Behind Enemy Lines -- Georgia State Panthers

By Alan Gerould, Senior Columnist, BroncoBlitz

BroncoBlitz is pleased to welcome back Dave Cohen to Behind Enemy Lines. Cohen is in his 37th season as the play-by-play voice of Panther athletics. During his long tenure at Georgia State University, it's safe to say that Dave knows as much as anyone about the Panthers and therefore BroncoBlitz has had him in our sights again this season as a top source of intel on Georgia State football.

Georgia State opened its home slate last week by hosting nationally-ranked FCS program Furman at Georgia State Stadium, the venue formerly known as Turner Field, the home of the Atlanta Braves. Last season, the Broncos traveled to Atlanta, bringing home a 34-15 win over the Panthers. This year, its 10th season of football and sixth at the FBS level, Georgia State earned its first-ever win over a Power Five program, a monumental 38-30 upset at Tennessee in the season opener. The Panthers out rushed Tennessee 213-93 and outscored the Volunteers 24-13 in the second half to claim the upset. We thank Dave for taking the time to share some information about Panther football. Dave, you are now on the BroncoBlitz hotseat.

BroncoBlitz: Shawn Elliott got off to a fast start in his first year as coach at GSU but had a rebuild project last year. It appears to be working after the first two games this season. What style of offense/defense does Elliott deploy? What makes Elliott a good coach and what do you think the players like about playing for him?

Dave Cohen: Well, I think one of the keys to the success of the season so far, two games in, has been the play of the offensive line. They’re giving Dan Ellington time to throw the football and they’ve been opening things up for the run game. It was very evident at Tennessee, where the Panthers rushed for 213 yards. It’s a good balance between the passing game and the running game. There are a number of really good receivers and tight end’s with McCoy, Gentry, Pinckney, Carter and Payne and there’s depth in the running game with various styles of ball carriers, including Ellington, Barnett and Paige. With regards to Coach Elliott, he played college football at Appalachian State and was a tough, gritty player. He was a winner as a player and has been a winner most seasons as an assistant coach at Appalachian State under Jerry Moore and then at South Carolina under Steve Spurrier and Wil Muschamp. I think the players identify with him because he doesn’t ask them to do anything he didn’t do as a player. He’s come to Georgia State, a young program that’s only ten seasons old, and has worked to steer the culture around the program to a winning culture. It takes time but a lot has been accomplished since he arrived.

BroncoBlitz: We know about how good quarterback Dan Ellington can be leading the Panther offense but there are a few new names showing up on the Panther stats sheets this season. Who should Bronco fans keep an eye on running and catching the ball this Saturday night?

Dave Cohen: Well, through the first two games the Panthers have scored 86 points and it’s been a good balance between run and pass. Dan has numerous receivers to throw to including Cornelius McCoy, a sophomore who already has 13 receptions and 2 touchdowns. He’s really blossomed into a top target with Penny Hart having graduated and moved on to the Indianapolis Colts. Sam Pinckney has played well since missing the last part of last season due to injury. He has 8 catches and a touchdown. Last year, statistically, even at 2-10, Georgia State ran the ball better than in any of the previous eight seasons of football and everyone returns this season. You’ll see senior Tra Barnett, sophomore Seth Paige and QB Dan Ellington, who was our leading rusher a year ago and is again through two games. Heading into week three, Ellington leads the Sun Belt and ranks seventh in FBS with seven touchdowns through two games. He also leads the Sun Belt in pass efficiency and total offense (324.0 yards per game.

BroncoBlitz: The Panther defense gave up 526 yards of offense in the win over the Paladin on Saturday including 215 rushing yards. That has to be a concern heading into the game at WMU. The Broncos were able to throw the ball with some success against Monmouth and Michigan State although they have yet to get the running game going. Trajan Stephens-McQueen and Ed Curney lead the Panthers with 16 and 15 total tackles respectively. Who else has surprised you on that side of the ball and where has the youth and inexperience been a cause for concern?

Dave Cohen: Let me say, everything being relative, that Furman University is a very good football team. A Top 20 FCS program that I’m guessing will win 9-10 games this season and maybe make some noise in the FCS playoffs. There’s no question they came out and ran up and down the field in that first quarter to build a big lead but the Panthers did not panic and responded with defensive adjustments to slow them down. Georgia State is experienced up front on defense with Dontae Wilson at NG and Terry Thomas at DE. Like last year, if there is any inexperience it would be at the corners. Our safeties are both very experienced, senior Remy Lazarus and R-Jr Cedric Stone. Lazarus had an interception and 57-yard return in the Furman game. The key is the same; don’t allow big plays, which was a problem last season. A year ago the Panther defense had the league’s worst passing defense in yards per attempt. At times there were four freshman in the secondary. Hopefully that playing time and game experience for those guys will pay dividends as this season moves along.

BroncoBlitz: Panther special teams punter/kicking specialist Brandon Wright is a real weapon and arguably the team's most valuable player. Tell us more about Wright and why the Georgia State special teams are such an integral part of the Panthers success?

Dave Cohen: Brandon was fortunate to have spent time as a teammate of Wil Lutz, who’s now kicking with the New Orleans Saints, prior to winning the kicking job. He handles both place-kicking and punting most of the time. Last season he averaged 48.2 yards per punt and already in 2019, he is averaging 43.2 yards per punt, is 3-for-3 on field goals and 11-for-11 on PAT, and his nine touchbacks on 15 kickoffs.

BroncoBlitz: The Panthers had to score 28 unanswered points to come back from an early deficit to hold off Furman 48-42 and start the season 2-0. What formula do you expect Coach Elliott to cook up this Saturday? What do you think the key(s) are to a Panther win? Despite its lopsided loss to MSU, I expect that WMU will be favored, albeit, by a small margin. As I recall you are not big on predictions but do you expect a really happy flight back to Atlanta after the game?

Dave Cohen: It would be nice to get off to a good start like we did at Tennessee. The confidence is as high as it’s been in a while with two wins and winning those games in the fashion in which they did. Going back and forth with Tennessee until the third quarter and then having to storm back to eventually beat Furman. I’m confident in our offense’s ability to score points. The defense, however, will be tested again with Wassink, the returning receivers and the running back Bellamy. It would be great to head back to Atlanta 3-0 before opening conference play in game four.