Jacksonville State 37, Georgia State 21
The game that was
The game was just like last week's loss to Old Dominion: Georgia State hung around for a while, before its immaturity proved to be its undoing. Special teams errors, mental mistakes and a defense that is doing very little correctly unraveled the Panthers' chances of defeating their first ranked team.
What we learned
1. Georgia State's defense doesn't work. As Georgia Tech and Georgia are learning, running a 3-4 defense takes a long time to learn and is difficult to execute. It's obvious why more colleges are trying to run it: it's easier to find linebackers than big, quick defensive linemen. Of course, the flip side is it's even harder to find those linemen on the FCS level. Right now, the Panthers' front seven are getting run over or are out of position and their inability to keep games close is costing the team in the second half.
2. Georgia State's special teams improved. Despite another blocked punt, this time a quick-kick, which was returned for a touchdown, as well as a missed field goal, the Panthers' special teams looked much better. The team averaged 41 yards per punt and 58.2 per kickoff.
3. Georgia State's offense is inconsistent. Quarterback Bo Schlechter was a respectable 15 of 26 for 145 yards and a touchdown. However, with two exceptions most of his passes were very short into the flat that resulted in little gains and left the team in second- or third-and-long. The Panthers' running backs, Donald Russell (47 yards) and Travis Evans (41), again ran hard but they are getting less than three quarters to show what they can do because the team keeps getting blown out in the fourth quarter.
Injury report
Wide receiver and return specialist Albert Wilson left the game with a hamstring injury with a few minutes remaining. He is doubtful for this week.
Numbers game
222.7
The Panthers are allowing a whopping amount of rushing yards per game. They are No. 108 in the category out of 121 teams on the FCS level.
Sound bite
“You take the penalties out of it, and if we simply play intelligently, we’re right in the game. We didn’t show poise in the clutch.”
Bill Curry, Georgia State coach
Loose ends
Georgia State used the wildcat formation quite a few times with Russell. Russell said he ran it some while at Kentucky. … Schlechter didn't punt for the second consecutive week because of a bruised foot. … Schlechter set a career-high with a 54-yard pass play to Wilson. … Drew Little also connected with Wilson for a 53-yard pass, part of Wilson's career-high 146-yard day. … The Panthers had very few fans travel to the game. … Jacksonville State dominated time of possession in the fourth quarter, 12:44 to 2:16.
What's next
Georgia State will visit Houston, the second FBS-level team it will play in its short existence. The Cougars scored 28 unanswered points to rally to beat Louisiana Tech last week. Led by quarterback Case Keenum, the Cougars are 3-0 and are averaging 40.3 points per game. Though the Cougars are mostly a passing team, they can also run, averaging 128 yards per game, which is bad news for the beleaguered Panthers defense.
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