Clay Helton and Georgia Southern lose the Camellia Bowl to Buffalo
Clay Helton defeated Scott Frost and got the former Nebraska coach fired in 2022. Helton, in his first year as Georgia Southern’s head coach, got the Eagles to a bowl game. Georgia Southern was 5-6 but won its 12th game to qualify for a bowl. The Eagles were able to make a relatively short commute west from their campus location in Statesboro, Ga.
The trip wasn’t ultimately successful.
Helton and Georgia Southern fell to the Buffalo Bulls, 23-21, in the 2022 Camellia Bowl on Tuesday in Montgomery, Ala. Georgia Southern scored a touchdown with 3:38 left to pull within two points, but Buffalo converted two third downs on its subsequent possession and managed to run out the clock.
Georgia Southern could have scored a touchdown in the first half for a 7-0 lead, but a receiver tripped in open space with no Buffalo defender near him at the 7-yard line. The Eagles subsequently were stopped in a goal-to-go situation and settled for a field goal. That was the most notable moment in a two-point loss which caused Helton and Georgia Southern to end their season with a 6-7 record. Buffalo finished 7-6.
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