By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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As two of the more high-profile players on the team, Kevin Ellison and Favian Upshaw embody what has become a program-wide tenant.

It was Georgia Southern’s first bowl game ever. On a rainy night in Mobile, the GoDaddy Bowl stood as a seminal moment for the Eagles, a point of validation for a former FCS power now fully entrenched at the FBS level. Players, freshmen to seniors, understood the significance, as a school that just started football a little over three decades ago played a nationally-televised postseason game at college football’s highest level. It was a defining opportunity for a team in transition.

An accomplished veteran, quarterback Kevin Ellison earned the start under center. Though, at times, used in conjunction with others during his career, Ellison had helped lead Georgia Southern to its historic victory at Florida as a freshman, paced the Eagles to an undefeated Sun Belt debut as a sophomore and was, again, one of Georgia Southern’s key playmakers as a junior.

On the team’s first possession against the Falcons, Ellison and the Eagles fittingly marched 78 yards on nine plays for an opening touchdown. He and classmate Favian Upshaw both played in the first half, with Ellison driving Georgia Southern into the endzone three separate times. The Eagles, Ellison having found Montay Crockett on a 31-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter, entered halftime trailing 27-23.

As had been the case throughout the year, both quarterbacks continued to get their opportunities to play. Upshaw opened the third quarter on the field — and responded. The FIU-transfer, all-conference star Matt Breida and company rallied to four consecutive touchdowns, a burst which broke the game wide-open in Georgia Southern’s favor. Upshaw, with the Eagles up just three points, dashed free for an 80-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter; both he and his team never looked back.

Ellison, during Upshaw’s stretch, was approached as a sideline observer.

“In the bowl game, he was doing his thing and coach came up to me,” Ellison recalled of watching Upshaw make plays.

Some, at that point, saw Ellison as an uncomfortable backup; he was, instead, as much of a fan as anybody in the stands, proud of a teammate with whom he has grown in stride.

“I was like ‘I don’t want to go back in’. He was in the groove, let him stay in his groove,” Ellison smiled.

Georgia Southern’s top two quarterbacks aren’t just friends. They are passionate competitors. They are campus roommates. They, with Upshaw serving as “Uncle Favian” to Ellison’s child, are family. Together, they form a bond that helps strengthen the foundation of part of what has long made the Eagles so successful.

With the triple-option as its base, Georgia Southern, from its inception, has relied upon sacrifice and selflessness. Given the nature of the offense’s read-based format, skill position players oftentimes trade in personal statistics from team achievement. Ellison and Upshaw are just two examples of that dynamic. It is a genuine relationship that helps promote a powerful, positive tone.

“When Fabian throws a touchdown, the first person you are going to see go high five him is Kevin, and vice-versa. The same way you see them talking to each other in between snaps about looks that they have, and trying to help each other,” new head coach Tyson Summers pointed out.

As two of the more high-profile players on the team, Ellison and Upshaw embody what has become a program-wide tenant. In each of their first two seasons in the FBS, the Eagles have led the nation in rushing. Last year alone, five different players had at least 80 rushing attempts; that’s with a 1,600-yard rusher in Breida.

“And it’s not just that position, but that goes across the board,” Summers continued of the mentality in Statesboro. “It’s been a neat thing to watch.”

The two-quarterback system will likely continue as the respective signal callers enter their senior seasons. Both players bring a unique skill set to the field, traits that helped the Eagles win 18 games in their first two years as a major college program. This spring has been one of adjustment for Georgia Southern, with Summers taking over for Willie Fritz. Along with other team leaders, Ellison and Upshaw have helped underclassmen climb the learning curve in pursuit of the program’s unrelenting expectations.

With the Eagles looking for another Sun Belt championship and bowl victory, and with power five opportunities against the likes of Georgia Tech and Ole Miss upcoming, it will be a relentless sprint to the finish for the battle-tested quarterbacks. Upshaw clearly remembers how it all started.

“I met Kevin on my recruiting visit here. Ironhead Gallon was my host and Kevin just happened to be in the room. I was like ‘who is this country kid sitting on the couch over there’ and it turned out he was one of the quarterbacks,” Upshaw chuckled. “Me and Kevin, best of friends when we moved into our new apartment. I really can’t see going through college without Kevin.”

For a rhythm-based attack, the play of both quarterbacks is the featured track of the harmonic tune. Georgia Southern has averaged 363 and 380 yards rushing per game the past two seasons. Just as the offense hums, as a unit, when the signal caller plays well, Ellison and Upshaw believe their respective success helps pace one another. Consider it a productive parallel.

The aforementioned GoDaddy Bowl stands as a prime example of how effective the rotation can be. In their most recent outing, the Eagles amassed 534 total yards, compiled 26 first downs, held the football for nearly 41 minutes and scored 58 points in a blowout victory. Both quarterbacks, with Upshaw earning MVP honors, were quite effective.

“We feed off each other big-time. If I have a big play on the sidelines, he is the first person to turn up with me and if he has a big play, I’m right there. It’s good to have two quarterbacks and you can just throw them in and it doesn’t matter which one because we kind of have the same game. He’s just got a lot more speed than me,” Ellison laughed.

Ebb-and-flow, ups-and-downs; consistency, between the two, is key.

“That’s my boy, we’re like hand-in-hand. He’s my roommate and we do a great job at having each other’s back. That’s how we do it, we call ourselves the ‘dynamic duo’, like Batman and Robin,” Ellison quipped. “We make sure that our chemistry stays on point. You have to have that chemistry at the quarterback position. He’s taught me a lot. It’s just good to have a guy like Favian.”

Spring has come to a close and Georgia Southern, with a new coaching staff, has worked deliberately to improve on the go. Part of that progression is pushing yourself and those around you to be at their best. The quarterbacks have focused on increased efficiency in the passing game. Entering their final years in college, Georgia Southern’s top two signal callers are challenging each other, and the program as a whole, to continue to improve.

“I think the guys see that, me and Kevin, we compete in every drill that we do. I feel like that makes us better,” Upshaw acknowledged. “All the other positions, everybody is competing for spots there, too. Why not have that friendly bond and that friendly chemistry that pushes each other? But also, you’re there to encourage each other as well.”

Ellison and Upshaw are literally mutually-exclusive; they cannot, as quarterbacks on the same team, be on the field at the same time. That depth chart chasm may be the only limitation.

Some competing players look over their shoulder and understandably so. At a place built on looking ahead, these two have their eyes on the same goals.