Georgia State fans got their first glimpse of the Panther football
team under first-year head coach Trent Miles at the annual Blue-White Spring
Scrimmage Saturday afternoon at the Georgia Dome. The Spring Game was
attended by more than 1,800 fans, featured plenty of interaction and fun for
Panther fans.
Georgia State held their first Spring Game as a FBS transitional
member as they prepare to enter the Sun Belt Conference on July 1st.
With a roster full of injuries and lack of depth, the team ran
through a controlled scrimmage of approximately 50 plays featuring, plus
special teams and one over time series. The scrimmage featured first team
versus first team, and second team versus second team.
“Although you
didn’t see a lot of scoring, we wanted to use this as another opportunity to
get better and work on specific situations,” said Miles. “Our kids played hard,
and that’s what we’re looking for as we teach them to become a physical,
aggressive football team. We finished the scrimmage with no injuries today and
that is also a good thing for a coach."
“Our goal this
spring was to be able to evaluate our players as we install our schemes and
establish our expectation level,” Miles continued.
All
quarterbacks Ben McLane, Clay Chastain and Ronnie Bell all saw action in
Saturday spring game in the Dome.
Chastain, the
sophomore transfer from Georgia Military College, started slowly but finished
his day by throwing a 32-yard touchdown pass to Desi Banks. He finished 4-for-9
for 82 yards. McLane,
a sophomore who started nine games last fall, was 4-for-7 for 25 yards,
directing an 11-play scoring drive that ended with a 35-yard field goal by Wil
Lutz. Bell was 4-for-6 for 49 yards.
One of the standouts on offense was sophomore wide receiver Avery
Sweeting, who has made an impression with top returnees Albert Wilson and Danny
Williams injured this spring. Sweeting caught two passes and was used on
kickoff returns in the special teams periods.
On defense, one
of the big plays was turned in by sophomore defensive tackle Joe Lockley, who
grabbed an interception on a ball that was tipped at the line of scrimmage by
defensive tackle Nermin Delic. The play was very similar to one that Lockley
made last fall at Tennessee, when he came up with an interception off a tip.
“Joe played
hard. He does some really good things, so we’ve got to keep him out there,”
Miles said of Lockley, who has battled various injuries.
Linebacker Joseph Peterson, linebacker Allen McKay, defensive
lineman Nate Paxton and safety Robert Smith recorded sacks, and defensive
lineman Terry Hollingshed added a tackle for loss.
Lutz, the
sophomore placekicker, nailed field goals of 35 and 40 yards during the live
scrimmage session. He also made five of seven during the field goal drill.
This will be the biggest test for the Panthers this fall as they
transitions to the FBS and Sun Belt Conference a step up from where they came.
Playing tougher schedule this fall will require them to only get better this
offseason, in order to avoid a repeat of last season.
