Related GBK Article:
• Countdown To Opener: HC Jeff Monken meets with the media (8/30)
Fast Facts:
• Location: Atlanta, GA – Center Parc Stadium
• Kickoff time: 12:00 PM, Saturday, September 4th
• Surface: Field Turf
• Weather at Kickoff: High 86F, but that shouldn’t come until later in the day. Mostly sunny skies, 58% humidity. Winds light and variable (E 5 mph)
• TV: ESPN U
• Team Mascot: Panthers
• Conference Affiliation: Sun Belt (Finished 3rd in Group B in 2020)
• Head Coach: Shawn Elliott (2017 – 2020; Record – 22-25)
• 2020 Record: 6-4 (Won last 3 games including Lending Tree Bowl win over Western Kentucky 39-21)
Program History:
The football program at Georgia State is still in its infancy compared to Army and many other FBS programs. The program was started in 2010 by NFL Hall of Famer Bill Curry. They started in FCS and joined the FBS and Sun Belt Conference in 2013.
Series History:
The only previous meeting between the Black Knights and Panthers took place in October 2019 on a rain-soaked night in Atlanta. The contest was a back-and-forth battle that saw Georgia State take a 28-21 lead on a Dan Ellington TD pass midway through the 4th quarter. Army was driving for a tying score late, but an interception in the red zone sealed the victory for Georgia State.
Georgia State Offense:
Georgia State runs a wide-open spread offense similar to most other FBS programs with a balanced passing and rushing attack. In 2020, they averaged 33.3 points per game to rank 32nd nationally. They averaged 230.3 yards per game passing and 194 yards per game rushing. Their offensive stars and playmakers include 6’5”, 200 lb. sophomore QB Cornelious Brown. Brown had a 58.6% completion rate and a 7.5 yards per attempt passing average. He’s a mobile dual-threat quarterback with a plethora of talent at Wide Receiver. He averaged 3.1 yards per carry rushing and had 7 rushing touchdowns last year.
Junior WR Sam Pinckney had 7 receiving touchdowns and averaged 17.3 yards per catch last year to lead the team. Senior RB Destin Coates averaged a respectable 4.6 yards per carry on the ground last year and had 7 rushing touchdowns.
Georgia State has a very well-balanced offense, and they are creative and well-coached. They have a lot of team speed and, as Head Coach Jeff Monken and Defensive Coordinator Nate Woody are fond of saying, Army will have to stop the run and make Georgia State one-dimensional. If they can do this, it gives Coach Woody the ability to dial up some pressure and make it a long day for Brown and his receivers.
Georgia State Defense:
In 2020, Georgia State led the Sun Belt in sacks and tackles for loss. They aren’t afraid to “dial up the heat” and create chaos in the backfield, similar to Coach Woody’s defense at Army. That may be because defensive coordinator, Nate Fuqua, coached with Woody at Wofford. His defense was in the Top 10 nationally in sacks and turnovers last year. However, even with all that success, they averaged allowing 31.1 points per game (they gave up 51 against Coastal Carolina).
Georgia State lost and graduated a lot of talent on defense. The top players to watch this year will be Wake Forest transfer LB Shamar McCollum (6’4”, 235) and Cornerback Quavian White (who had the game-winning interception in 2019).
The toughest thing about Georgia State’s defense is that, a lot like Coach Woody’s Army Defense, they are built to stop the run and the option. They bottled up Georgia Southern last year in their rivalry game. It will be a difficult task for the Black Knights’ offense to consistently move the ball against Georgia State in my opinion. Army may need to hit the Panther defense with a little “trickeration” in order to move the ball early in my opinion. In 2019, one of Army’s touchdowns came on a Jalen Moy reverse in the 3rd quarter.
Prediction:
It’s always very hard to predict a season opener. You never quite know what’s going to happen. Of note, Army is 5-2 in season openers in the Monken era, and 1-1 on the road. As with most Army games, this one will come down to the Black Knights’ ability to run the ball and stop the run; time of possession; and most importantly, who wins the turnover battle and makes the least mistakes.
If Army can win the turnover battle and keep the game close heading into the fourth quarter, the power running game and stable of fullbacks could start to wear on Georgia State’s defense in the “Hotlanta” afternoon heat, and Georgia State’s front seven may start making “business decisions” when it comes time to meet Jakobi Buchanan or Anthony Adkins or the other B-Backs in the hole.
Army – 21
Georgia State - 20
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