable situations and avoid handing a visiting team short fields. Charleston Southern needs the inverse script. Its offense must protect the ball, stay out of obvious passing downs and finish enough drives to prevent Georgia Southern from playing on favorable terms. Defensively, Charleston Southern can keep the game compressed by forcing third downs, tackling receivers immediately and making an unsettled quarterback room sustain long possessions. If either side loses the turnover or field-position battle, its unresolved offense will have to absorb pressure it would rather avoid in the opening week.