The Sam Houston Bearkats and Georgia Southern Eagles are just hours away from meeting up in New Orleans. Both of these teams have seen solid seasons the Bearkats shocking folks along the way to a 9-win campaign while Clay Helton has led Georgia Southern to an 8-4 season.

Not bad, folks.

Now, let’s go over what you need to know about of the 2024 New Orleans Bowl.

2024 New Orleans Bowl details: Sam Houston vs. Georgia Southern

• Who: Sam Houston Bearkats (9-3, 6-2 CUSA) vs. Georgia Southern Eagles (8-4, 6-2 Sun Belt)
• When: Thursday, December 19, 6 p.m. CT
• Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
• Watch: ESPN2
• Live stream: Watch ESPN

There has been a coaching change that is impacting this game a bit. KC Keeler, who led the Sam Houston Bearkats from being an FCS powerhouse into the FBS ranks, left Huntsville, Texas to go coach at Temple.

That has led to the hiring of Phil Longo, who is familiar to folks in East Texas, and Brad Cornelsen is leading Sam Houston in the bowl game.

3 Sam Houston State Bearkats to watch in the 2024 New Orleans Bowl:

• QB Hunter Watson: With Jay Ducker hitting the transfer portal, expect Sam Houston State Bearkats quarterback Hunter Watson to shoulder a heavy load in this game. Watson has completed over 60% of his passes this season for just under 1600 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions while running for 623 yards and 7 more scores.
• LB Kavian Gaither: The second leading tackler on Sam Houston State’s roster, Kavian Gaither is an All-Conference USA first teamer who has anchored the Bearkats’ defense with a total of 85 combined tackles this season.
• RB DJ McKinney: The Bearkats will need someone to compliment Watson in their rushing attack, why not freshman running back DJ McKinney? McKinney has 479 rushing yards and three touchdowns and he should have more opportunities for carries and playing time now.

3 Georgia Southern Eagles to watch in the 2024 New Orleans Bowl:

• QB JC French: Sophomore quarterback JC French still has some work to do as he develops as a passer, but completing 66% of his passes for 2,619 yards and 16 touchdowns isn’t all that bad.
• RB Jalen White: Much of Georgia Southern’s offensive identity is in passing the ball these days, but that doesn’t mean a talented running back like Jalen White will struggle in this offense. White has run for 654 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
• LB Marques Watson-Trent: Leading things on the defensive side of the ball for Georgia Southern is linebacker Marques Watson-Trent, who has amassed 110 combined tackles this season.

Series history between Sam Houston State and Georgia Southern ahead of the 2024 New Orleans Bowl

This is the first ever meeting between these two teams. Though both thrived at the FCS level, they’ve never met on the gridiron. That changes Thursday evening as Sam Houston State and Georgia Southern meet in New Orleans.

ESPN Analytics Matchup Predictor favors Georgia Southern in 2024 New Orleans Bowl

According to the ESPN Analytics Matchup Predictor, the Georgia Southern Eagles have a pretty solid shot at winning this game. Right now, the ESPN FPI Analytics tool is giving the Eagles a 59.9% chance of coming out on top.

That seems about right.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Bearkats do in this game. Losing their head coach to Temple could certainly influence things, but they’ve been a more consistent team than Georgia Southern has been all throughout the season.

Clay Helton’s team hasn’t exactly consistently lit up scoreboards and this is a good opportunity for him and his offense to show that it can do something against a pretty good defense (that is missing a few pieces).