Observations from Georgia Southern

Observation's from the 49ers' 66-53 victory against Georgia Southern:

-- Coach Alan Major would love for his team to be defined by how it played against the Eagles. It was defense (limiting Georgia Southern to 34.8 percent shooting and forcing 12 turnovers) and rebounding (a 40-19 advantage, including 24-10 on the defensive boards) that won this game. The 49ers did a good job on Eagles star forward Eric Ferguson, who scored 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting.

-- Not as good, though, were the 49ers with the ball, turning it over 19 times. Georgia Southern pressed for most of the game, rattling the freshmen in particular (Denzel Ingram had four, Willie Clayton three and Darion Clark three).

-- Chris Braswell made his debut, not starting (after being suspended for the season opener Friday), but scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Major was just as happy with Braswell's defense (he had two steals and six defensive rebounds).

-- J.T. Thompson also played for the first time as a 49er, scoring four points to go along with two rebounds. Thompson hasn't played for two years -- missing his last two seasons at Virginia Tech with two separate knee surgeries. He was active on the offensive end, going 2-of-7. His return brought a large cheer from his teammates in the postgame locker room.


-- E. Victor Nickerson was also more aggressive than usual with the ball, going to the basket several times and finishing with seven points and four rebounds.

-- The 49ers were also 2-0 last season, then went to Lamar and lost by 18. That's Charlotte's next opponent on Saturday, this time at Halton Arena. Charlotte will be at full strength in that one, with suspended DeMario Mayfield back.