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 32^nd 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 79^th 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 4^th 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 30^th 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.