Georgia State’s football program experienced a major shake-up on Monday, two days after a dismal 42-14 loss to Tennessee-Chattanooga in which the Panthers rushed for just 30 yards.
Two starting offensive linemen — center Michael Davis and guard Harrison Clottey — quit the team. In addition, running backs coach Tony Tiller was reassigned to another position within the athletic department, coach Trent Miles announced, and graduate assistant Brock Lough will take over the position.
“Tony is an excellent person and a good young coach,” Miles said. “He will be a very good coach in this profession. I wish him the best and will do anything I can to help him.”
Davis, a graduate student, said he loves the team but needed to focus on his academics. Clottey could not be reached for comment but posted on his Facebook page that he no longer had a passion for the game and that he didn’t it was right to remain on the team. Both players were redshirt seniors.
The Panthers have struggled to run the ball in their first two games, rushing for 72 yards in the season-opening loss to Samford followed by a program-worst performance in Saturday’s loss to the Mocs.
Miles said he isn’t blaming Tiller for those problems.
“Point the finger at me,” he said. “It starts with me.”
Miles declined to answer further questions about Tiller.
Tiller was hired after Thomas Brown resigned shortly after accepting the job. Tiller played at East Tennessee State and had stints in the NFL with several teams, including the Falcons.
He is a graduate of Stephenson High School, where the Panthers have three commitments for the Class of 2014: tight end Ari Werts, outside linebacker Malik Ricks and safety Ronald Peterkin.
Miles said earlier Monday that he wants his players to play with more passion. The Panthers will play at West Virginia on Saturday.
“We are still trying to get the right guys on the field who give great effort and play hard at all times,” he said during a Sun Belt teleconference. “To play for us, you have to put it on the line every play, every down.”
When asked during the teleconference, which preceded the announcement of the team’s shakeup, if personnel changes could mean more playing time for underclassmen, Miles said he won’t play someone who wasn’t physically ready or mature enough to handle the situation.
“It could be guys that are already on the team,” he said of those who might find more playing time. “It could be a walk-on here or there who is giving great effort.”
Miles said he wasn’t disheartened by the team’s effort, but he was disappointed. He said players seemed to lose energy after Chattanooga scored on its first two possessions and had little trouble running the ball.
“We had some young guys in their second college football game and they were learning how to handle it,” Miles said. “And then (there were) some guys that have been around and haven’t had success who are probably more fragile than the young guys.”
The Panthers must now regroup against the Mountaineers (1-1), who were beaten 16-7 at Oklahoma on Saturday. Georgia State will receive a $550,000 pay-out for the game.
“We are going to put at least 11 guys on that plane and play as hard as we can possibly play,” Miles said. “That’s how we will judge this week. Go out and execute to the best of our ability.”
About the Author
