Georgia State Q&A

As UTSA's road show down with Georgia State approaches, we continued our question and answer series with Georgia State fan site PantherTalk.com. Be sure to check their site out to get a pulse on the Panthers. Thanks to Ben from PantherTalk for putting this together. You can check out my side of the Q&A at this link.

Billy Calzada/SA Express News

Georgia State has really struggled to score this season, averaging around nine points per game after scoring just six points at home against South Carolina State. What issues have you identified with the Panthers' offense so far?

Georgia State entered the season with a RS Freshman QB (the program’s 3rd opening night starter in 3 years) and four new offensive lineman. Panther fans definitely knew that the potential was there for early struggles. The Panthers offense is loaded at the skill position players with RB Donald Russell, WR Albert Wilson, WR Danny Williams and WR Jordan Giles. The main issue right now is protecting McLane and the first two games certainly amplified that issue.

Redshirt freshman Ben McLane has assumed signal-calling duties for the Panthers. How has Ben performed this season and how do you predict him developing as a quarterback?

Ben has played well at times with poise and toughness but has played like a RS Freshman making two career starts. He has had some issues taking snaps from center and holding onto the ball in both the SC State and Tennessee game, this has to get fixed this week in practice. I believe, long-term, Ben can be a very good quarterback as he has the accuracy and poise to lead the Panther offense. He has plenty of weapons to make his job easier but needs to improve his consistency and confidence in his ability.

Donald Russell has been a monster this season, rushing for 94 yards per carry through 2012. Do you anticipate Russell to keep up this pace? Who is option number two for the Panthers' offense?

The Donald, as Panther fans call him, is tremendous. For his career, he averages 5.6 yards per carry (on more 232 carries at UK and Georgia State) and is approaching 1300 career yards. What most frustrates most Panther fans is the fact that Russell has only two games of more than 20 carries in his Georgia State career. There is no question Russell can be a 100+ yard per game guy for this offense and the play calling has seemed to focus on getting the ball in his hands more.

The second option thus far has gone to Parris Lee who has very good acceleration and cutting ability. Do not discount Travis Evans who had 6 carries vs. UTSA last season. My magic number is 40 carries on the ground on Saturday. If the Panthers reach this number, I believe they have a great shot to win.

Kelton Hill, who was Georgia State's leading passer and second highest rusher last season, has been moved over to defense as a safety. Why the move and how has Hill looked so far?

The decision was actually Kelton’s. The game plan is totally different with him in the game vs. McLane because their skill set is so different. Hill is more of a Wildcat guy and he approached the coaching staff about helping the team in other capacities including returning kicks and playing in the secondary. It was a confusing move for Panther fans but McLane responded very well against Tennessee and should find some solace knowing the QB job is his.

Hill has yet to see game action in the secondary and I do not expect him to play this Saturday while he is still learning his responsibilities and improving his technique. I’ll say this: Kelton Hill may be the best overall athlete on the Georgia State roster so it’s very possible he could impact a game this season.

Georgia State allowed Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray to throw for 4 touchdowns, amassing 310 passing yards with a 90% completion rate. How do you expect the Panther defense to respond against UTSA? Do you anticipate any schematic or personnel changes?

It was very troubling to see back-to-back 300+ yard games through the air through the first two games as the secondary was looked upon as a strength. Very few Panther fans believed they would slow Tennessee’s aerial attack led by Tyler Bray. His wide receiving corps is elite and no matter how the Panthers defense lined up, they were going to get beat.

I expect to see some tweaks to the positioning of the corners. The safeties have played pretty well through two games and I expect to see more pressure being sent by defensive coordinator Anthony Midget to force the Roadrunners into quicker decisions.

Head coach Bill Curry has publicly announced his retirement following this season. What impact has this had on current players and in the recruiting sphere? Any candidates you would like to see in the Georgia Dome?

The current players responded well early and wanted to use it as a rallying point. I will be very interested to see how they rally as the season goes on. On the recruiting front, it has been received pretty well. Coach Curry has been very honest about his intentions about 2012 being his decision year with both recruits and current players. The current committed players knew the possibility of Coach Curry not being here when they were set to sign was a real possibility. The move to the Sun Belt, great facilities and a tremendous University have been the selling point to 2013 recruits.

I honestly have not put a candidate wish list together but Stewart Mandel of SI.com put the name of former SEC coach Houston Nutt out there publicly which certainly got our site buzzing. Whoever the new coach is, he will inherit a Senior heavy roster (more than 39 Juniors – both RS and true Juniors on current roster) and the ability to sign as many 28 players in February. This is an attractive job and Panther fans are hoping for a hire by the beginning of December.

Talk about this post on twitter and on the Forum

Off Season Check In: Georgia State

The kind folks at Panther Talk recently asked me a few questions about the Roadrunners' off season as part of their off season check-in series. Editor-in-chief Ben Moore was kind enough to return the favor by answering a couple of my questions about Georgia State. Be sure to check back to Panther Talk this season to learn more about UTSA's Week Three opponent.

This year Georgia State had their first player drafted to the NFL in Christo Bilukidi. Did this come as a surprise to Panther fans? Could you sum up what Bilukidi's signing means to the program at large?

Picture via San Antonio Express News

It was huge.  I had heard rumblings deep in the week that Christo could be a late round selection but I truly thought it was just optimism.  At 6'5, 290lbs he certainly has the physicality to play on the next level and moved positions at Georgia State.  For him to be drafted by the Raiders added another layer of credibility to the program.  We had a chance to interview him on Saturday (Link is HERE) and he was told by his agent that he should expect a call on Saturday.  With only 22 games played, it solidifies the coaching staff's pitch that playing at Georgia State can not only get you to the next level but in front of enough scouts to be drafted.  Tremendous accomplishment for a great kid in Christo and a huge feather in the cap of a new program.

Georgia State was recently invited to the Sunbelt, marking the program's ascension to the FBS ranks. How have fans reacted to the news and which Sunbelt member are they most excited to play?

The fan base is thrilled to be FBS.  Many fans knew the bottled up potential that this program had and the attractiveness of the Atlanta media market.  The move to the Sun Belt continues a trend that we speak constantly: No start up in the modern era (last 20 years) has stayed at the FCS ranks for more than 5 years.  We believed the same could happen to Georgia State and it just came down to being ready.  Thankfully, we were.

As far as opponents, the fans that we talk to are excited about renewing old rivalries (Georgia State was an original member of the Sun Belt dating back to the late 70s) with South Alabama and Troy.  The biggest thing that our fans are excited about it shorter road trips to Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State and Western Kentucky as well.

UTSA employed the talents of IMG to sell tickets during the inaugural season which saw the Roadrunners break NCAA attendance records for a start-up program. Are Georgia State fans anticipating an uptick in attendance after leasing ticket sales out to IMG?

There is no question.  Georgia State utilized a sales center staffed with part time students in the first two years.  Part of this deal that impresses Panther faithful will give a different level of professionalism and incentives.  The IMG staff has a proven formula and we're definitely looking forward to increase overall of ticket sales which will add to the game day experience in the Georgia Dome.

How have Panther fans reacted to the arrest and dismissal of Bo Schlechter from the football team? How are you guys anticipating the quarterback position shaking out in the wake of this news?

Picture via San Antonio Express News

Bo Schlechter was slotted for 3rd or 4th string at QB and had lost his punting duties to walk on Matt Hubbard.  On the surface, losing a player like this would not cause much of a ripple.  The bigger issue is that Bo was the third different QB to be disciplined in the last 12 months.  This is beyond alarming for a position that counts on leadership and accountability.  Entering Spring, many Panther fans expected Kelton Hill to grab the reigns of the QB job as he started the last 5 games in 2011 and did a pretty good job directing the offense throwing for 962 yards and 10 TDs while rushing for 581 yards and 3 TDs on the ground.  The issue was the completion percentage of 50% and SC State fans saw it live and in person when Hill struggled.  This Spring, enter RS Freshman Ben McClane.  The former Brookwood HS signal caller led the Broncos to a state title in Georgia's largest classification.  While he does not have the physical talent that Hill has, he has been tremendously poised for someone entering his first Spring as starter.  McLane is stronger physically and has displayed very good accuracy in camp running the hurry up offense that Panthers' offensive coordinator John Bond wants to employ this season.  The Panthers will also add an FBS transfer in Ronnie Bell coming from Ohio who was 29-1 as a starter at Sandy Creek HS leading his team to back to back state titles.  The coaching staff also signed two recruits who are dual threats but both are expected to take redshirts this Fall.

What would you say are the strongest and weakest positions on the Georgia State squad in 2012?

I believe the skill positions are very strong (RB, WR, CB, S) and experienced.  My main concern exiting spring is the defensive line.  I believe there is some talent at defensive tackle and nose guard but it will be very inexperienced as all three Freshman signees could play early.  The defensive end position is thin to the point of vulnerable, in my opinion.  Coach Curry dismissed projected starter at weakside defensive end due to a violation of team rules as it relates to academics.  Former Nevada signee John Kelly is projected to start at strong side defensive end and converted linebacker Qwontez Mallory is the projected starter at weakside defensive end.

Top Ten Moments in UTSA Football 2011

10. UTSA Jerseys Soft-Reveal

For whatever reason, UTSA opted not to officially reveal their jerseys as they were rumored to do one week before kickoff. We may never know why the cards fell this way, but perhaps it was for the best. One night Steven Kurfehs posted a couple of pictures of himself wearing his jersey and, well, Facebook BLEW UP. I hate using the word “viral” but it’s pretty applicable in this occasion. The jerseys were sharp and minimalist (although I’m hearing that’s changing a bit next year, possible more to come on that soon). Nearly everyone loved them. Students and fans got uber-hyped for the season, and it was all grassroots. Damn, I used another word I hate.

9. Erik Brown/Ashaad Mabry Transfers

Bob Owen/SAEN

Just a few weeks before the season started (and a week after, in Brown’s case), UTSA received an unexpected influx of talent that provided a nice boost to the on-field production of the fledgling Roadrunners. Mabry is a 6’3, 300 lb. defensive tackle that transferred from Boone Picken’s WonderWorld at Oklahoma State to a football program that, at that point, had never even played a real football game. Mabry once worked out in world-class multi-million dollar facilities in Stillwater, but now throws weight around in a steamy, underground, outdated gym that is actually a converted P.E. classroom. Mabry was a big time recruit at MacArthur HS, drawing offers from several big-name programs. And now here he is at humble UTSA. Mabry chose to transfer back to his hometown in order to be close to his ill mother. While Ashaad only started in four games, his presence was felt throughout the entire season. The victim of numerous double-teams, Mabry finished the season with 20 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, one sack, and four quarterback hurries. As a true freshman. 19 years old.

Brian Baer/SAEN

To put it simply, Erik Brown was a shot in the arm for this program. After struggling to see the field at Fresno State, Brown flew back down to San Antonio, where he led Converse Judson to a state championship in his junior year of high school before moving to Arizona. A quick, instinctual cornerback, Brown brought a sense of stability to what was likely the Roadrunners’ weakest position. Brown’s infusion couldn’t have come at a better time. Jeremy Hall and Crosby Adams were both routinely toasted by McMurry receivers in Game Two. After just a week and a half of practice, Brown saw considerate playing time at Southern Utah and then quickly evolved into a starter and consistent performer. Brown also usurped punt return duties. Thanks to UTSA’s FCS status, Brown was able to save a year of eligibility and play as a redshirt sophomore.

8. UTSA Mariachi Band

via Urban Spotlight San Antonio

It’s no secret that UTSA is desperate to instill some type of unique tradition. In a culturally rich city like San Antonio, it’s not going to take too much time. In Game Two the Spirit of San Antonio marched out with a special group of mariachi players dubbed "Los Paisanos". The crowd absolutely loved it. Mariachi is as puro as it gets and it’s crucial that we embrace our city’s tradition as we begin to establish our identity as a program and fan base. I wouldn’t mind seeing the mariachi become a staple of SOSA in the future.

7. UTSA Signs its Second Recruiting Class

via Kens5

Coker and his coaching staff made a huge splash on the recruiting trail in 2011, signing 28 outstanding, accomplished athletes to scholarships. While UTSA failed to attract the size and experience they were looking for on the offensive line, they were able to land some real steals at skilled positions. Personally, the coaching staff proved to me that they were extremely talented skill evaluators. Just take a look at all of the contributors this year that were unranked by online recruiting services: Franky Anaya, Kenny Harrison, David Morgan, Jason Neill, Brandon Reeves, Payton Rion, Alondre Thorn, Triston Wade, Josh Walker. Those are all guys that either started or saw serious playing time against Division I talent. All but two of them are true freshmen. That's not just being good at evaluating talent-- that's a minor miracle.

6. UTSA vs. SHSU

Jack Wilson

Some people might think it’s weird that I have a loss as one of my top moments of the season, but if you were there you would understand. It was UTSA’s first away game within reasonable driving distance and the Roadrunner faithful represented very well. I would say at minimum ¼ of the crowd were UTSA fans but it sounded like ¾. If you’re living in a cave, Sam Houston is playing played in the FCS national championship game and they’re still undefeated in ’11 finished their season with just one loss. UTSA almost spoiled their miracle season, but two fumbles and three interceptions from Soza gave the Bearkats too many opportunities to wrap it up, leading to a bitter 22-7 road loss. The Roadrunner defense was stifling against SHSU’s three-headed run game, holding the Bearkats way below offensive averages. After the hard-fought loss, the team came over to the visitor section to join the band and fan base in the alma mater. In that moment, surrounded by new friends with shared passion, college football at UTSA was very real. A family was starting to form. This was everything we had hoped for. There was also copious amounts of smack talked on both ends leading up to the game, which was fun.

5. First Pep Rally

via yours truly

With anticipation and anxiety running high, thousands of Roadrunner fans invaded the River Walk on Friday evening before the inaugural kick off for the program's first ever pep rally. High fives were exchanged, gallons of beer and top-shelf margs were consumed, but most importantly, UTSA staked its territorial claim on the city of San Antonio. Mobs of Blue and Orange filled downtown San Antonio in all directions. The River Walk pep rally was an awesome flair of San Antonio—as President Romo put it: “Isn’t this the coolest pep rally on Earth?”

4. Georgia State vs. UTSA

They had to have their backs against the wall to do it, but UTSA finally beat a Division I team. Both defenses took turns whacking at the opposition in a low-scoring affair. Nic Johnston, Erik Brown, Mark Waters, and Chris Johnson all stepped up with big plays to put kicker Sean Ianno in position to send the game into overtime and then later seal the 17-14 victory.

3. "Birth of a Program" on Fox Sports Southwest

After diligent work and perhaps some pestering from the UTSA administration, Fox Sports Southwest agreed to carry a six episode television series following the birth of the university’s football program. The broadcast brought the Roadrunners into the living rooms of 10,000,000 Texans and Oklahomans, providing crucial exposure. You have no idea how many “UTSA is starting a football team?” tweets I read while the show was on. While the production value varied by episode, it was cool to get a personal look at the team and whet our appetites for actual games.

2. Ticket Sales Pandemonium

On 9/3/11 a whopping, staggering, deafening 56,783 people showed up to make their place in history as UTSA started their football program against Larry Coker’s alma mater Northeastern State. While the official record-breaking announcement of the attendance was jaw-dropping, the buildup throughout the weeks leading up to the game was intense and exhilarating. Thanks to Ticketmaster’s interactive seating chart, we were able to approximate ticket sales in real time, watching as seats flew off the shelves by the dozens every time one hit F5. Season ticket sales finished at around 12,000. Average attendance set a new NCAA record for start-up programs with 35,521. Who said San Antonio wasn’t going to support UTSA football again?

1. Game One

via k0nwu in our Flickr Group

Could you have drawn it up better? The atmosphere was elite, the turnout was record-breaking, the Roadrunners looked ready to go undefeated, and the beer was a-flowin'. Everything was so flawless, from the first tunnel entrance to the echoes of "U-T-S-A" through the concourse as the masses of Roadrunner fans gloated in pride after the victory. For some, it had been a 40+ year wait for football. For others, it was just a curious walk across the street to see the new hot thing in town. For all, it was a moment not soon to be forgotten. As Mark Dyer of IMG put it, "You would have thought UTSA was playing the Texas Longhorns for the national title rather than a Division II team"



Before you bash me about how terrible my rankings are, be sure to leave your top ten in the comments section!

UTSA vs Georgia State: Winning in Overtime

Hey! we won. That means we feel better about the dreadful play preceding the final field goal by Sean Ianno. It is funny how that happens. I mentioned on the podcast about the Cult of The Quarterback and how a comeback or two by Tebow seemingly erases all his flaws. Perhaps it is just that the glow of a win makes any flaws imperceptible. Wins are glamour shots -- the team looks like a hollywood starlet with the soft lighting and a perfect smile.

And so it goes.

Soza had some throws that were nearly cause for a benching. My dad, in his first visit to The Bird Dome (yeah, I said it) did a double face palm after the heave down the middle to a lone Georgia State safety (who smartly let it fall). When that play is broken down, you’ll find that it was a miscommunication between Soza and Kenny Harrison. Soza read the safety and threw down the middle while Harrison read the safety and broke outside on a corner route. Without the benefit of a second look I’ll go ahead and say it was Soza who read wrong. There was more room outside than there was inside.

That said, despite losing their best linebacker, the defense stepped up late. The post-would-be-interception drive could have been a four minute, clock-eating display of power football. Instead it was eaten up by the HardHat defense, giving the offense one more shot at redemption. Prior to that, they had forced three straight punts and a missed field goal. I don’t know how much you credit a team for forcing a missed field goal when they didn’t block it but you give them some credit for not allowing a touchdown.

There are always some lucky plays in football. Coaches obsess over controlling the outcomes of all the others. In our case, the two missed field goals were fortune we needed. More concerning is the two touchdowns scored in the first half. One was a sickening cutback by Donald Russell that started as a sweep/outside zone run to the left and ended with him scoring near the numbers from the right side.

From the glow of a win look at that run as evidence of our fast-flowing defense and a risk when you attack the ball carrier. If we lost? Well, that is our youthful inexperience in these matters. The truth lies somewhere in that space between. If you are going to give up big plays, do it in the first half. The other team could fall in love with themselves and look for the big throw/big run instead of doing the little things. Maybe they were beneficiaries of busted coverage (GSU was, Mark Waters got caught in no man’s land on Albert Wilson’s 54-yard TD), in which case you simply don’t do that anymore.

UTSA’s defense didn’t give up a big play in the second. In fact, here are GSU’s second half drives:

• 11 plays 56 yards missed fg
• 7 plays 32 yards punt
• 5 plays 15 yards punt
• 5 plays 17 yards punt
• 4 plays 3 yards missed fg
• 1 play kneel end of half
• 4 plays -6 yards missed fg (OT)

Not only did we see progress from the defense in this game, but also in this season. University of South Alabama came down here and ran the ball fairly well in the second half, which led to their comeback, which led to their OT win.

That is the good. The bad is very bad. The offense looked terrible all game until the last drive. It was enough to make me consider the benefits of simplifying the offense. I’ve maintained that Soza looks infinitely better when he makes quicker decisions.* When he throws on the run he seems more comfortable (though not as successful). He is reading the defense too slowly. The interception was not into triple coverage no more than any throw against a zone is against double or triple coverage. Kam Jones was running a drag/slant across the middle.

*I don’t know his progressions. I don’t know the pass keys. I don’t know. Sure looks like he holds the ball too long and is indecisive.

Soza has to throw this ball as Kam crosses behind the defender and the linebacker is backpedalling. Instead, he waited for Kam to sit in the zone which let the defender sit and wait to react to the pass. I can’t give you the real reason. Travis Bush and Soza know.

Throw it when Kam gets to point A. Not when he stops.

The good news is that during the last drive Georgia State played zones. It wasn’t quite prevent defense but it sure wasn’t aggressive either. Although we lined up in five and four receiver sets, Eric Soza was only looking to one side. In this case that was to the short side of the field (left). GSU played a couple different coverages but all with the same personnel. Some times the corner would take the flats and other times he would sprint back to cover the deep quarter. In those cases where he would sprint deep, the playside backer would sprint out and take the flats. The deep safety would either cover high or sprint up to the linebacker’s vacated spot. It all isn’t very complicated if you know anything about Cover 2, Cover 3 and Quarters.

When I say GSU wasn’t aggressive I mean a couple things: 1. They didn’t bring additional pressure to help their coverage. 2. They didn’t press.

They may have feared our speed. We did burn them on a couple wheel routes (against man coverage the wheel route is deadly) and so maybe they didn’t want Brandon Armstrong to do more of that? Perhaps, but I think it was more Bill Curry betting against Eric Soza.

Back to the drive. Against that coverage we ran two man routes and Soza just found the open man. The combinations and routes and contstraint plays (backside screen to Kam Jones) aren’t the real story. The fact that Soza was taking three and five-step drops, reading only one half of the field and making a throw was key. He looked every bit the quarterback we want him to be.

Unfortunately he also looked like the guy who deserves a lot of criticism. He was still inaccurate on a couple of those throws. The incompletions to Kam across the middle and to Brandon Armstrong on the sideline were just poor throws.

Episode 10: Bye Week

In this week's episode we cover the Bye Week, answer Twitter questions, discuss the game this weekend with Georgia State, and talk a little bit about RoadRunner Ruckus.

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