If Georgia State is to give itself a chance to compete this year in its first season on the FBS level, improving its turnover margin will be critical.
During last year’s 1-10 season, the Panthers had a turnover margin of minus-20. The worst margin on the FBS level last year was minus-19. It’s hard to win if you don’t have the ball.
But new coach Trent Miles is bringing in a new offense that seems to feature shorter passes and more running plays, plus a more aggressive defense that could put the Panthers in position to improve that turnover margin.
Miles said the formula is simple: “You create turnovers and you don’t turn it over, odds are you are going to win.”
Georgia State’s defense posted a respectable 15 takeaways last year with five fumble recoveries and 10 interceptions. The bigger problem was offense, which threw 23 interceptions and lost 12 fumbles.
Two big contributors to the giveaways: The team was often trying to play catch-up, which can require more risk-taking, and the primary two quarterbacks, Ben McLane and Ronnie Bell, were seeing the first action on the college level. A year’s experience should improve decision-making, which can help reduce mistakes.
Some mistakes, such as McLane’s numerous fumbles at Tennessee (the team had seven with one lost), were remedied. Others, like several of the four interceptions Bell threw at William & Mary, bounced off the receivers’ hands.
“A year of experience will help everyone’s game in so many ways,” McLane said. “That’s one of the things that all of the coaches have harped on. We are going to be in a lot of close games and close games will be decided by turnover margin.”
Jeff Jagodzinski’s offense should help. The Panthers are going to try to control the clock with a running game so that they can pass when they want to, rather than when they have to. McLane said the quarterbacks will be game-managers, rather than game-changers.
The offense works on a variety of red-zone drills every day that require the quarterbacks to make the right choice, which can include simply throwing the ball away.
“It’s a mindset: Take care of the football, protect it and make the right decision,” Miles said.
Jesse Minter’s defense will also help. He said the Panthers will attack. And don’t use the term turnover. They use takeaway, because the opponent isn’t going to give them anything. They have to take it.
“We want to put pressure on the quarterback,” Minter said. “We want to disguise our coverages and put them in situations where they don’t know where they are going to be.”
Minter’s defenses were particularly successful at creating turnovers at Indiana State, where he worked with Miles before joining him at Georgia State. The Sycamores had 19 takeaways in 2012, including 16 interceptions, and 16 takeaways in 2011, including eight interceptions.
“When ball is in the air, we have to have the mentality that they are throwing the ball to us,” Minter said. “We have to take it. I want our guys … when the ball is in the air, it’s our ball. It’s not anybody else’s.”
The defense also works on stripping the ball every day in practice to reinforce the attack attitude that Miles and Minter want to see.
Senior linebacker Robert Ferguson likes the aggressiveness of the scheme and the coaches’ approach.
“The defense gives us a chance to make plays as linebackers,” he said. “We had a hard time because we weren’t together as a team. This year, I feel that we have gelled more and more. We’ve played another year together and we have great coaches who are here. I feel like we are coming on.”
