There were more than a few furrowed brows after the Georgia State defense allowed Rhode Island of the FCS to score 35 points in the season-opening win Aug. 31. Now, six games into the season, that game is long forgotten. The results have completely turned around. The defense hardly is a liability and has instead gotten into sync with the team’s prolific offense.
“Did you see the first game?” Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott said. “There were blown assignments, coverage, running lanes. … I was wondering if we were playing with eight on defense that night. So, we added the three others on defense, and we became a little better.”
Elliott expected that it was only a matter of time before the scheme brought in by new defensive coordinator Chad Staggs would kick in. Since that inauspicious start, the Panthers have created a solid defensive unit. No other opponent has scored more than 28 points against Georgia State, and Saturday the defense limited Marshall – a team that was averaging 31.6 points and had hung 41 on N.C. State the previous week – to 24.
“New coaches, a new coordinator working together,” Elliott said. “It’s not like the NFL. You don’t get some practice games to go out there. You’re practicing against your offense. After that first contest we had to sort some things out. Now we’re kind of figuring that out six games into it.”
Last week the Panthers had three sacks and 10 tackles for loss against Marshall, giving them 13 sacks and 40 tackles for loss.
“I think we’re just putting these guys in position to make plays, and they’re doing it. They’re delivering,” Elliott said. “That’s a good scheme, but ultimately the players have to go out there and make the plays. They’re the ones creating the sacks and the coverages and the tackles for loss. So that’s what I enjoy seeing.”
Among the rising stars is Kevin Swint, an outside linebacker who transferred from Clemson for an opportunity to rush the quarterback. He had two sacks last week, giving him five for the season, and forced a fumble.
“You work for it, but at the end of the day I’m a team player and I just love to win,” Swint said. “Whatever comes of it, I’m just giving my all. If I’m getting a sack a game, as long as we win, that’s all that matters.”
The defense will face another stern test Saturday when the Panthers (5-1, 2-1 Sun Belt) travel to play Louisiana-Lafayette (4-2, 1-1) in search of their first-ever win against the Ragin’ Cajuns. The teams last met in 2021, with the Ragin’ Cajuns scoring a late touchdown to win 21-17. They had won 34-31 in overtime in 2020 in Atlanta. The past four meetings have been determined by one score. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 26-5 at home since 2018.
“For us to get a victory, we have to go in and be who we are,” Elliott said. “We can’t go in there thinking we’ve never beat these guys and make them something they’re not. We’ve got to continue to do what we’ve done offensively, putting ourselves in good position, and those three sacks and 10 tackles for loss to need to be showing up Saturday night for us to have a chance to beat them.”
Louisiana is led by quarterback Zeon Chriss, who stepped in when Ben Wooldridge was injured four plays into the third game of the season. Chriss has thrown for 800 yards and seven touchdowns and run for 327 yards and five touchdowns. Former walk-on running back Jacob Kibodihas run for 336 yards over the past four games and averaged 10.5 yards per carry. The offense averages 35.5 points, second in the Sun Belt.
On defense, the Ragin’ Cajuns have produced 19 sacks, led by Jordan Lawson with four, and six interceptions. K.C. Ossai, dubbed the “Nigerian Nightmare,” leads the team with 45 tackles; his brother Joseph plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.
“It’s going to be a tough, tough contest,” Elliott said. “Any time you travel down there, it’s always tough because they’ve got good football players and really good coaches. I have such great respect for their program. I know when I came into the league, that was probably the first team I watched because they were the standard, and I wanted to learn from the standard.”
Georgia State quarterback Darren Grainger needs 244 yards of total offense to become the school’s career leader. He has 7,323 yards, trailing Nick Arbuckle (7,566, 2014-15). Grainger ranks second in the Sun Belt this season with 295.2 yards per game.
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