The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chance for fine finish
Panthers can atone for regular-season stumble with first bowl win.
Georgia State will go for its school-record seventh win today against Western Kentucky in the Cure Bowl in Orlando.
The Panthers, once 6-3, lost their last two regular-season games. The Hilltoppers, once 5-2, lost four of their past five.
It’s Georgia State’s second bowl in three years after going 1-23 in its first two seasons in FBS. The Panthers lost the inaugural 2015 Cure Bowl to San Jose State 27-16. Here are five things to watch: Turning yards into points. Every coach will reel off cliches about the uselessness of total yards compared with the final score. The Panthers are a perfect case study.
Georgia State ranked fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in yards per game, yet 118th nationally in scoring at roughly 20 points a game. That number sinks to 12 at home, where the Panthers failed to build momentum and lost four of five.
More than anything else, the Panthers can’t leave points on the board. That’s obvious, but that’s also what cost the team a chance at a Sun Belt title.
“Shooting ourselves in the foot,” quarterback Conner Manning said the most recent loss, 24-10 to Idaho on Dec. 2. “I give
credit to them, they beat us. But we left a lot out on the table. That’s just from ourselves not executing with the penalties and key misreads. (We’ve) just got to be able to execute cleanly and play a clean game.”
Containing Mike White. Western Kentucky’s quarterback led Conference USA in passing yards, yards per game and completions despite taking 42 sacks, fifthmost in FBS.
The Panthers rank eighth in the Sun Belt in passing defense despite two ballhawking cornerbacks, Chandon Sullivan and Bryan Williams.
“Their record doesn’t show how good they are,” Sullivan said of the Hilltoppers. “Their quarterback,
I believe he’s an NFL prospect. They have a bunch of good receivers. From a secondary standpoint, we know we’ll get tested. They like to throw the ball a lot, so we have to stay on our A-game.”
Get Penny Hart involved. The Panthers have one of the better receivers in the nation in Hart. It’s best they put him to good use.
After missing most of last season with a broken foot, Hart has been the engine of the GSU offense in 2017. He’s accounted for 32 percent of the team’s receptions (73) and 38 percent of its receiving yards (1,094).
Hart injured his foot against Idaho, but he said he’ll be ready today. It’s hard to envision the Panthers winning if he doesn’t find the end zone, which has been a rarity in recent weeks.
The first-team All-Sun Belt receiver hasn’t scored since
the Georgia Southern game Nov. 4. That’s a three-game touchdown drought.
“We just have to continue to fight,” he said. “Between those two games, it’s in the past, but learning from them, watching the film and figuring out what we have to do as a team to stay together and fight for each other.”
Weakness against weakness. The Panthers have been inexplicably bad at rushing the passer.
Their 18 sacks rank second-worst in the conference. They were one of two Sun Belt teams that didn’t reach 20 sacks, while New Mexico State led the conference with 40.
Part of the reason the Hilltoppers have allowed 42 sacks is that White has attempted 521 passes, second-most in the FBS.
The Hilltoppers have the worst rushing attack
in college football, averaging just 66 yards per game. The ground game shouldn’t cause much of a problem for Georgia State, but the Panthers will have to overcome their weakness against the pass.
Shawn Elliott on display. This game could be a huge recruiting tool for the Panthers. They might walk away with seven wins in Elliott’s first season.
Elliott has the spotlight. How he reacts with his players, calls and emotional moments will be there for the world — and recruits— to see. If things go well, it will be an important day for the program.
“The biggest impact (Elliott has had) is challenging leaders to be leaders at all times,” Sullivan said. “That’s the hard part. He challenges everyone to step up and fight through everything.”