Kelton Hill did a little bit of everything Thursday night. In the process, he moved one step closer to securing the starting quarterback job for Georgia State in its season opener 4 ½ months from now.
Hill was among the most impressive players in the Panthers' scrimmage at the Georgia Dome, throwing for a touchdown, running for another and executing the offense with a facility that he did not have last fall. He even threw a downfield block that cleared a path for a game-opening touchdown by wide receiver Albert Wilson.
"He's come a long way," offensive coordinator John Bond said of Hill. "That kid should get a lot of credit."
Coach Bill Curry did not have close to his full complement of players for the scrimmage, won by the defense 41-27 and played before an announced crowd of 3,403. There were 12 players, key starters among them, who were held out because of injury. Two linchpin offensive linemen, center Ben Jacoby and guard Joseph Gilbert, were in class during the scrimmage.
Still, Hill completed 19 of 32 passes for 141 yards. His attempt total was 17 more than he had all of last season as the backup to Drew Little. Hill hardly looked ready for September, but threw with accuracy and looked composed in the pocket. He was perhaps at his best in the fifth series of the game, when he converted a 3rd-and-11 with a 15-yard pass to Jordan Giles, then hit Danny Williams on a rollout for a 20-yarder on the next play.
"It just comes with reps and knowing your personnel," Hill said of his comfort. "And once you know that, everything's going to go smooth for you."
Mostly playing with the second string, quarterback Bo Schlechter was 5 for 15 for 79 yards with one interception, made by newly converted linebacker Sam Burkhalter. Curry demurred on naming Hill the starter for the first game of the season – Little started all 12 games last season but will serve a four-game suspension in the fall for violating team rules – but allowed that if the season started Thursday, Hill would be his guy.
"Kelton Hill shows all the marks of being an outstanding quarterback," Curry said. "He's just got to get consistent."
Probably the best player on the field was cornerback D'Mario Gunn, who transferred in from Georgia Military College at the start of the semester. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Gunn, from Luella High, showed speed and coverage skill in tracking wide receivers Albert Wilson and Danny Williams. He also forced a fumble.
On the seventh series of the game, he came up from pass coverage to bring down Wilson on a quick-hitting play for a five-yard loss. One play later, Wilson, a burner who was last seen running back a kickoff return for a touchdown against Alabama, ran a straight-line route down the left sideline. Gunn kept pace on the play, in which Hill overthrew Wilson.
"He was terrific," Curry said of Gunn.
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