The Georgia State football team finally gets to earn some frequent-flyer miles this week.
The Panthers have played five games, and their longest trip has been a four-mile bus ride to Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium. The other four games have been played in the friendly confines of Center Parc Stadium.
That changes this week when the Panthers venture to Huntington, West Virginia, to play Marshall, a journey of 500 miles, Thursday in a nationally televised Sun Belt Conference game.
The Panthers (2-3, 0-2) have lost two consecutive after Saturday’s 21-14 loss to Old Dominion. Marshall (3-3, 1-1) is coming off a disappointing 24-23 loss at Georgia Southern, where the Thundering Herd blew a 20-point lead with eight minutes remaining.
The game can be seen on ESPN2 and heard locally on WRAS-FM 88.5 or on the Georgia State sports app.
“I love road games,” senior linebacker Kevin Swint said. “I love being the 100% dog, just having that extra atmosphere to know that not only are you going against the other team, you’re going against their fan base. It takes that extra focus, the extra composure, to fight through all those mental and physical distractions.
Georgia State will take 70 players on the road trip, the first of four consecutive away games that it faces. And the Panthers will be doing it on short rest; they hit the road Wednesday afternoon on their charter.
“I know our guys are excited about playing on the road and accepting that challenge,” GSU coach Dell McGee said. “It’s a different schedule, definitely out of our routine. At the end of the day, it still goes back to our preparation and situational football, trying to control the line of scrimmage, hit and run.”
Georgia State could see a change at quarterback. Christian Veilleux has started each game, but was pulled in the fourth quarter Saturday against Old Dominion. He was replaced by Zach Gibson, who went 6-for-6 passing and led the team on a late touchdown drive.
“We haven’t made a decision yet,” McGee said at his Tuesday press conference. “We’ve got to go in and grade this practice, and then we’ll make a decision after looking at the tape.”
But the issues go deeper than at quarterback. The undersized offensive line has struggled to get the running game going for two consecutive weeks, although the depth there is rather thin.
“It all goes back to how we prepare,” McGee said. “The preparation it takes to be successful on game night is important and getting our team to understand how important that is and what it looks like when it’s done right.”
This week the staff showed video examples, one with a proper execution, the other with improper execution, to drive home the need for the proper execution.
“We want to make sure we reassure our guys just how important the process of your every-day film study and how that carries over into the game,” McGee said. “I mean, you can take about eight plays out of that game and it’s a totally different game. The feel of the game is different.”
Marshall has been alternating Stone Earle, a transfer from North Texas, and Braylon Braxton, a transfer from Tulsa, at quarterback. Last week, Earle started and completed 9 of 17 passes for 97 yards, and Braxton completed 9 of 12 for 92 yards. Earle has thrown for 634 yards and seven touchdowns and run for 207 yards. Braxton has thrown for 364 yards and seven touchdowns and run for 203 yards and two touchdowns.
“They’ve got two quarterbacks that can run, which has kind of been our Achilles heel,” McGee said. “They make you defend and have great discipline because both quarterbacks can beat you with their legs, and both have arm talent.”
This will be the third meeting between the teams, with each winning on their home field. Georgia State won 41-24 in 2023.
Also, the circumstances surrounding the game against Appalachian State on Oct. 26 continues to be shrouded with uncertainty. Because of damage to Boone, North Carolina, and the surrounding area, the game could be moved to another site. The Sun Belt Conference listed the time and site for the game as “TBD.” App State hasn’t played a home game since Sept. 19, before rainfall from Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina.
