Georgia State ready to play rival, but who’ll play quarterback?
Nearing the eve of the game against its biggest rival, Georgia State has not named a starting quarterback.
The Panthers, who play at Georgia Southern on Saturday for the Commissioner’s Cup in the Georgia Grown Bowl, were still weighing their options in the middle of the week. GSU coach Dell McGee said it could be anyone on the depth chart.
“It’s fully open at this point,” McGee said.
The decision likely will come down to either TJ Finley and Cameran Brown, who have shared all of the minutes since the second game. Christian Veilleux, who started the opener and hasn’t played since, and freshman PJ. Hatter are long shots.
“They all bring different things to the table,” center Alex Johnson said. “They’re all great competitors. It’s just adjusting and figuring out what works best for us as our team goes forward.”
Whoever gets the nod will not have an easy task.
Georgia State (1-5, 0-2 Sun Belt) will go into a hostile, packed Paulson Stadium in Statesboro — it’s homecoming week, plus they’re hosting a “whiteout” game — to face a Georgia Southern team that’s 2-4 and lost two in a row.
“We’re not going to build the game up and create anxiety for our kids, but you’ve got to go out and perform on the road in a hostile environment,” McGee said. “I can’t wait to see our guys accept that challenge and play well for 60 minutes.”
The series has been relatively even since its inception in 2014. Georgia State leads the series 6-5, but Georgia Southern has won the past two games — including 38-21 in Atlanta in 2024 — and currently controls the #SouthernNotState hashtag.
The quarterback will be at the center of hostilities.
Finley, who has the bigger arm, started last week’s game against Appalachian State and completed 13 of 26 passes for 91 yards with one interception. Brown, who is the more mobile of the two, played the second half and completed 19 of 35 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Brown ran for 30 yards and one touchdown.
For the season, Finley has thrown for 816 yards and four touchdowns, and Brown has thrown for 602 yards and seven touchdowns.
“You’ve got to look at their two quarterbacks,” Georgia Southern coach Clay Helton said. “I thought Cam had a really good second half against App State; he created 20 points in the second half. And I’ve seen TJ Finley firsthand at Texas State when he had a hot hand, so they’ve got two dangerous weapons.”
Finley threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two others against Georgia Southern when he played at Texas State in 2023.
Georgia Southern doesn’t have a quarterback question. Incumbent JC French has thrown for 1,259 yards and nine touchdowns, but his six interceptions are tied for the most in the Sun Belt Conference.
“He makes everything go for that offense,” McGee said. “In my opinion, he’s one of the best in the league.”
It helps that French has one of the league’s top receivers in Camden Brown, who transferred from Auburn for his senior season. He has 32 catches for 550 yards, a 17.2-yard average, and a Sun Belt-best six touchdowns.
Both teams have suffered injuries this season.
Georgia State is quite short-handed on the defensive front, where Henry Bryant, Ian Mathews, Sir Mells and Jartavius Flounoy all are listed as questionable. Georgia Southern has 17 players on the injury report.
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
