Georgia Southern Vs. Jacksonville Preview: Dominique Swope Leads National Title Hopes For Eagles

Georgia Southern opens the 2012 season looking to erase the memory of a bitter loss in the NCAA semifinals against eventual champ North Dakota State and make another run at a FBS national championship, starting with Jacksonville on Saturday.

The Eagles open the year ranked third in the FCS Coaches poll, behind NDSU and Sam Houston State, and return 16 starters (eight on each side of the ball). Quarterback Jaybo Shaw is gone, but there's a heated race for the spot between sophomore Ezayi Youyoute and junior Jerick McKinnon. As of Monday, a starter has still not been named for Saturday's game against Jacksonville.

The most notable returning starter for the Eagles is most certainly B-back Dominique Swope, the Southern Conference's freshman of the year and the team's leading rusher in 2011 (1,023 yards, seven touchdowns).

Date / Time: 6 p.m. ET, Saturday, Sept. 1

Location: Paulson Stadium, Statesboro, Georgia

TV: n/a

Radio: Georgia Southern Radio Network

Streaming: SoCon TV

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