That Kyler Neal, who hasn’t played since the fourth game of the season, is still Georgia State’s leading rusher illustrates the problems the team trying to run in most of the past five games.
In no game was the team’s inability to gain yards on the ground more apparent than in last week’s loss to Appalachian State. Playing in snow and gusting winds that affected the passing game, the Panthers tried to run, but had almost as many fumbles (five, with two lost) as yards (8) in a 44-0 loss. The team will get another chance to get it going, and to shed a label of being soft applied by its own coach, when it plays at Troy on Saturday.
“We’ve got to be tougher up front, got to call it, got to be physical and get on guys, and have confidence guys will hold onto the ball,” Georgia State coach Trent Miles said.
Miles said the Panthers would run this season. To do so, they signed junior college linemen Michael Ivory and Steve Wolgamott, guard Taylor Evans and a host of high school players who were either running backs or athletes.
The team needed to run because doing so would establish an attitude of toughness that Miles demands, control the clock and keep opposing offenses on the sideline, where they couldn’t try to attack an inexperienced and under-construction defense.
The plan was working.
Despite injuries to Evans and Wolgamott, heading into the game against Arkansas State on Oct. 11, the Panthers had rushed for more than 100 yards in four of the first five games and were competitive.
Since then, the Panthers have failed to rush for more than 90 yards and have been outscored 195-68. Because of the ineffectiveness, Neal remains the top runner with 209 yards.
What happened to the plan? Injuries and scenarios, mostly.
The loss of running back Krysten Hammon, who decided to leave the program after two games, and season-ending injuries to Neal and Jonathan Jean-Bart in the fourth game against Washington began to take their toll. Additionally, backups Gerald Howse and Duvall Smith have been banged up.
Marcus Caffey, who moved from cornerback to running back, set a school record with 27 carries as the team rushed for 138 yards in a loss at Louisiana-Lafayette. He has suffered injuries and had trouble holding onto the ball. The team has lost 10 fumbles this season. Position coach Brock Lough said each of the running backs will carry a ball throughout practice. If they fumble, they will do 20 push-ups.
“It doesn’t matter how many yards you get if you don’t have the ball at the end,” Lough said. “That’s the first big step.”
It’s no coincidence that the team ran the ball better when the offensive line was consistent. A season-ending injury to Ivory forced a shuffling of the line before the game against Arkansas State that has coincided with the problems with the running game.
The rebuilt offensive line also has leaked sacks. Yards lost in sacks comes out of the rushing totals. The Panthers have given up 91 yards in sacks in the past four games, 19 more than were given up in the first five games.
Lastly, the team was passing so well while averaging more than 300 yards per game before Saturday’s loss at Appalachian State that the running game got lost. Offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said he needs to call more running plays, or short passes such as screens and hitches that can be as effective as runs.
“We’ve all been in this long enough, we’ve run the ball before,” Jagodzinski said. “We have to do a better job coaching them and getting them to do it.”
Practices were tougher this week. The team did live tackling Tuesday, something it doesn’t normally do. But Miles isn’t ready to say the team’s running game is once again good to go.
Troy may be just the right opponent, though. The Trojans are allowing 264.2 rushing yards per game.
“They’re working hard,” Miles said of the Panthers. “Until I see them on Saturday, the vision I have in my mind is they are a physically soft football team and a mentally soft football team.”
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