AJC: GSU Offers Johnson County WR Zack Walker

From the AJC's Chip Towers Ten@10:

Another in-state player on Georgia Tech’s radar is Johnson County wide receiver Zach Walker, whose prolific career came to an end in the second round of the Class A playoffs. Georgia High School Football Daily reports that Walker got an offer from Tulane last week and has offers from Western Kentucky, Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Georgia State and Illinois State. The Yellow Jackets are actively recruiting him but have not offered. Walker, who is not related to Johnson County native Herschel Walker, had 69 catches for 1,187 yards and 18 touchdowns this season.

My take: If Georgia Tech doesn't put an offer in front of Walker, we have a great shot at signing him in February.  I've been told he's looking to stay in state.

Montgomery Advertiser: Coach Curry didn't fire Steve Spurrier

If you follow history, you realize that Georgia Tech blew out the entire staff including Spurrier.

Pretty good read as CBC was in Montgomery last night for the QB Club Meeting. 

Montgomery Advertiser LINK

Sources: Former GT Safety Cooper Taylor to GSU

Photo courtesy of Pouya Dianat of the AJC

Since the announcement last week, it has been speculated that former Georgia Tech Safety Cooper Taylor would transfer to Georgia State after completing the Fall semester at Georgia Tech.

He left the team last Thursday and remained in school.  AJC Link

He was a two star recruit out of Marist HS here in Atlanta and would have two years of eligibility after receiving a medical redshirt in 2009.

My take: This is a pretty good get and makes a ton of sense for depth behind Brandon Jones.  My sources tell me that his Dad was a huge factor in the decision and Mr. Taylor played for Coach Curry at Tech in the 80s.  He's responsible for one Tech's biggest wins in his freshman year (YouTube Link) when causing Marcus Sims to fumble on the goalline preserving a Jacket win over Florida State which was their first since 1975.

Georgia State vs. Old Dominion - Preview & Prediction

Georgia State vs. Old Dominion

Kickoff: 3:30pm Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium

TV/Radio: Comcast Channel 499  WCFO 1160 AM, WRAS 88.5

Foreman Field.  Expect 19,782 people in attendance and only a few leaving happy.

Photo Courtesy of ODU Sports Communications

Quick Slant: The Panthers play their 2nd road game coming off an OT victory vs. NC Central (which then proceeded to fire its coach) 20-17. Old Dominion is coming off a bye week after getting their doors blown off in the 4th quarter vs. Cal-Poly. This game will serve as Homecoming for the Monarchs, a fact that all of our players and coaches know well.

About Old Dominion: ODU is 3-3 on the season and will join the CAA in 2011. QB Thomas DeMarco is a dual threat as he has rushed for 203 yards and passed for 1668 yards with 18 combined TDs (15 passing, 3 rushing). DeMarco spreads the ball around as 13 different ODU players have receptions. His primary target over the last 3 weeks is Prentice Gill a 5'11 WR out of Los Angeles. They've thrown the ball on average of 41 times per game and threw a season high 57 passes vs. Cal-Poly.

What to Watch:
1) Can the Panthers force pressure? ODU has allowed 7 sacks through 6 games. Getting after DeMarco will be a top priority because they have shown a propensity to wear down later in games.

2) Can the Panthers take advantage of a small front 7? The Panthers faced an NC Central 3-4 defense that had a combined weight of 1828lbs. The Monarchs are 102lbs. lighter across their 4-3. Patience with the run and a new offensive formation will help move the chains.

3) Can the Panthers continue to play great vs. the pass? The Panthers young secondary would currently rank 16th in the FCS in pass defense (not ranked statistically because we are technically reclassifying for the 2010 season) allowing only 149 yard per game through the air. ODU dials up passes. It's strength on strength and Fred Barnes will be in the cross hairs as he has been all year so far.

Georgia State Wins If...
They are able to win the turnover battle (ODU has thrown 9 INTs and lost 4 fumbles on the season). The Panthers have done a great job getting turnovers in the last few games but the inability to cash them in nearly got them beat vs. NC Central. Run the ball and continue to take your shots down the field to Danny Williams and the Panthers should send the Homecoming crowd home disappointed.

Old Dominion Wins If...
They ride the wave of emotion and hit big plays in special teams. The Monarchs do not run the ball except for show and on QB draws. If they can use the quick kicks and hit big plays in the passing game, they could beat the Panthers.


Georgia State Checklist:
1) Pound the football - Kelton Hill was the leading rusher vs. NC Central. I have no doubt that he will hold onto the football better this week and exploit a smaller front 7. The unveiling of a new offensive formation will only enhance the cuts that the RBs can make. 35 runs plus to take the crowd out of it and move the chains.


2) Keep the play in front of you - ODU likes to dial up long passes over the top. I'd venture to say they haven't seen what Coach Thompson has cooked up. The LBs will have to play big as DeMarco can take off if he smells trouble. They WRs are quick but not tall and our CBs and safeties will need to be aware of things over the top.

3) Spread the ball around - Drew has done a fantastic job spreading the ball around to RBs, TEs and WRs. I think the formula has to stay the same. It's safe to say that ODU is aware of Danny Williams after 2 100 yard receiving days. If they roll coverage his way, Sidney, Albert, Arthur and Bo will all have opportunities to make plays.

The Roar
Old Dominion has sold all of their allotted 19,000 plus tickets which will mean the Panthers are facing significant crowd noise for the first time. The coaching staff pumped in crowd noise to practice this week including the ODU fight song. ODU features 2 players from Georgia including former Georgia Tech and Dunwoody HS grad Deron Jasper. The game is being billed as a "Blue Out" with ODU fans wearing all blue.

Prediction: Georgia State 28, Old Dominion 21

The Bowden Flu in Athens and How GSU can benefit

Denial is not a River in Egypt

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

As many of you know, I was raised a fan of the Florida State Seminoles (we know, we know). You may have read those last sentence aand wonder, where is he going with this and why does it relate to Georgia State. I promise it will get there, just hang with me.

I’ve seen this movie before and I know how it ends.

The folks over at ChuckOliver.net (he's a former colleague of mine and I'd encourage you to read his work, he has a ton of original content) targeted the demise of the University of Georgia's football program as the 2008 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide (complete article found here).

Like I said, I've seen this before. It started in 2006 for Florida State in their loss to Penn State in the Orange Bowl after beating Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game. Since that game, FSU was proceed to go 30-22 under Bobby Bowden. A decent run for a MAC team but this is Florida State!

I can certainly identify with the Georgia fans plight. The tracks are almost the exact same: highly rated recruits who didn’t do anything, poor player development, lack of discipline on and off the field, a souring fan base and eventually a coach who was forced to move on.

I keep reminding people that Richt learned Bobby’s way of doing things and that worked in the 90s, that doesn’t work right now and if he doesn’t seize control back, he’ll be pushed out as well by 2012.

How this helps Georgia State (ah, the payoff!): When Georgia (and Tech, for that matter) struggle, we have the opportunity to benefit. No, we are not competing for the same recruits. We are competing for attention. We are the 3rd prettiest girl at the party and will not feel bad if the other two get drinks spilled on their dresses. When Georgia struggles, it allows us to grab their fans and season ticket holders attention. The die hards will go to the games regardless but we are not after Georgia's die hard fans. We are after the college football fans who want to see college football and the Falcons fans who may not be able to afford NFL ticket prices. We have a tremendous opportunity in the next 12 months and the ground under the UGA football program is not exactly firm for Coach Mark Richt and staff. Have you invited a Georgia or Georgia Tech fan to a game yet? I've got one coming with me tomorrow. Another convert perhaps? That's my goal.