Georgia State Panthers
Hungry Panthers?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I am not sure if we can call Georgia State’s 2023 football season a success.
The Panthers did go 6 – 6, which is good enough for bowl eligibility. That is an improvement on the 2022 season where they finished 4 – 8. Georgia State U did go 8 – 5 in 2021 and I expected them to have similar success this season.
They got off to a 4 – 0 start and they looked like they were going to cruise through the season.
The highlight was against Coastal Carolina. They played a Thursday night game on ESPN. Coastal Carolina has been one of the most high profile members of the Sun Belt Conference over the last few years. The Panthers beat them on national television, 30 – 17.
Darren Grainger was 15 of 26 for 191 yards and kept the ball 13 times for 47 yards to help the Panthers (4-0) extend their best start in school history. Marcus Carroll carried 29 times for 150 yards and a score.
Georgia State leads the series 4-3 with the visiting team winning every time and Grainger, a Conway, South Carolina native, has two of the wins.
The next game they lost to Troy at home, 28 – 7. The Panthers rebounded and won their next two games against Marshall and Louisiana. At this point their record was 6 – 1.
I’m not sure if the team relaxed at this point but they lost the next five games. The first game of this losing streak was at Georgia Southern, 44 – 27.
They lost the next two home games to James Madison and Appalachian State by the same score, 42 – 14.
Then they had to travel to Death Valley to play No. 15 LSU. The Tigers needed an easy win, GSU needed the money, and everything worked out perfectly. LSU won, 56 – 14.
The final game of the season was at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia. The Panthers had a 21 – 0 halftime lead. They gave up 18 fourth quarter points and lost to the Monarch, 25 – 24.
One of the bright spots on offense was running back Marcus Carroll. He rushed for 1,350 yards. 13 touchdowns and he averaged 4.9 yards per carry.
QB Darren Grainger is GSU’s career leader in total offense, touchdown passes and touchdown responsibility while ranking second in passing yards and fourth in rushing yards. This season he had 2,364 yards passing, 17 TD’s, 7 interceptions and he completed 67% of his passes.
Playing in its third bowl game in the last four seasons and sixth in nine seasons, Georgia State faces Utah State (6 – 6) on Saturday, Dec. 23 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
“I wish it would snow a foot,” head coach Shawn Elliott said about his team’s bowl game.
Georgia State is 3-2 in bowl games, including wins in its last two bowls, the 2021 TaxAct Camellia Bowl and 2020 LendingTree Bowl.
“We’re in the day and age of the transfer portal, and everyone is aware of who we’ve lost in the portal, and what we have to do, so this preparation time has been very important to us,” Elliott said. “We have some new tackles, running backs, secondary guys. But that’s college football. You can’t complain about it, you have to engage and make the most of it, and that’s what we’ve done.”
We will have to wait and see if Georgia State can snap their losing streak in the bowl game.
Panthers On The Prowl
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia State football program started in 2010. Head coach Shawn Elliott is entering his seventh season as the head coach in Atlanta. Elliott has led the Panthers to four bowl games and an overall record of 34 – 38.
He had his most wins in a season in 2021, finishing 8 – 5 and winning the Camellia Bowl.
They were not able to carry that momentum into 2022, going 4 – 8. That snapped a streak of three consecutive winning seasons.
Last season did start with South Carolina and North Carolina. Georgia State was tied with the Tar Heels in the fourth quarter and couldn’t get that one extra push in the 35-28 loss.
The pass defense didn’t show up in an inexcusable home loss to Charlotte, and overall the team was 0-5 in games decided by a touchdown or less.
The offense should be good. They are led by senior quarterback Darren Grainger. He passed for 2,443 yards, 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 734 yards and 6 scores.
Star receiver Jamari Thrash transferred to Louisville, but the next six top receivers are back. They also added junior Jacari Carter, who transferred from Merrimack. He’s a speedster and he will add more options to the passing game.
Senior running back Marcus Carroll rushed for 622 yards, 7 TD’s and averaged 5 yards per carry in 2022. The offense should increase his workload this season. Senior Freddie Brock transferred from Maine and he adds depth and speed.
The offensive line struggled with pass protection last year. Travis Glover is a 6-6, 323-pound tackle who can work either side, transfers Colin Henrich (South Carolina) and Tyden Ferris (Central Michigan) are good interior presences. The rest of the line is young.
The defense struggled last season. Chad Staggs from Coastal Carolina has been hired as the new defensive coordinator. He will have to figure out how to fix the secondary because they were the weak link.
Top defensive tackle Thomas Gore is a Miami Hurricane now, but hybrid outside linebacker Shamar McCollum and Clemson transfer Kevin Swint have the upside to add plenty of plays in the backfield.
They’ll have to shine with Jamil Muhammad gone to USC, but overall the linebackers should be a strength with the combination of Jordan Veneziale and Jontrey Hunter sure to combine for over 150 tackles again.
The big question is can the Panthers avoid giving away close games? The Sun Belt conference is tough so each week will be challenging.
They will need to get off to a strong start. The season begins with Rhode Island, UConn and at Charlotte. They should be able to win all of these games. They lost to Charlotte last year, 42 – 41 so I expect them to avenge that.
Week 4 is September 23, at Coastal Carolina. This is a pivotal game and the conference opener. The Panthers are 3-3 against the Chanticleers, handing them one of their two losses in 2021 only to get mauled 41-24 at home last year. One interesting fact is the road team has won all six times in the series.
The next games are Troy, Marshall, at Louisiana, at Georgia Southern, James Madison, and Appalachian State. I’m not sure if they will be favored in any of those.
GSU travels to Death Valley to face LSU, November 18. I think we know the outcome of this game.
The season finale is at Old Dominion. I believe Georgia State will have five wins going into that game. Let’s see if they can get back to a bowl game in 2023.
Prowling Panthers
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia State Panthers started playing football in 2010, so they are a relatively new program. They have made it to five bowl games, which is impressive.
They started last season 1 – 4 and looked like they were dead in the water. They finished the year by winning seven of their last eight games. They ended the season with a dominant win in the Camellia Bowl over Ball State, 51-20.
GSU returns 15 starters and they are serious contenders to win the Sun Belt title. They were 6 – 2 in conference play in 2021 and they look to improve on that in 2022.
Shawn Elliott is entering his sixth season as the head ball coach in Atlanta. He only has one losing season and an overall record of 30 – 30.
The Panthers return four starters on the offensive line and have the best backfield tandem in the league. Senior running backs Tucker Gregg (953 yards, 9 TDs) and Jamyest Williams (859 yards, 9 TDs) will be the focal point of the offense.
“It’s a great one-two punch,” Shawn Elliott says of his RBs. “And I think we have two or three young backs that may be as good as our all-conference guys.”
Furman transfer quarterback Darren Grainger played well when he became the starter in October. He passed for 1,715 yards, 19 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
He also rushed for 646 yards, 3 scores and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He’s a good dual threat QB that can take care of the football. He needs to improve on making big plays in the passing game.
Sophomore wide receivers Ja’Cyais Credle and Jamari Thrash combined for 53 catches. Tight end Aubrey Payne scored 7 touchdowns and he was granted a seventh season of eligibility.
The Panthers bring back seven starters from a defense that made some big, disruptive plays with a school-record 36 sacks, 92 tackles for a loss and 21 turnovers forced. They run a 3-4 scheme and the strength of the defense is the linebacking corps. They are led by two all-conference players in Blake Carroll (11.5 TFLs) and Jordan Veneziale (97 tackles, 8 TFLs) along with junior Jamil Muhammad, who had six sacks and a fumble return touchdown. Safety Antavious Lane had 5 interceptions in 2021.
The first two games of the season are well compensated beatings, at South Carolina and home against North Carolina. Surprisingly the game against UNC is the second game in a home-and-home series. They cannot afford any major injuries in these games.
Week 3 is home against Charlotte and this is the first win of the season.
They have a short week with a Thursday night game against division rival Coastal Carolina. GSU will win a close game.
The following week is at Army. The Black Knights won last year’s meeting 43-10 and I expect a similar outcome.
Georgia Southern comes to town to claim the title as the true GSU. This is a rivalry game that I expect GA State to win.
The Panthers travel to Boone, North Carolina the following week for a Wednesday night game at Appalachian State. They will lose by double digits.
The final five games are Old Dominion, at Southern Miss, ULM, at James Madison and at Marshall.
ULM is the only team that was in the Sun Belt last season. Three of those teams are from Conference USA and James Madison has moved up from FCS.
GSU should win all of those games but they might struggle in the cold weather at Marshall. The best-case scenario is eight regular season wins.
Prowling Panthers
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott is entering his fifth season.
He has led the Panthers to a winning season and bowl appearance in three of his four seasons.
Last season GSU was 6 – 4 and appeared in the Lending Tree Bowl against Western Kentucky. They won the game 39 – 21. Three of the four games they lost were decided by one score.
They have found their quarterback for the next few years, Cornelious Brown IV. Last season as a freshman he passed for 2,278 yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and completed 59% of his attempts.
He also rushed for 317 yards and 7 TD’s. The offense averaged 33.3 points per game, which was 32nd out of the 128 FBS teams.
Junior running back Destin Coates led the team in rushing with 769 yards, 7 scores and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. He also had 12 catches for 65 yards.
Tucker Gregg, another junior RB rushed for 468 yards, 6 touchdowns and he averaged 5.2 ypc. The Panthers have a strong ground game.
Wide receiver Sam Pinckney led the team in receiving in 2020 with 47 catches, 815 yards and 7 TD’s. He will probably have better numbers this season since his quarterback has gained experience. They should also play more games as long as they don’t get cancelled.
The defense gave up 31.7 ppg, which was 79th in the nation. Junior linebacker Blake Carroll led the team with 73 tackles, 51 solo and 4.5 for loss. Junior LB Jordan Strachan led the team in sacks with 9.5.
The 2021 non-conference schedule is brutal. The Sun Belt is also a solid conference so they will have some problems.
The season kicks off September 4th at home against Army. The Black Knights are tough to stop because of the triple option.
The next week is at North Carolina. The Tar Heels have an advantage across the board.
Week 3 is on the road against the Charlotte 49ers. They were scheduled to play last season, but the game was cancelled. Charlotte was 2 – 4 in 2020 so they aren’t very good. This will be Georgia State’s first win of the season.
The next game is at Auburn. It looks like the athletic department needed a couple of big pay days to start the season. The Tigers will win by 50 points. If you’re keeping track the Panthers have 3 guaranteed losses in their first 4 games.
The month of October kicks off conference play with a home game against Appalachian State. GSU lost last year’s game 17 – 13. I think this season’s game is a toss-up. App State has been a good program for almost two decades, so I give them the edge.
The Panthers travel to Monroe, LA to face University of Louisiana at Monroe. They beat the Warhawks 52 -34 last season. I expect a similar result in 2021.
After a bye week Texas State comes to town. I believe GSU wins by double digits.
On October 30th they travel to Statesboro, GA for a rivalry game with Georgia Southern. The Panthers beat the Eagles 30 – 24 last year. I think this game will be close but Georgia Southern wins.
The last four games of the season are against UL-Lafayette, Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State and Troy. The only guaranteed loss is against Coastal Carolina. The Panthers have a shot to win the other three games.
I think the Panthers will win 4-5 games in 2021.
Panthers Prowl
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
To say that Georgia State’s tenure in the Football Bowl Subdivision has been a roller coaster ride might be a bit of an understatement.
The Panthers enter 2020 on the heels of a 7-6 record last season and the program’s third bowl appearance, however the team has been prone to big dips in performance, going 3-9 and 2-10 to follow up their previous seasons in which they reached a bowl.
A big reason for the inconsistency has been Georgia State’s struggles to build depth at quarterback.
The Panthers have had their share of impact passers, but have routinely needed a year or two to break in a new star after losing one.
That task once again presents itself this fall as two-year starter and dynamic threat Dan Ellington has moved on.
Ellington was one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the Sun Belt Conference in 2019 before tearing an ACL two-thirds of the way through the season.
Showing plenty of toughness – and the aforementioned lack of QB depth – Ellington played out the season, but was rendered into a one-dimensional threat and the offense suffered greatly.
Mikele Colasurdo seemed to be a fitting replacement, but has opted out of the season after suffering from COVID-19. That leaves redshirt freshman Cornelius Brown as the most seasoned option available for the Panthers.
Many other pieces remain in place for a Panther offense that was potent before Ellington’s injury.
The running game has been on the upswing for the past two seasons and Georgia State returns four offensive linemen who may be a bit undersized, but who proved their effectiveness last fall.
If the Panthers are to avoid another post-bowl falloff, fixing the defense is a huge priority.
Georgia State ranked just 112th in the country against the run last season and was amongst the worst in the nation at getting to opposing quarterbacks when they dropped back to pass.
The Panthers’ seven wins in 2019 easily could have been more if not for the fact that their defense couldn’t stop any bleeding despite getting plenty of help on the scoreboard from its offense.
All four starters in the defensive secondary return, but it remains to be seen whether that will be a positive. Georgia State allowed 8.5 yards per pass attempt last season and allowed 27 yards through the air.
In a season that is certain to be remembered for its uniqueness, Georgia State has been one of the hardest hit Sun Belt teams in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Panthers lost a Sept. 5 home date vs. Murray State and a Sept. 12 visit to Alabama and weren’t able to schedule any makeup games, leaving them with just 10 matchups this fall.
Overall, the Panthers seem poised to remain as a solid team and avoid too much of a drop-off this time around.
Finding a suitable replacement for Ellington should keep them competitive in most games, but making a run at the Sun Belt East division might be a bit of a stretch as Appalachian State enters 2020 as the prohibitive favorite, with Georgia Southern and Troy also widely predicted to finish ahead of Georgia State.
