ATLANTA--Defense dominated in Georgia State's second preseason scrimmage, held Saturday morning at the GSU Practice Complex.
With Georgia State's Aug. 30 season opener less than three weeks away, the coaching staff is encouraged by the continued progress of their young defense. GSU returns only one starter on its front seven, but the unit has shown promise this preseason.
The offense didn't have a good day, but we are better on defense for sure," said head coach Bill Curry. "The defensive front people looked like they had their best day today, in terms of getting lined up, exploding to the ball and executing their stunts."
The Panthers are working a number of new players on the defensive front, including true freshman defensive end Melvin King, who batted down a pass, and another true freshman, tackle Joe Lockley, who made a tackle in the backfield.
Other key performers include redshirt freshman noseguard David Huey, redshirt sophomore defensive end John Kelly, who sat out last season after transferring from Nevada, sophomore defensive end C.J. Stephens, and junior noseguard Terrance Woodard.
Transfers Theo Agnew from Massachusetts and Nermin Delic from Kentucky will also be vital contributors if their eligibility status is cleared by the NCAA.
Meanwhile, the offense struggled with execution today.
"The defense played really hard and showed a lot of enthusiasm today, but when the offense is struggling to that extent, it's hard to tell," said Curry. "You have to function and execute even when you're tired, and the offense didn't do that today.
Offensive coordinator John Bond concurred.
"The defense really got after it and played well, and the offense didn't," said Bond. "We had a tough day. We tried to look at some younger guys at the receiver positions to help us develop depth, but we still have to play better."
The highlight of the day for the offense was a 73-yard completion from quarterback Ben McLane to tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi, who grabbed the pass over the middle and raced down to the four-yard line.
The Panthers will take Sunday off before returning to the practice field Monday morning.
Georgia State opens the season by hosting South Carolina State on Thursday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Georgia Dome. Season and individual game tickets are on sale now by calling 866-GA-STATE or visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com.
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