Khadrice Rollins
krollins@ajc.com
There is no time for Georgia State to mull over its crushing loss to South Alabama. Figuratively and literally.
The Panthers (2-6, 1-3 Sun Belt) are back on the field Thursday for a must-win contest against Arkansas State (3-4, 3-0) at the Georgia Dome.
Coming off the last-minute loss the Jaguars (4-4, 1-4) in Mobile, Alabama, getting a chance to immediately play another game might be helpful for GSU to forget the win that slipped away. But getting everybody healthy enough to play might be an issue.
“We got Conner Manning banged up, Aaron Winchester banged up, you got Robert Davis and Glenn Smith banged up, those are all really key guys into what we do on offense,” tight end Keith Rucker said. “The biggest thing going from Saturday to playing again on Thursday, that quick turnaround, is definitely going to be guys recovering and getting back healthy.”
Coach Trent Miles said the majority of those guys will be ready to go come game day, but with the schedule getting accelerated this week, the little nicks and dings and soreness from last week carryover a bit differently and lead to more precaution when it comes to practice participation.
And for a team that has been dealing with injuries to key players all season, this quick turnaround is far from ideal. Manning, who was unable to play in the last two games, is once again questionable leading into this week. Winchester should be available Thursday although he did sit out practice Monday.
With so little time to rest and recover from a hard-fought game last week, Miles said it is critical for guys to properly take care of their bodies this week. From getting good sleep to eating well to staying hydrated, all of the little pieces that contribute to getting properly prepared physically for each game are now amplified this week.
Players said taking good care of their bodies was the most important aspect of preparation going into Thursday and that they need to make sure to put in a maximum effort to accomplish that.
“We have less time, so that means you have to do more in that minimum time,” safety Bobby Baker said. “Really got to get extra film in when you normally don’t. You have to get extra cold tubs. You have to get extra treatment. All of that extra stuff, you have to do extra in a small amount of time.”
When it comes to practice however, Miles said “less is more.” With the normal practice and recovery schedules thrown off, he said there are different challanges to adjust for when putting in the game plan, so focusing on the mental aspect of the game becomes even more important.
For a Panther team that needs a victory if it wants to go back to a bowl game, getting only four days to organize before taking on one of the conference’s top teams is quite the task.
“You played Saturday at night, you bussed back five hours, didn’t get in until like 2:30 in the morning, and now you play again on Thursday,” Miles said. “That’s a big difference then playing again on a Saturday. So we’ve got to speed up the recovery process and the mental process of knowing what they do. You lose two days of mental prep also. That’s a big deal in college. So we’ve got to cut back on what we do so that they know what they’re doing when they get out there, and we’ve got to be physically rested and mentally rested and ready to go.”
