Georgia State will start a new quarterback this week as it seeks to end a three-game losing streak.
Zach Gibson, who has played effectively off the bench the past two games, gets the nod Saturday when the Panthers (2-4, 0-3) meet Appalachian State (2-4, 0-3), a team they have never defeated. The teams meet at 1 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina. (TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio – WRAS-FM 88.5).
Gibson, a transfer from Georgia Tech, sparked the team to a late fourth-quarter rally in the loss to Old Dominion two weeks ago. He took over for Christian Veilleux after the first quarter last week against Marshall and threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers nearly overcame an 18-0 deficit. Gibson also ran 10 times for 35 yards.
“The biggest thing I saw was just the confidence you could see in the players and the excitement when plays were made,” McGee said. “He made some really good decisions throwing the ball.”
Despite last week’s success, Gibson’s name isn’t written in ink on the lineup card. It depends on performance.
“We’ve still got to be very detailed in what we do, and Christian is still preparing like he’s a starter, too,” McGee said. “I’m not eliminating the fact that we won’t see him because it’s all about how we come out, how we play and what the rhythm of the game is going like.”
Veilleux has thrown for 1,301 yards and nine touchdowns and engineered the last-minute comeback win over Vanderbilt. Gibson has thrown for 240 yards and three touchdowns.
Regardless of who plays quarterback, it will help if GSU can run the ball against App State as well as it did against Marshall.
GSU rushed for a season-high 218 yards in their 35-20 road loss to Marshall. The Panthers had been held to 29 yards against Georgia Southern and 57 yards against Old Dominion the two previous weeks.
“I think the O-line had attitude,” McGee said. “They played and accepted a challenge. I think our offensive line, along with our backs breaking tackles and making the correct reads were able to maximize those opportunities.”
Senior running back C.J. Beasley said, “That was the main emphasis for the past two weeks. We couldn’t really finish or close the game out running the ball. That was the emphasis, making sure we could convert on short yardage, pound the rock and control the game. If you can run the ball the whole game, you’ve got full control of the game.”
Beasley, a veteran transfer from Coastal Carolina, finally is healthy after missing the early part of the season with a strained hamstring. Freddie Brock leads the team with 430 yards rushing and has two of the team’s three rushing touchdowns.
Control may be even more important this week against App State’s pass-heavy attack. Behind returning all-conference quarterback Joey Aguilar, the Mountaineers average 293.2 passing yards per game, No. 10 in FBS. Aguilar threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns a year ago against GSU, a game App State won 42-14.
It promises to be an emotional afternoon for App State. The area was devastated by Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27 and the school finally was able to reopen Oct. 11 and resumed classes Oct. 16. The Mountaineers have not played a home game since Sept. 19.
It was uncertain whether storm damage would force App State to move its final three home games. But officials cleared the stadium for use, and a sellout crowd of 30,000 is expected.
“Hopefully our plan is good and we can seize the momentum in a hostile environment to kind of quiet the crowd,” McGee said. “Play good defense and special teams and play a full 60 minutes of football. We’ve been picking different opportunities to play well. We’ve got to play well every single quarter, and we haven’t done that for 60 minutes yet.”
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