STATESBORO, Ga. — Dexter Williams II stepped in as the backup quarterback during the fourth quarter and orchestrated three touchdown drives, enabling Georgia Southern to come back from a daunting 20-point deficit to secure a thrilling 24-23 victory over Marshall on Saturday night.

In the first half, Rece Verhoff was instrumental for Marshall, successfully converting field goals from distances of 36, 51, and 42 yards. Meanwhile, Braylon Braxton threw two touchdown passes—one for 3 yards during the second quarter and another for 11 yards to Toby Payne with 7:05 remaining in the third quarter—giving Marshall (3-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) a commanding lead of 23-3.

Things started to change when Cam Williams put pressure on Marshall quarterback Stone Earle in the end zone, forcing an intentional grounding penalty that resulted in a safety for Georgia Southern. Just a few plays later, JC French was tackled hard after running for a 12-yard gain on fourth-and-10, paving the way for Williams to enter the game. He quickly connected with LV Bunkley-Shelton for a 34-yard gain and followed that up with a 1-yard touchdown run, trimming the deficit to 23-11 with 6:31 left in the game.

Marques Watson-Trent then made a significant play by forcing a fumble that was recovered by Deontre Morris, setting up David Mbadinga’s subsequent 3-yard touchdown run with just 2:15 on the clock. Watson-Trent wasn’t done; he forced another fumble, which was recovered by Latrell Bullard at the Eagles’ 34-yard line with 1:55 remaining.

With the pressure mounting, Williams found Bunkley-Shelton for a critical 19-yard gain on a fourth-and-17 situation. Just two plays later, he connected with Derwin Burgess Jr. for a 34-yard touchdown pass, which pushed Georgia Southern (4-2, 2-0) ahead with a 24-23 lead, although the attempt for a two-point conversion was unsuccessful with only a minute remaining in the game.

Braxton concluded the game with 9 completions on 12 attempts, totaling 97 passing yards, while A.J. Turner contributed significantly to Marshall’s offense with 14 carries for 97 rushing yards.