NORFOLK (Interstat) — Turner Helton threw for 205 yards and a touchdown, and Georgia Southern defeated Old Dominion 23-15 on Thursday in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at S.B. Ballard Stadium. The visiting Eagles improved to 3-4. The host Monarchs dropped to 2-5. Georgia Southern led 16-7 at halftime and pushed its advantage to 23-7 before Old Dominion scored the final eight points. The Monarchs’ final score came on Ryan Huff’s 71-yard touchdown pass to TJ Johnson and a successful 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter.

Helton, a 6-2, 180-pound quarterback from Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., completed 23 of 30 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed once for 2 yards. Old Dominion’s Ryan Huff, a 6-3, 215-pound quarterback, completed 9 of 14 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown. Quinn Henicle, a 6-2, 190-pound quarterback, completed 6 of 10 passes for 84 yards and threw for a touchdown while rushing six times for 16 yards. Georgia Southern’s Max Johnson, a 6-5, 220-pound quarterback, completed 6 of 8 passes for 29 yards and ran once for 2 yards. Leon Haughton Jr., a 6-4, 210-pound wide receiver, caught three passes for 34 yards and a touchdown for Old Dominion.

Old Dominion’s defense was led by Jackson Forrest, a 6-0, 225-pound linebacker, and Mario Thompson, a 5-11, 209-pound linebacker, who each recorded seven tackles. Thompson also had two quarterback hurries. Mario Easterly, a 6-0, 178-pound safety, added eight tackles and one sack. Ja’Mez Drummer, a 6-1, 226-pound linebacker, and Daevon Iles, a 5-11, 175-pound safety, each made 10 tackles, while Lucas Struck, a 6-0, 200-pound safety, led the Monarchs with 11 tackles. Chris Warren, a 6-2, 230-pound tight end, had one reception for no yards. Josh Rodriguez caught three passes for 28 yards. Brandon Crutchfield, a 5-10, 165-pound cornerback, recorded six tackles. Kendall Harris, a 6-1, 200-pound wide receiver, had four receptions for 47 yards. TJ Johnson, a 6-3, 180-pound wide receiver, caught two passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Trey Hall rushed twice for 5 yards. Devin Roche, a 5-7, 166-pound running back, ran 15 times for 25 yards and caught two passes for 7 yards. Maurki James, a 6-1, 206-pound running back, rushed four times for 29 yards. Ian Brandt, a 6-2, 195-pound punter, punted four times for 167 yards.

Hunter Malecki, a 6-3, 255-pound defensive lineman, made three tackles. Malachi Harris had one quarterback hurry. Jeremiah Deese, a 6-2, 215-pound linebacker, and Ryan Ramey, a 5-10, 179-pound cornerback, each recorded one tackle. Je’Hahj Sherrill, a 6-0, 173-pound cornerback, and Chris Forbes, a 6-1, 290-pound defensive lineman, each made two tackles. Tavares Murray Jr. and Ahmaad Foster, a 6-4, 280-pound defensive lineman, also had two tackles apiece. Justin Watts, a 6-0, 170-pound cornerback, recorded three tackles. Nathanial Eichner, a 5-8, 141-pound kicker, handled kicking duties. Dirrick Goodman, a 6-1, 205-pound linebacker, Lorenzo McFadden-Pressley, a 6-0, 305-pound defensive lineman, and Javen Gibson, a 6-2, 240-pound defensive lineman, each made three tackles. Gibson also had two quarterback hurries and one interception. Shaq Leaks, a 5-11, 175-pound cornerback, had four tackles. DeAndre Lynch, a 6-3, 312-pound defensive lineman, and Koa Naotala, a 5-11, 227-pound linebacker, each recorded five tackles. Zion Frink, a 6-0, 190-pound cornerback, returned two kickoffs for 41 yards and made five tackles.

Georgia Southern’s defensive efforts included Brandon Tyson, a 6-0, 222-pound linebacker, with six tackles and one sack. Diego Aviles, Anthony Bynum and Aaron Sears each made eight tackles. Bynum, a 6-3, 258-pound defensive lineman, added two sacks and one quarterback hurry. Sears, a 6-0, 185-pound cornerback, also had eight tackles. MJ Stroud, a 6-3, 225-pound linebacker, had two tackles and one quarterback hurry. River Helms, a 6-4, 242-pound tight end, caught four passes for 57 yards. Andre Greene Jr., a 6-2, 190-pound wide receiver, had seven receptions for 61 yards. Alex Taylor, a 6-1, 190-pound wide receiver, led the Eagles with seven catches for 75 yards. Jakyri Jones, a 5-10, 190-pound defensive back, recorded five tackles. Jamarian Samuel did not record a statistic. Josh Dallas, a 6-1, 210-pound wide receiver, ran once for 1 yard, caught four passes for 33 yards and returned three punts for 11 yards. Taeo Todd, a 5-8, 195-pound running back, rushed once for 7 yards.

Old Dominion opened the scoring in the first quarter when Henicle connected with Haughton for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 9:02 remaining. Nathanial Eichner’s extra point was good. Georgia Southern answered later in the first quarter on Terrance Gibbs’ 11-yard rushing touchdown with 2:57 remaining. Tripp Bryant’s extra point tied the game. Bryant then made three field goals in the second quarter, from 33, 43 and 31 yards, to give the Eagles a 16-7 halftime lead. Helton found Gibbs for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 4:29 remaining in the third quarter, and Bryant’s kick made it 23-7. Old Dominion responded in the fourth quarter when Huff hit TJ Johnson for a 71-yard touchdown with 11:13 remaining. Haughton then completed a successful 2-point conversion attempt to make it 23-15.

Georgia Southern entered the game after a loss to James Madison. Earlier in the season, the Eagles had defeated Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern while falling to Houston, Jacksonville State and Clemson. Old Dominion entered after a win at Appalachian State. The Monarchs had lost to Georgia State, James Madison, East Carolina and Virginia Tech, and had beaten Norfolk State. Georgia Southern’s upcoming schedule includes games against Appalachian State, Marshall, Georgia State, Troy and Louisiana Tech. Old Dominion’s remaining schedule includes Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Coastal Carolina, Connecticut and Southern Mississippi.

Georgia Southern finished with 23 points, while Old Dominion finished with 15. The Eagles won as the visiting team at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, Va. Georgia Southern’s next scheduled game is against Appalachian State. Old Dominion is next scheduled to play at Louisiana Tech, then host Marshall.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Old Dominion 40, Georgia Southern 26. Interstat’s ELO system gave Old Dominion a 71.3 percent probability to win. Georgia Southern had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -3.5. The over/under line was 46.5, and the combined score was 38.