After losing its opening game to Ball State 31-21, the good news for Georgia State is it has experience bouncing back.
After being beaten by Charlotte in the first game last season, the Panthers rebounded to win at New Mexico State 34-32 and eventually made it to the Cure Bowl.
But Air Force, this week’s opponent, isn’t New Mexico State. The Falcons (1-0) are much, much better than were the Aggies. The environment in Colorado Springs – which has an altitude of more than 7,000 feet – much, much tougher.
Georgia State coach Trent Miles said his team has worked on defending the option every day in practicesin August to prepare not only for what they will likely see from Air Force, but also for the other opponents that like to sprinkle in some of the tactic.
As for the geography, Miles said they can’t do much to prepare.
“Atlanta’s not going to get to 5,000 feet by the weekend,” he said.
Really, trying to breath in the thinner air may be the least of the coaches’ concerns after last week’s game.
Neither of the team’s new quarterbacks, Conner Manning and Aaron Winchester, looked sharp. They combined to complete 25-of-40 passes for 195 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The stats look solid, but neither threatened Ball State’s secondary. Miles said both quarterbacks will play Saturday and that will likely continue until either Manning, a redshirt junior, or Winchester, a redshirt freshmen, separate themselves from the other.
The running game, which was supposed to be a point of emphasis, totaled just 77 yards, and 59 of those came from the scrambling Winchester. The running backs had 29 yards on 14 carries. The offensive line was consistently beaten and unable to create holes for the backs.
The defense played well for a long time before collapsing late. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said his group gave up 200 of its 325 rushing yards allowed in the final 10 minutes. The Falcons rushed for 401 yards in last week’s 37-21 win over Abilene Christian.
“We’ve got to be able to play for 60 minutes at a high level,” Minter said. “You’ve got to be able to pick up the other side of the ball and find a way to win that game.”
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