What Georgia Southern Does Better Than Houston And Why It Matters

Could Georgia Southern upset the Cougars early in the season, and what strengths do they have over Houston?

Sep 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Georgia Southern Eagles run on to the field for the game against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Image | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Georgia Southern University Eagles are starting off their 2026 season strong.

After a couple of major moves in the transfer portal, the Eagles look to be one of the most dangerous teams in the Sun Belt Conference. After going 7-6 overall last season, improvements were made by Head Coach Clay Helton to make sure that they could continue strong after losing their previous senior class.

This year, they face off against Houston in their week four matchup of the 2026 season. With all new players and transfers, what does Georgia Southern have that Houston doesn't?

What does Georgia Southern do better than Houston?

Dec 19, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Southern Eagles running back Jalen White (25) rushes in for a touchdown against Sam Houston State Bearkats defensive back Caleb Weaver (3) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Starting off with Georgia Southern's offense, they had good weapons in the 2025 season with wide receiver Camden Brown and offensive lineman Caleb Cook. Now that these players have graduated, who could be next up on the depth chart and what do they do better than Houston?

One of the players that have improved the Georgia Southern offense is Quarterback Max Johnson, who transferred to Georgia Southern in Jan of 2026. He had played previous games with LSU, Texas A&M and UNC, with serious playing time at all three schools.

With his experience, he may be able to guide Houston's defense, as the previous SEC and ACC experience will help against the Cougars. He also had played previously at A&M with Houston star quarterback Conner Weigman and took his starting job after Weigman got injured.

Because of this, Johnson could be better than Weigman in the Quarterback department, and we may see a quarterback rivalry as both former A&M quarterbacks face off on two different teams.

Another player to look out for on the Georgia Southern offense is David Mbadinga, who looks poised to start for the Eagles after OJ Arnold's departure.

OJ Arnold was the previous running back for the Eagles and was a major player during his time in Georgia Southern. With his departure, Mbadinga looks to take over as the starter and has the talent to keep that starting spot.

Houston's run defense has never been the best in the past. Last season, we saw running backs from Texas Tech and Arizona pierce through the defensive line, so we may see Georgia Southern take advantage of their run game.

Lastly, the Georgia Southern defense has the better defensive line when it comes to the ground game. They have a more established run defense, and the current Houston running backs may not be prepared to handle the talent on the defensive side of the ball.