A Thursday night in Statesboro can consist of several options: an evening in the library, a movie night with roommates, or possibly a trip to happy hour that turns into a long night out in the ‘boro. One occasion that most Southern students have yet to experience is a Thursday night football game at their home stadium.
Paulson Stadium, home to the GSU Eagles and recent member of the Sunbelt Conference, will host Appalachian State Thursday at 7:30pm for their first ever ESPNU Thursday night game. The rivalry from the Southern Conference with App State just grew even more intense than Eagle fans could have ever imagined.
From SoCon members and now Sunbelt inductees, GSU and ASU will face off in the newly renovated Paulson Stadium Thursday September 23, 2014 to showcase their talents in front of a projected record crowd.
Parking and streets in Statesboro have already been cleared to shut down by noon Thursday to prepare for the masses of fans that will attend this game. Buses that normally take students to classes from the parking lots around campus now flash “Beat App!” across their screens. If you’re not a football fan in the South, this rivalry may seem a bit overboard, but any fan knows that Thursday night’s outcome will determine the mood in the ‘boro for at least the next few weeks.
Since the schedule came out, this game has been one of the most, if not the most, talked about game around campus. Students have made plans for tailgates and when to arrive at the gates of Paulson weeks in advance. This Thursday will show the True Blue of the Statesboro community, as this town will experience their first Thursday night came under the lights of the prettiest little stadium in the South.
And, to quote legendary coach Erk Russell, “you just ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”