Georgia State opponent not easy to find

Last summer, Ron Dickerson was a year into retirement and 10 years removed from his last coaching job when Lambuth coach Hugh Freeze, acting on a recommendation from Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, called to see if he was interested in joining the staff.

Two days later, Dickerson left Montgomery and set out for Jackson, Miss. Along the way, Freeze called, and Dickerson gave his whereabouts.

"You're going the wrong way," Dickerson said Freeze told him. "We're in Jackson, Tennessee."

Georgia State coach Bill Curry may have his share of challenges as he leads the school's first team, but at least locating his school on a map isn't one of them.

"I'd never heard of Jackson, Tennessee," Dickerson, now the head coach, said Tuesday by phone. "Never heard of Lambuth, either."

Georgia State may well play the next 100 years and not play another school so different than the one it will play in its second-ever game, Saturday at the Georgia Dome.

Lambuth is a school of 450 students in Jackson, which is between Memphis and Nashville. (By comparison, GSU's enrollment is 31,000.) Curry runs a team with a budget of $4.5 million, which is roughly what Lambuth spends on its entire 11-team athletic department.

Founded in 1843, Lambuth is a liberal-arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The school competes in NAIA, but plans to switch to NCAA Division II in two years.

Lambuth faced closure earlier this year in the face of financial problems that have been stabilized, according to the school.

Even Curry, himself a Methodist, confessed he knew little about the school and said "it does feel strange" to play such a small school. As running back Parris Lee said, "I have a sociology class that's got, like, 200 people."

The circumstances of the Panthers' first season brought the two teams together. In building the 2010 schedule, Curry wanted some games that his team would have a good chance of winning. Defensive coordinator John Thompson knew Freeze from their year together at Ole Miss and helped arrange games in 2010 and 2011. (Trivia tidbit: Freeze was the high school coach of Michael Oher of "The Blind Side" fame.)

So it was that Georgia State ended up with an opponent that opened the season against Shepherd Film Academy of Memphis, a win that Lambuth later dropped from its records because Shepherd is not accredited by a regional accrediting body.

Like Curry, Dickerson is an old coach rejuvenated by being back in the game. Dickerson, 62, coached at Temple from 1993-97. A member of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins team, Dickerson was an assistant at Penn State, Clemson and Colorado and went from Temple to Alabama A&M, where he coached two years before he was fired. He later served in the school's administration.

"I've learned a lot over my years in coaching," Dickerson said. "I'm able to share a lot of things with them."

Part of Dickerson's job includes cutting the grass and lining the fields. He spreads out 36 scholarships among 80 players. The roster was 150 players last season, but many players left because of the school's financial difficulties.

Still, the Eagles were ranked No. 7 in the NAIA in the preseason. Wide receiver Rod Jefferson has brought a slew of NFL scouts to Jackson.

"These are great kids," Dickerson said. "This is a great place."