What can fans expect from Georgia State’s football team in its second season?
Coach Bill Curry is setting the bar high. He used adjectives such as “amazing,” “perfect” and “dynamic” when asked what he hopes to see during practice, which opens Thursday. The Panthers will open the season Sept. 2 against Clark Atlanta at the Georgia Dome.
At the same time, Curry said the team didn’t play particularly well during too many stretches of last season’s 6-5 mark.
“We can’t play fairly well in the [Georgia] Dome and terrible on the road,” he said. “We can’t be a team that just plays hard in the fourth quarter. We have to be able to be a team that plays hard and well in the fourth quarter.”
To accomplish that, the Panthers hope to improve the following weaknesses during August’s practices:
Running game
The Panthers averaged 123.3 yards per game last season. That average would have placed them in the bottom-third of the 117 FCS (formerly Division I-AA) teams. Last year’s leading rusher, backup quarterback Kelton Hill, was recently arrested and charged with burglary. He is no longer on the roster.
Center Ben Jacoby said the line will concentrate harder on opening more holes. Having another year of experience together also will help, Curry noted.
“I think the running game will be a strength for us this year,” Jacoby said. “Our offensive line as a unit is going to pride ourselves on running the football. That’s something I expect us to focus on heavily and improve on.”
The addition of Kentucky transfer Donald Russell should boost the running back group, which includes returners Travis Evans and Rosevelt Watson. They could also get a boost from another transfer from Kentucky, tight end Alex Smith. Smith was a four-star prospect when he signed with the Wildcats, who turned out to be deep at the position.
Running the ball should take the pressure off new quarterback Bo Schlechter, who took over because of a combination of Hill’s arrest and Drew Little’s four-game suspension.
Curry said the most important job of the running backs, and one he has stressed to position coach Joe Hamilton, is no fumbles. Georgia State lost 12 of its 15 fumbles last season.
“I’m going to expect absolutely perfect ball security,” Curry said. “We’ve got to improve our turnover margin and we’ve got to be able to run the ball.”
Run defense
The Panthers had as much trouble stopping the run as they did trying to run last season. Opponents averaged 187.4 rushing yards, which again would have placed the Panthers in the bottom-third of FCS teams.
Defensive end Christo Bilukidi said another year of experience in coordinator John Thompson’s system will help. So will the addition of defensive end A.J. Portee, a former standout at Mays High School who is transferring from Connecticut.
“We’ve got a much better handle on what kind of defense we want to be,” Curry said. “We should know how to line up. Some people got us on the run last year with tempo. That won’t happen this time. We will be ready for that because one of the things we did well in the spring is we practiced at a very high level of tempo.”
Strength and conditioning
Curry hired Ben Pollard during the offseason to improve his team’s strength, speed and conditioning. Curry said many things about exercise and conditioning changed during the time he spent away from coaching. So, he handed the reigns to Pollard with little direction other than to whip his players into better shape.
The results have been quick.
Wide receiver Jordan Giles has improved his bench by 35 pounds over last summer. Linebacker Jake Muasau said he has worked every day under Pollard’s guidance to improve.
“The guys love how he has been able to bond with the team, and we’ve adjusted to the way he runs his program,” safety Brandon Jones said. “He’s been a key addition to the program. Guys have gotten a lot faster and a lot stronger.”
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