Scouting Report: Georgia State
Georgia State has had a football program for eight seasons, and this is their fifth in the FBS. This season, Georgia State opened up their new football stadium in an old venue. The Panthers play their home games in the former Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves for 19 years and the center of the 1996 Summer Olympic games in Atlanta. The stadium has been redesigned and renamed as Georgia State Stadium.
The Georgia State Panthers come into the matchup against Penn State with a 0-1 record following a loss to FCS opponent, Tennessee State. The Panthers rushed for just 49 yards and turned the ball over four times in that game.
Shawn Elliott is in his first season as the head coach of the Panthers after being the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at South Carolina. Elliott brings 20 years of coaching experience and an SEC mentality to this young Georgia State football program.
Conner Manning will be at the quarterback position for the Panthers when they come to Beaver Stadium on Saturday night. Manning is a redshirt senior, who spent his first three seasons playing college football at Utah, where he saw game action once in 2014. He went 2-6 with 28 yards and an interception. Last season at Georgia State, Manning threw for 2,684 yards and 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He led the Sun Belt by averaging 268 pass yards per game.
Taz Bateman will be the starter for Georgia State at running back. Bateman missed all of 2016 because of a torn ACL and missed six games in 2015 because of a broken arm. Bateman is known for his explosiveness, but the redshirt junior struggles to remain on the field. Against Tennessee State, Bateman struggled running the ball, only rushing for 27 yards, but he had 74 receiving yards including a touchdown through the air. So look for Georgia State to try to get Bateman the ball through the air on Saturday night.
Bateman was the leading receiver for the Panthers against Tennesse State, but Ari Werts is the top target for this Georgia State team. The junior tight end only had two receptions in the loss but he had an impressive 59-yard catch where most of the yardage was picked up after the reception. Georgia State has a versatile tight end in Werts who has big play ability. The Panthers also return Penny Hart who was a star in 2015, but missed the 2016 season due to injury.
Four of last season’s starters on the offensive line return for this Georgia State team. That being said, this Georgia State line is expected to struggle. Against Tennessee State, the Panthers only gained 49 rushing yards and the offensive line gave up three sacks. This offensive line is expected to struggle against a much more talented defensive line for Penn State.
Last season, Georgia State had a solid defense that improved heavily from 2015. The Panthers were by far the best defense in preventing big plays in the Sun Belt. Georgia State has many starters from last season returning including Mackendy Cheridor. The senior defensive end had four tackles two weeks ago against Tennessee State.
DeAndre Applin had a team-leading nine tackles from the safety position in the loss to Tennessee State. This is the junior safety’s first season playing major college football after playing at Georgia Military College in 2016.
It is worth noting that the last time Georgia State played a team from the Big Ten, they went into Madison and almost shocked the No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers, narrowly losing 23-17 in Week 3 of the 2016 season. The Panthers had a 17-13 lead over the Badgers in the fourth quarter. That said, this Georgia State team has experience but lacks talent, and they will struggle playing in front of 100,000 people in Beaver Stadium on Saturday night.
Ben Ferree is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at ferreebenjaminc@gmail.com.
