TIFTON — T-minus a few hours and counting for the Tift County Blue Devils for the 2016 football season.

“We’re getting ready,” said head coach Ashley Anders. Tift opens its season at 5 p.m. this afternoon in Statesboro, half of game No. 1 on Paulson Stadium’s new turf at Georgia Southern. Tift will be gunning for its fourth straight opening day win.

The South Effingham Mustangs are providing the opposition. The meeting will be the first between the Devils and the 20-year-old Guyton-based school. Though they have an opportunity to start the year 1-0 against a fresh school, and a state qualifier last year, to boot, Tift is arguably just as pumped to be at Georgia Southern.

Connections run deep between the institutions.

Former Devil Tyson Summers was named as the Eagles’ head grid coach earlier in the year, Malik Henry is a sophomore on the roster, Georgia Southern is said to have commitments to two current Tift players (Montreal Henry and Rashod Bateman) and Anders himself is a former assistant. After assisting Chris Hatcher at Valdosta State, the two moved together to Georgia Southern where Anders served as defensive coordinator from 2007-09 before going to Murray State.

“We’re excited about going,” he said. Tiff’s side of the stands will be boosted even more via personal connections. “I have a lot of friends going,” said Anders.

This will be the school’s first neutral site game since the 2006 state semifinals at the Georgia Dome and first ever regular season debut on a neutral field. “We need to make that 1-0,” Anders said upon being told.

South Effingham is Class AAAAA to Tift’s AAAAAAA. The Mustangs remain in the same classification as a year ago, but are in a new region. Tift will be playing its first contest in the state’s newest division.

Anders said South Effingham had a “big physical quarterback” in Anthony Beck, a 6’3”, 206-pound player he said “reminds me a lot of Ryan Wedgeworth, big enough to move the chains” Wedgeworth, the Devil signal caller who played his senior season in 2013, was equally adept at running for big yardage as he was passing for it.

The Effingham Herald reported that Beck had 87 passing and 48 rushing yards against Groves High, a team they defeated 41-6 in last week’s scrimmage.

Beck, a junior, is in his first year in the role, having to replace a three-year starter. He won’t be the only new face for the Mustangs as they graduated 23 players for the 2015 squad. Another relative newcomer is running back Orlando Jones. “Good running back,” said Anders, adding that Brown read his blocks well. Video highlights of the Groves game include a Jones rushing touchdown.

South Effingham is returning a handful of deeply experienced players. T.J. Williams and Timothy Signal combined for more than 600 receiving yards and their line includes 6’3”, 315-pound Jacob McLeod.

In its own scrimmage, Tift defeated Turner County 31-6 last Friday. Griffin Collier threw for four touchdowns, two to Rashod Bateman and one each to Fred Lloyd and Deonte Calhoun. Rosendo Ramirez kicked a second half field goal.

Collier threw for more than 200 yards in his single half under center and Bateman had 140 yards receiving on four catches. While passing dominated for both sides, the Devils were able to give work to many of their running backs, with Josh Patrick, Mike Jones and Calhoun all picking up yards. The Devils are expected to run by committee. That’s fine for now with Anders as each has his own style. “All of them are their own guy,” he said.

Turner was kept off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, when quarterback Tyler Moore found Tamorrion Terry for a 78-yard touchdown. Before then, he was terrorized by the Devil defense, which recorded five sacks totaling 60 yards. Anders was happy with their pursuit, praising Andrew Johnson, Chace Sammons and Cody Thompson. He was also happy with their red zone stop. Turner drove down to the 17 in the second quarter, but a sack and two throws beyond the goal line fell incomplete, forcing a turnover on downs.

This is the first of two neutral games for Tift this year. They will play ThunderRidge, Colorado, in Orlando Sept. 1. Sandwiched between those contests is next Friday’s home opener against Cook. Cook also starts its season tonight, playing at Brooks County.