The Georgia State football team still has a lot to play for, even though its season-long target of a Sun Belt Championship is no longer attainable. Those goals remain especially important to the group of 19 seniors who will play their final home game Saturday.
“Without a doubt the championship was our main goal and we fell just short of that last week,” senior offensive tackle Hunter Atkinson said. “But there’s plenty to play for, for this program, these coaches and all the young men on this team.”
Georgia State (6-4, 3-3 Sun Belt) already is eligible for a bowl game. A victory this week over South Alabama (1-9, 0-6) would match the school record for wins, set a new regular-season record for wins and improve the odds of playing an extra game. It would also give this senior class a school-record 19 wins. Kickoff is 2 p.m.
“These guys have done a lot,” coach Shawn Elliott said. “They have a lot of pride in how they’ve tried to build the program. They’ve seen through so much, from the coaching change, going from the Georgia Dome to Georgia State Stadium. What amazing adventure they’ve been on.”
The senior class includes starters such as Atkinson, quarterback Dan Ellington, running back Tra Barnett, receiver Devin Gentry, defensive end Terry Thomas and punter Brandon Wright. Linebacker Ed Curney and safey Remy Lazarus will be part of the Senior Day ceremonies, but can’t play because of injuries.
Atkinson said, “I just want to leave the program and let people know how far it’s come and where it’s going. It’s only going up from here. We’re laying the foundation, having a decent year, and we’re going to finish it off.”
Those goals are more achievable by the return of Ellington. He made a remarkable recovery from a sprained right knee suffered at Louisiana-Monroe and was able to play Saturday against Appalachian State. Despite limited mobility, Ellington completed 12 of 27 passes for 88 yards and one touchdown. Ellington generally stayed out of harm’s way, even though he was sacked once and had to adjust to a bad snap that left Elliott holding his breath.
“The young man is just remarkable,” Elliott said. “There were no real effects from the game. He’s about like he was last week. Every single day I ask how he’s doing, but right now he’s throwing the football and trying to do the exact same thing.”
The injury kept Ellington in the pocket and forced the Panthers to switch to maximum protection. They stayed away from calls that asked Ellington to read and run, plays that made him one of the more dangerous players in the Sun Belt.
“He was out there on sheer guts, and for the most part he did an unbelievable job,” Elliott said. “Emotionally for our football team, he gave us a lot of inspiration.”
Ellington’s injury likely will mean that Barnett will continue to play a larger role. He carried 17 times for 91 yards against Appalachian State and needs 89 yards to become the first player in school history to reach the 2,000-yard career mark.
Georgia State holds a 4-3 lead in the series over South Alabama. The Panthers won 21-13, in their last meeting in 2017.
South Alabama’s top player is Georgian Tra Minter, who played at Schley County High School. The tailback has rushed for 881 yards, has 2,023 for his career and is tied for team lead with 27 receptions.
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