No one but the Georgia Southern players and coaches themselves know exactly what Jeff Monken said to his team at halftime of Saturday's 38-17 win against Furman. But whatever it was, Monken might want to consider using something similar in his pregame speeches.

The Eagles were down 7-3 at halftime and it didn't quite go over well with their coach. The impact of his halftime pep talk could be bigger than outsiders realize. Georgia Southern out-gained Furman 180-22 in the third quarter, including a long touchdown pass. The Eagles were last in FCS passing yards per game with a 34.5 average coming into the game, but they finished with 165 yards on 10 attempts through the air.

After the game, Monken said the coaches got after the players because they deserved it with how they played in the first half. This was pretty much a must-win game for the Eagles if they have hopes of winning the Southern Conference.

Defensive tackle Brent Russell said the team had to either get sparked or get back on the bus.