Georgia State Panthers 2018 Football Preview

Georgia State Panthers 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: To say that the 2017 football season for the Panthers was a roller coaster would be a massive understatement. After opening the refurbished Turner Field as GSU Stadium, the Panthers celebrated that event by promptly scoring just 10 points in a loss to FCS member Tennessee State in their new digs. For some, that could have been a sign of things to come, but the Panthers shrugged it off, and after a loss to Penn State 2 weeks later, they ran off three straight wins before a 24 point loss to Troy. The Panthers then rolled off another 3 wins before dropping their final 2 regular season games to Appalachian State and Idaho by an average of 17.5 points per loss. They snuck into a bowl gae at 6-5, and then celebrated their first ever bowl win, beating Western Kentucky 27-17. Other than Western Kentucky, the Panthers did not beat a team with a winning record last fall, and that is the next phase in the evolution of the program. Can they move forward against tougher competition this fall?

Breakdown Offense: The offense struggled mightily at times in 2017, averaging just 20.3 points per game on the season. The passing attack under senior QB Conner Manning, was impressive at times, as they averaged 270.7 yards passing per game, but the run game, which has been a problem area for some time, struggled to get going once again, as they averaged just 117.33 yards per game on the ground. They no longer have Manning to rely on, and the time has come to develop the ground game.

With Manning having moved on, the job falls to former backup Aaron Winchester. He is the only QB on the roster who has any game experience, and leaving the job in the hands of anyone else would be a massive leap of faith for a team on the edge of moving forward, or falling behind. As is, Winchester attempted just 9 passes himself last fall, completing 6 of them, Jaquez Parks, Dan Ellington, and and RS freshman Jack Walker will all try to get something going in the fall, but my best bet is on Winchester starting game one.

The top 2 backs from last season are gone in Glenn Smith and Kyler Neal, so the Panthers have some work to do in this area as well. Sometimes, when you have a unit not functioning to expected levels, a reboot isn't necessarily a bad thing, as new blood gets an opportunity to get the machine running. Such is the case here. There is hope that Tra Barnett, a junior, will be that guy this fall. Taz Bateman and Demarcus Kirk return, but they combined for just 268 yards as reserves last fall. Kirk is the most promising of those 2, as he averaged 5.8 yards per carry, and will be worth watching in fall camp. Barnett carried just 8 times, but averaged 5.63 yards per carry. A combination of Kirk and Barnett is the best hope they have had at the position in a long while.

RS junior WR Penny Hart is one of the best receivers you may never have heard of. He posted a line of 74-1121-8 last fall, and his 8 TD catches took a chunk out of Manning's 14 total TD passes. He is the primary go to guy in this offense, but he needs some support from the others in the unit. Devin gentry showed some flash and promise to be one of those guys last fall. He caught just 12 passes for 259 yards, but he averaged over 21 yards per reception, and gives the Panthers another deep ball option. Tamir Jones caught 33 passes last fall, but is a more short to intermediate range receiver. RS sophomore Jonathon Ifedi is back, and is trying to work his way into a bigger role in the rotation.

Ari Werts was the leading TE last season, but is also gone. Roger Carter and Emiere Scaife are the leaders to replace him in fall camp. They combined for 11 receptions last fall. Camrin Knight and Michael Kouassi are also back on the roster this fall.

The line appears to be set, and does not look half bad. Hunter Atkinson (LT), Shamarious Gilmore (LG), Jamal Paxton (C), Gabe Mobley (RG), and Lucas Johnson (RT) appear set as starters. Kevin Kwapis is the backup at Tackle, Jalen Jackson backs up at the OG spots, and Malik Sumter backs up at C.

Breakdown Defense: The Panthers were a decent defensive football team last fall, allowing just 24.8 points per game on the season. They did manage to allow 251.4 yards passing per game, and allowed 136.42 yards rushing per contest.

Marterious Allen and Terry Thomas are penciled in as starter at DE after spring camp broke. They combined for 7 TFLs last season, so they will have to show some improved play making ability off the edge in the 3-4 defensive set. Javonte Lain and Hardrick Willis provide some depth at a thin position. Dontae Wilson pencils in at NG, and finished with 5.5 TFLs last season. RS sophomore Clifford Amazan is the likely backup in the middle. Steven Banks also provides some depth, but not much experience.

Trey Payne led all LBs in tackles last season, but has moved on. Chase Middleton returns at an ILB spot, and leads all returning LBs with 65 tackles last fall. Michael Shaw is the top returning tackler at OLB, as he finished last season with 57. Ed Curney pencils in at ILB to start fall camp, and totaled 40 tackles last fall. Victor Heyward projects as a starter at OLB after recording 38 tackles last fall. Trajan Stephens-McQueen is the primary listed backup at ILB after a 38 tackle season, and Kendrec Grady projects as the primary reserve at OLB.

The secondary was not known for making big plays last season, and the staff is hoping for more this fall. Jerome Smith holds one starting job at CB, and finished the year with 4 PBUs in 2017. The other CB spot is wide open heading into fall camp. Cedric Stone may have a beat on that job, but he may end up backing up Smith as well. The other starter/backups can come from a group including Khai Anderson, Jordan Cornelius, Tyler Gore, Ben Hood, and Kerryon Richardson.

DeAndre Applin and Remy Lazerus are the Safeties. Applin finished with 3 PBUs and 46 tackles last fall, while Lazerus finished with 17 as a freshman. Finding depth here, as well as at CB, will be major issues to deal with in fall camp.

Breakdown Special Teams: Brandon Wright struggled mightily at PK, hitting just 12/23 FG attempts, and will be pushed by others on the roster. Shavi Bash, Barry Brown, and Gunnar Kennedy are all available, and will try to stake a claim on the job.

Oliver Holdenson is back at Punter, but he struggled as well, averaging just over 38 yards per punt. Wright got into the action there and averaged 44.41 yards per punt, so moving over and staying at Punter may be the better vision for Wright. Jeff Hollingsworth is also available there.

Glenn Smith had a solid season on KR duty, but has moved on. Devin gentry is penciled in to take his place. Penny Hart returns to take on PR duties.

Final Analysis: The Panthers made some strides under first year head coach Shawn Elliott, and as a whole, the program looks headed in the right direction, even if they could potentially take a step back in year 2. Offensively, questions at QB and RB could derail a unit that already struggled last fall, and defensively, the Panthers lack big time play making ability, and the secondary looks to be incredibly thin. The non conferenc schedule is particularly tough this fall, with a home opener against rising FCS power Kennesaw State, and road trips to NC State and Memphis. They wrap the non con portion of the schedule in Atlanta against MAC power Western Michigan. With all of that hanging on them, a step back should not surprise anyone.