Georgia State Football Mid-Season Recap

The 2017 college football season is in full swing and the Georgia State Panthers already have four games under their belt. Georgia State has experienced up and downs through the season first 6 weeks and carries a 3-2 record into week eight.

After dropping the season’s first two games, the debut of Georgia State Stadium and then on the road at Penn State, the Panthers currently ride a three-game win streak after victories over Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, and Louisiana-Monroe. This recent success had put the Panthers in a tie atop the Sun Belt Conference standings.

Usually, at this point in the season, teams have played at least six games. Due to Hurricane Irma, the Memphis game was canceled due to rescheduling purposes for a conference opponent. Coupled with a bye week, the Panthers have only played in five games. The potential of the Panthers adding an opponent remains to be seen.

The Panthers enjoyed seeing wide receiver Penny Hart return to action. After an injury-riddled sophomore year, Penny Hart picks up where he left after his freshman year. Hart leads the team in all receiving categories with 42 catches for 555 yards and five touchdowns. Connor Manning mans the quarterback position and has thrown for 1261 yards and six touchdowns. Glenn Smith totes the rock for the Panthers to the tune of 165 yards on 55 carries. Accompanying him is Taz Bateman who also has rushed for over 100 yards this year. Although the run games started off slowly, the team looks to keep improving in that area.

The defense continues to play well. Outside of the game at Penn State, the defense has shown improvement. The defense pitched a shutout on the road against Charlotte and then was able to hold off Coastal Carolina to seal off a conference win. Senior defensive back Bryan Williams has been a star, hauling in two interceptions in the win over Charlotte.

Georgia State continues conference play this Saturday at home against Troy. The Panthers will look to build on this three-game winning streak and keep their bowl game and conference title aspirations alive. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 3 with a 5:00 pm EST kickoff time