Tyson Summers wins Georgia Southern coaching debut

Quarterback Fabian Upshaw accounted for four touchdowns, and Georgia Southern made new coach Tyson Summers a winner in his debut with a 54-0 rout of visiting Savannah State of the FCS on Saturday at Paulson Stadium.

Upshaw rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another in the first half. Wesley Fields also had a first-half touchdown run, as the Eagles jumped all over Savannah State and took a 28-0 lead into halftime. The Tigers had just 35 total yards in the first half.

The rout continued in the second half, with Upshaw throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Fields. Upshaw completed 7 of 10 pass attempts for 115 yards and rushed for 53 yards on seven carries.

Matt Breida, Kevin Ellison and Troy Stewart also had touchdown runs for the Eagles, who are coming off a 9-4 season, capped by the program’s first bowl appearance. The Eagles defeated Bowling Green 58-27 in last season’s GoDaddy Bowl and are expected to contend in the Sun Belt Conference again this season. The media pegged Georgia Southern to finish third in the conference, behind Appalachian State and Arkansas State.

Georgia Southern finished with 605 total yards, 420 coming on the ground. Savannah State finished with 114 total yards.