Clay Helton defeated Scott Frost and got the former Nebraska coach fired in 2022. Helton, in his first year as Georgia Southern’s head coach, got the Eagles to a bowl game. Georgia Southern was 5-6 but won its 12th game to qualify for a bowl. The Eagles were able to make a relatively short commute west from their campus location in Statesboro, Ga.
The trip wasn’t ultimately successful.
Helton and Georgia Southern fell to the Buffalo Bulls, 23-21, in the 2022 Camellia Bowl on Tuesday in Montgomery, Ala. Georgia Southern scored a touchdown with 3:38 left to pull within two points, but Buffalo converted two third downs on its subsequent possession and managed to run out the clock.
Georgia Southern could have scored a touchdown in the first half for a 7-0 lead, but a receiver tripped in open space with no Buffalo defender near him at the 7-yard line. The Eagles subsequently were stopped in a goal-to-go situation and settled for a field goal. That was the most notable moment in a two-point loss which caused Helton and Georgia Southern to end their season with a 6-7 record. Buffalo finished 7-6.
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