The mantra for the Georgia State defense this season has sounded a lot like a political ad: attack, attack, attack.
Coach Shawn Elliott smiles the widest when the defense chases the quarterback, strips the ball from ballcarriers and creates havoc.
The message has really hit home over the final four weeks and will be instrumental to the team’s success in Saturday’s LendingTree Bowl. During the final stretch, when Georgia State won three of four games, the Panthers had 18 sacks, 36 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles and three interceptions.
“They get after you,” Western Kentucky coach Tyson Helton said. “They play fast, they play tough, they’re physical and it looks like they enjoy playing the game.”
The Panthers (5-4) will try to continue the trend when they meet Western Kentucky (5-6) in Mobile, Ala., on Saturday. Kickoff at Ladd-Peebles Stadium is 3:30 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN and heard locally on WRAS-FM 88.5.
“We haven’t been a great pass-rushing team (in the past),” Elliott said. “This year everyone has pushed the envelope in this area. That has been critical in our development.”
The Panthers had only 13 sacks in 2018, raised the number to 21 in 2019 and set a school record this season with 32. Eighteen of those came over the final four weeks, when Georgia State went 3-1 and secured its second consecutive bowl appearance. They tied a school record with seven sacks against South Alabama.
“If you can get pressure on the quarterback, you can change a lot of things,” Elliott said. “It certainly has helped us adjust to our defense.”
The Panthers will need to make things uncomfortable Saturday for Western Kentucky senior quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome. A graduate transfer from Maryland, Pigrome has thrown for 1,435 yards and nine touchdowns. He leads the nation with 264 passes without an interception, but has been sacked 25 times. Pigrome is the team’s No. 2 rusher with 328 yards.
“He doesn’t throw a lot of picks,” Elliott said. “That’s something we had to create a lot this year. We’ll try to put some pressure on him. He’s a good quarterback, and he makes that offense go for them.”
Georgia State’s top pass rushers are Jordan Strachan, who set a single-season record and leads the Sun Belt with nine sacks, and Hardrick Willis, who has 5.5 sacks -- four in the past four games --- and set the school’s career record with 11.5. Fourteen different players have sacks, including Thomas Gore and Jeffrey Clark with 3.5 each.
“Applying pressure allows our defense to gain more momentum,” Willis said. “If we’re able to get those guys three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out and force fumbles, it puts us in a position to win games.
“We have to make sure we keep this guy contained. If we can make him uncomfortable we can dominate, but he’s able to squirt out and complete passes, it’ll be bad for us.”
Western Kentucky likely will try to neutralize Georgia State quarterback Quad Brown with a defense that ranks fourth in the nation in passing yards allowed (170.1) among FBS teams that have played more than six games. They have allowed only 12 passing plays of 30-plus yards and have 66 passes defended, tied for second in the nation with Alabama.
Brown, a redshirt freshman, ranks second in the Sun Belt in passing (227.3 yards) and total offense (256.3 yards), while accounting for 21 touchdowns. He threw for 706 yards in the final two weeks, over South Alabama and Georgia Southern, and led second-half rallies in both games.
“He’s a very good player,” Helton said. “He’s a guy who can do it all. He’s a good thrower, can get out of trouble and does a nice job leading his team … and they’re a good team in general.”
The teams met in the 2017 Cure Bowl, when Georgia State won its first bowl game 27-17 and set a school record by limiting the Hilltoppers to minus-2 yards rushing.
Four current Panthers started that game: tight end Roger Carter, left guard Shamarious Gilmore, receiver Jonathan Ifedi and linebacker Victor Heyward. Willis, nose guard Dontae Wilson and linebacker Trajan Stephens-McQueen played in the contest. Eleven other current players were on the roster but did not participate.
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