It isn’t often that Georgia State finds an opponent who appreciates and prefers to play the same sort of physical game. But this week the Panthers will line up against Southern Miss, a team of similar disposition that also embraces an old-school football philosophy.
Better pack some extra pain reliever for the trip to Hattiesburg. There may be extra bruising ahead.
“That’s what football is about … or at least it used to be about that,” Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott said. “I think this type of ballgame is just awesome to see. I love the game where people continuously love to be physical.
“So many times, it’s kind of like a basketball game, up and down the court and you do a little boxing out and score, and it goes the other way. But I like teams that like to hit, and I think this is going to be one of them.”
The Panthers (3-5, 2-2 Sun Belt) begin the home stretch of the season needing to win three of their final four games to become bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive season. Southern Miss (5-3, 3-1) has won three consecutive and needs one more victory to become bowl worthy.
This will be the first meeting between the schools. Southern Miss is one of four new members of the Sun Belt Conference. Kickoff is at 3 p.m., and the game can be seen on ESPN-Plus and heard locally on WRAS-FM 88.5.
“The first thing you notice when you watch (Georgia State) is how hard they play,” Southern Miss coach Ben Hall said. “It’s going to be two teams that really like to hit at ‘The Rock.’ (The nickname for M.M. Roberts Stadium at Southern Miss.)”
The Panthers have won three of their past four, including Saturday’s 31-17 win over Old Dominion. Georgia State scored the first 17 points of the second half to break open a 14-14 tie and was able to control the clock by steadily pounding the ball on the ground. GSU had three drives of 10 plays or more – including 17- and 18-play drives – and possessed the ball for 37:10.
That might be tougher to replicate this week. Southern Miss ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in rushing defense, allowing an average of 106.5 yards per game. Defensive back Malik Shorts leads the team in tackles with 63, and Dominic Quewon is tied for the conference sack lead with 7 ½.
“Sometimes we get a little stubborn thinking we can just go run the ball at will,” Elliott said. “That’s certainly not the case. On Saturday we had to search and find the answer. If the ability to throw the football downfield and get it in our wide receivers’ hands is the thing to do, we’re going to do it. They’re a good defense. I love watching them play.”
The Georgia State defense took an unexpected hit last week when starting inside linebacker Jordan Jones twisted his ankle on the steps before the game and wound up watching the game on crutches. In his absence, Justin Abraham and J.T. Ellis filled in and played well. Abraham had an interception, four tackles, one breakup and one hurry and was named the team’s defensive player of the week.
“When you’re sitting there and you come out of pregame and you’re like, ‘Oh, you’re the starter, by the way. Jordan just rolled his ankle and he’s like, ‘What?’” Elliott said. “He did a nice job. He had to go in there and play, and he played physical and made some great plays.”
Abraham, a sophomore, said, “To be honest, I wasn’t ready. It just kind of happened. … When I got out there and just realized it’s the same game we’ve been playing since we were little kids, the fun kind of came back. (It) took over, and the butterflies went out the window.”
The offensive standout for Southern Miss is Frank Gore, whose father played 16 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Gore ranks fifth in the conference with 655 yards. He also will line up at the “Superback” position, the Eagles’ term for the person who takes the snap in the wildcat formation, and ran for a career-high 178 yards in the season opener against Liberty. He threw his fifth career touchdown pass last week.
“The defense has to be ready for it because it’s a big play waiting to happen,” Gore said after Saturday’s win over Louisiana-Lafayette. “If you break us down, no defensive coordinator wants to leave (wide receiver Jason Brownlee) one-on-one, and if you play back, no defense wants to let me run down the field. It’s pick your poison, and whichever one you pick, you’re going to lose.”
Elliott said, “We’ve just got to recognize those formations and recognize the personnel. I think the education sometimes is the most important part to take into a ballgame. We’ve got to be well-educated in what they like to do and they’re trying to get accomplished.”
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