Georgia State vs. Morehead State: Preview & Prediction

Georgia State vs. Morehead State



Kickoff: 1:00pm Georgia Dome 

Radio: WRAS 88.5, WCFO 1160

Quick Slant: After a less than impressive win on the road in Buies Creek, the Panthers head back home to face our 3rd straight FCS program in Morehead State.  I'm looking forward to getting back inside the air conditioned Dome and kick the 100 plus degree weather that almost tripped us vs. the Camels.

Beaker will be in the Dome tomorrow.  Will you?

About Morehead State: The Eagles are riding a roller coaster so far this season.  They are 2-2 and have lost to CAA member James Madison 48-7 and Dayton 34-28, both on the road.  They flat out air it out and are currently 8th in FCS with more than 300 yard per game passing.  Their defense is porous allowing 35.5 ppg and give up nearly 400 yard per game to its first 4 opponents.

What to Watch
1. Can the Panthers run the football? Coach Curry has absolutely hammered the offensive line this week and I expect them to come out and mash the undersized MSU defensive line.  The Eagle D-Line averages less than 248lbs. collectively across the board.  It's time to eclipse 200 yards again.

2. Can the Panthers start fast? Morehead State has been outscored 91-38 in the first half this season.  Can we get out and establish the run and march the ball down the field.  The downfield passing game could absolutely come alive as the Eagles have short cornerbacks. Also, the KR game has been a tremendous weapon and I'm interested to see if the Eagles will kick to Albert Wilson & Darren McCray aka Blur Squared.

3. Can the Defense crank up the pressure?  Morehead State's offensive line is also light as they average only 270lbs. across the board. Can the Noseguard disrupt the timing of the Eagle quick passing game?  MSU QB has thrown 6 INTs in 4 games.  Will this be the game that the TO margin turns in the Panthers favor?

Georgia State Wins If...
The Panthers take care of the football. QB Drew Little protected the ball well vs. Campbell and made one mistake vs. JSU in throwing to a spot.  I expect to see an expanded game plan as well as 35 carries by the RB corps.  This could also be the game to start taking some shots down the field as long as the Offensive Line plays better.
Morehead State Wins If...
They keep it close and capitalize on mistakes.  Forcing fumbles and baiting Little into INTs will give the Eagles a chance.  They have smaller WRs who can make people miss.  The young Panthers secondary should receive a boost with the return of Brent McClendon but if they gamble and miss, MSU can capitalize deep.

Georgia State Checklist:
1. Impose Their Will Along the Lines.  We've yet to see the kind of smashmouth line play that we were anticipating because both groups are still trying to find chemistry and truly trust each other.  I fully expect the Panther Offensive Line to play well tomorrow. 

2. Keep plays in front of you.  Morehead State's offense has been forced to throw and they've done a good job hitting a deep play or two per game.  The corners will have to play well and force the action inside where the LBs and Safeties can assist.  If they let the guard down, it will keep the Eagles in the game.

3. Play Action. Drew is not the most mobile of our QBs but he does a great job in play action. We normally utilize a TE rollout or a drag route with our Slot WR.  I'm interested to see if theTackles can give him enough time to unleash a few to back the smaller safeties up and give the RB corp even more space. 

The Roar
The Eagles will likely walk into a large crowd as I'm anticipating nearly the same amount of student support that came out vs. Shorter in the opener.  If the Alumni and Season Ticket holder show up, this could be a huge and boisterous crowd.  As JSU's Coach mentioned, he was suprised at the level of noise.  How will the Eagles react to this as they have done a pretty good job of keeping penalties at bay. 

The prediction: Georgia State 28, Morehead State 17