It’s homecoming, but emphasis is on winning game — and five more

Homecoming is supposed to be a time for celebration, but at Georgia State, it consistently has been a time of defeat.

The Panthers (1-5, 1-2 Sun Belt) have not picked up a victory in their homecoming game since 2011, when they escaped double-overtime with a 27-20 win over South Alabama. This year, GSU welcomes Tennessee-Martin (4-3, 3-1 OVC) to the Georgia Dome for the first matchup between the teams. Although the Skyhawks are in FCS, that does not necessarily mean the Panthers have an upper hand. Last season GSU battled Liberty of the FCS Big South Conference for homecoming and lost 41-33.

With only six games left on the Panthers schedule, a win Saturday will be crucial if they want to make another trip to a bowl game. So, for some people, homecoming is not about getting caught up in the hoopla of parades and kings and queens, it’s just another game.

“Homecoming is more so for the people outside the program,” wide receiver Robert Davis said. “I just feel like we go out there and we play hard. If it’s Game 1, Game 10, we’re going to play hard. Whether it’s homecoming, a scrimmage, I mean that’s just our mentality here, just to play hard every game.”

Davis’ approach to the contest might be good for a squad that is still trying to get everything clicking halfway through the season. Players have said they need to find a way to put everything together for one full game to get on track, and blocking out the distractions and frenzy that can accompany a homecoming game could be useful this week.

“We got to avoid all distractions, all things that’s happening outside of football like the block parties and certain types of events,” safety Bryan Williams said. “We just have to stay focused and know we got a mission on Saturday.”

But while guys try to avoid the distractions coming from the outside, the 21 GSU seniors will have to battle the internal pressures and feelings that may manifest with this being their last homecoming game.

Williams said he is treating this as just another game, but he added that he would like to “go out on top” as a senior.

The ultimate way for the seniors to go out on top will require the Panthers to win at least five of their final six games to become bowl-eligible once more. While the hype traditionally surrounding homecoming is being pushed to the side, the pressure to reach back-to-back bowl games creeps closer and closer.

“We just got to go out and get this ‘dub’ not only for it being homecoming, but just preparing us for the rest of the season, and get ready for this bowl game,” defensive end Shawayne Lawrence said.

The chance to get a 13th game will continue to loom large over the heads of the Panthers until that dream either becomes a reality, or all hope fades away with a seventh loss. And as GSU looks to close out the season strong, the seniors not getting too excited over homecoming are trying to appreciate their final games as a Panther.

“I don’t got too many left of these,” Lawrence said. “So getting to play every snap with them is something valuable for me.”