Archive for September, 2012

The NCAA has denied Nermin Delic’s request to play football this season for Georgia State.

Delic, a defensive tackle, transferred to Georgia State this year after spending two years at Kentucky.

Delic, a native of Tunnel Hill, used his redshirt year as a sophomore at Kentucky in 2011. After sitting out this year, he will have two years of playing time at Georgia State.

The NCAA earlier ruled that transfers Theo Agnew and Ronnie Bell could play for the Panthers this year. Agnew, a defensive end, started the first two games. Bell, a quarterback, has yet to see action.

Normally, players that transfer from a FBS school to an FCS school are automatically eligible . Because Georgia State is in the first year of a two-year transition to FBS, the players were deemed to be automatically ineligible until the NCAA’s rulings.

Other headlines for you

Curry sees progress, but rues unforced errors in loss to Vols

Notes, quotes and observations after the loss to Tennessee

GSU falls to Vols, …

Continue reading Delic’s request to play for GSU this year denied by NCAA »

Georgia State coach Bill Curry saw progress in the 51-13 loss to Tennessee, but said the team can’t keep making unforced errors on offense and defense.

Though the offense totaled just 34 yards more against the Vols than it did in the season-opening loss to South Carolina State (263-229), Curry liked that the offense had two 13-play drives, scored its first touchdown this season on a run by quarterback Ben McLane, and showed “some spunk” in the fourth quarter.

However, the team wasted an opportunity to score a touchdown on first-and-goal on its first possession. The Panthers settled for a field goal.

“Once you have the drive you have to take it in the end zone,” Curry said. The Panthers will host Texas-San Antonio at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Georgia Dome.

The progression of the offense, facing a bigger, faster, deeper opponent, can be traced to the improved play of the offensive line and McLane, a redshirt freshman who was making the second start of his career.

Neither …

Continue reading Curry sees progress, but rues unforced errors by Georgia State »

Georgia State was beaten 51-13 by Tennessee on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

It wasn’t as bad a loss as it may seem considering the opponent is from the SEC.

Ben McLane looked much more composed than last week, especially on short passes across the middle. He finished 18-for-41 for 146 yards. Some of that credit goes to the offensive line that, while far from perfect, played better than it did in the previous week’s loss to South Carolina State.

The defense also seemed to play better, even though it would be hard to tell by the score or more than 500 yards allowed.

The special teams played well in some areas (field-goal kicking and punting) and had issues in others (return defense), though the Vols’ speed contributed to that.

It’s said that the coaches want to make sure they get through these games injury free. Georgia State didn’t. Wide receiver Jordan Giles suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the game. I hope to get a status update later today.

Georgia State …

Continue reading Notes, quotes and observations after Georgia State’s loss to Tennessee »

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Yes, Georgia State was beaten 51-13 by Tennessee on Saturday.

While there are still many important things to worry about (an offense that has one touchdown in eight quarters; a secondary that’s having trouble covering), the Panthers had a few things to feel good about after the game. That doesn’t include the $500,000 they received to be a FCS-labeled chew toy for Smokey, the Vols’ mascot.

Georgia State kept the game close for 25 minutes until the Vols’ execution and a combination of inopportune penalties and fumbles undid its chances at an upset. But unlike their first two games against FBS opponents, losses to Alabama (63-7) in 2010 and Houston (56-0) last year, coach Bill Curry liked that his players weren’t intimidated playing in one of the biggest stadiums in college football in a game no one thought they could win.

“It’s a step forward but we need to keep closer a lot longer than that to have a chance,” coach Bill Curry said. …

Continue reading Georgia State falls to Tennessee but shows potential »

Three storylines

1. Can Georgia State move the ball? McLane, a redshirt freshman, said didn’t play at his best in last week’s loss to South Carolina State. Accuracy, his strength, was missing as he completed seven of his 15 passes for 54. He was sacked five times. But he is definitely in charge after backup Kelton Hill asked to move to defensive back on Sunday. Look for the Panthers to try to get running back Donald Russell going early, something they didn’t do in the opener, to take the pressure off McLane.

2. Can the defense stop Tyler Bray? Despite a funky throwing motion, Bray picked apart N.C. State’s secondary for more than 300 yards passing and two touchdowns in last week’s win. Bray has plenty of weapons to choose from, led by Cordarrelle Patterson, who caught six passes for 93 yards last week. Conversely, the Panthers made South Carolina State quarterback Richard Cue look like one of the better QBs in the FCS with a 19-for-29 performance for 300 …

Continue reading Gameday: Georgia State vs. Tennessee »

Georgia State’s Bill Curry has played or coached in many of temples of football during his career as a player and coach at Georgia Tech, coach at Alabama and Kentucky, and as a commentator. Curry is retiring from coaching after the season.

On Saturday he will lead the Panthers to Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium. Near the Tennessee River, Neyland seats more than 102,000 making it one of the biggest stadiums – for college, pros or otherwise – in the world.

Neyland, then known as Shields-Watkins Field, was where Curry played his first college road game when he was on Georgia Tech’s freshman team. Curry remembers all of the schoolchildren were let out early for the game.

“They didn’t like us,” he said. “They threw things at us.”

It was also the only game he was thrown out of.

Curry thought one of the Volunteers hit Tech’s quarterback late when they were trying to run out the clock. So, Curry went after the player. After the team returned to Atlanta, Tech coach …

Continue reading With Rocky Top looming, Curry catalogs his favorite stadiums »

Georgia State men’s basketball coach Ron Hunter said he could eventually retire at the school after signing a six-year contract late Wednesday that will pay him an annual base salary of $350,000, an increase of $50,000 over his previous five-year deal.

“I love the community of Atlanta and Georgia State,” he said. “I could retire here. People think that’s crazy but when you are happy, that’s all that matters.”

Hunter, a funny guy, then added this:

“Plus, I got the No. 1 paper in the country covering me. Why do I need to go somewhere else?”

Hunter guided the Panthers to a 22-12 record last season, the second-most wins in school history. It was Hunter’s first at the school after spending 17 years at IUPUI, where he won 274 games.

Before his first season at Georgia State was over, because of the success, some worried that Hunter would leave for a more prestigious job in a bigger conference. He declined to say if he was contacted by other universities, saying that when you win …

Continue reading Hunter says he could eventually retire at Georgia State »

Excellent play by Georgia State’s special teams is one of the ways the Panthers can try to keep Saturday’s game at Tennessee close.

They can’t miss field goals and they can’t give up unnecessary yards on kick returns and punt returns.

Georgia State’s special teams, other than the field-goal unit, played fairly well against South Carolina State, providing some hope for this week.

Matt Hubbard averaged 62.2 yards per punt, including an 80-yard bomb. He said on Wednesday that he’s never kicked a punt that long in the game. His effort resulted in the Colonial Athletic Association special teams player of the week. The average would have set an FCS record, except the NCAA doesn’t recognize the effort because Georgia State is in year one of a two-year transition to FBS.

Hubbard said the 80-yard punt felt good coming off his foot, but even he was surprised that it traveled some 60-yards in the air. He credited the gunners on the outside for getting down the field quickly not just  on …

Continue reading Georgia State’s special teams key against Tennessee »

With Kelton Hill’s move from back-up quarterback to safety earlier this week, Georgia State’s quarterback job seems like its firmly in Ben McLane’s right hand.

Making the first start of his college career, McLane looked shaky in last week’s 33-6 loss to South Carolina State. He completed just 7 of his 15 passes for 54 yards and was sacked five times. He didn’t show the accuracy, game management or presence that he showed in winning the job during the spring, and holding onto it during August.

McLane said he didn’t like how he played, but he wasn’t entirely disappointed. He didn’t throw any interceptions, something that was preached to him, but he said he did hold onto the ball too long sometimes.

“I thought at times, pretty much the whole game, I was too timid,” he said. “At times there were throws that I should have made that I didn’t because I was trying to take care of it too much.”

McLane said he learned a lesson from that experience.

“I need to be more aggressive and …

Continue reading What’s next for Georgia State’s offense? »

Kelton Hill has been moved to safety from quarterback, Georgia State coach Bill Curry said after Tuesday’s practice.

Curry said the decision was made to get the best possible athletes on the field. Hill said he will still play in wildcat formations and will also return kicks and punts, something he couldn’t when he was a quarterback. Ronnie Bell will back up starting quarterback Ben McLane.

After appearing as a backup in Thursday night’s 33-6 loss to South Carolina State, Hill said he approached offensive coordinator John Bond about the move on Sunday before talking to Curry.

“I was tired of the two-quarterback rotation,” Hill said. “I thought this has got to stop. It was just holding the team up.”

It turns out, Bond had also been thinking about the move for some of the same reasons as Hill. Bond said the team has performed at its best during its first season when it had one quarterback, Drew Little, taking most of the snaps. Last year, because of disciplinary issues, …

Continue reading Hill moves to safety from QB at Georgia State »