Georgia State opens its 14th season of football by hosting Rhode Island on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. at Center Parc Stadium.
As head coach Shawn Elliott enters his seventh season at the helm, the Panthers look to rebound from last year's 4-8 season and regain what they had attained the previous three seasons and four of the last six years under Elliott with winning records and bowl berths.
To do that, Georgia State will look to leaders such as quarterback Darren Grainger, tackle Travis Glover, wide receiver Robert Lewis and running back Marcus Carroll on offense, and defensive end Javon Denis, linebackers Jontrey Hunter and Jordan Veneziale, and cornerback Bryquice Brown.
Grainger, the super senior who is one of the top quarterbacks in the Sun Belt Conference, is a two-year starter who was named to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Manning Award. Last fall, Grainger passed for 2,443 yards and 18 touchdowns while completing 58.6 percent of his passes, ranking second in the Sun Belt and No. 10 in FBS with 14.04 yards per completion. He was also GSU's leading rusher with 734 yards (No. 9 in Sun Belt) and six touchdowns, making him third in the Sun Belt in total offense (264.8 ypg).
QUOTING HEAD COACH SHAWN ELLIOTT
"When you're scouting Rhode Island, you think of their quarterback (senior Kasim Hill) and you think of their offensive line. They're a very solid football team. Their quarterback is a dual-threat who is mobile and can really throw the ball. They've got some big, strong, athletic guys up front, and we all know, how the offensive line goes is how your offense goes.
"They're a well-coached football team. The last couple of years they've really been on the cusp of making their mark at the FCS level."
NOTING THE PANTHERS:
Grainger's top target is junior Robert Lewis, who got off to a great start last season with six touchdown catches in the first seven games before missing four of the last five contests due to injury.
Marcus Carroll takers over as the Panthers' primary ball-carrier takes the reins after a strong finish to 2022, when he was third on the team and 14th in the Sun Belt with 622 yards.
One of Georgia State's offensive trademarks under head coach Shawn Elliott has been balance. In addition to ranking No. 14 in FBS in rushing (213.5 ypg) in 2022, GSU was one of just 18 FBS programs to average at least 200 yards rushing and passing (203.6 ypg).
GSU's top offensive lineman is super senior left tackle Travis Glover, a Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt selection who has 45 career starts.
Glover is one of five Panthers named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt team, along with four second-team selections, all on defense: DE Javon Denis, LB Jontrey Hunter, LB Jordan Veneziale and CB Bryquice Brown.
Based on the pregame depth chart, Georgia State will have six first-starters, including two on offense (LG Jonathan Brown and RG Trevor Timmons) and two on defense (NG Henry Bryant and STAR Ronald Cooper) along with the kicker and punter.
SEASON OPENER: The Panthers' season opener returns to a weeknight after four straight years of Saturday openers. The team opened on a weeknight for its first nine years of existence, including four Thursday games, four Fridays and one Wednesday.
Georgia State is opening the season at home for 12th time in its 14 seasons. The Panthers, who host UConn on Sept. 9, come out of the gate with two straight home games for the first time since 2014.
GSU vs. RHODE ISLAND: Georgia State won the only previous meeting with Rhode Island with a 41-7 decision at URI in 2012, the Panthers' only season in CAA Football.
The Rams went 7-4 (5-3 CAA) in 2022.
The Panthers are facing an FCS program for the first time since their 2019 win over Furman.
CB Gavin Pringle, a graduate transfer from Bucknell, will see a familiar face on the opposite sideline. His former Bucknell teammate and roommate is Rhode Island safety Brent Jackson.
NEW FACES: The Panthers have bolstered their roster with 32 newcomers, including 19 four-year transfers, one junior college transfer and 12 scholarship freshmen.
Among those additions, cornerback Gavin Pringle (Bucknell), noseguard Henry Bryant (Louisville) and offensive guard Trevor Timmons (Charlotte) have earned starting berths.
Key backups from the transfer portal include outside linebacker Kevin Swint (Clemson), receiver Jacari Carter (Merrimack), offensive linemen Tyden Ferris (Central Michigan) and Lamar Robinson (Norfolk State), safety Tygee Leach (Lehigh), linebacker Josiah Robinson (Coastal Carolina) and defensive linemen Corey Warren (Coastal Carolina) and Anthony Blume (Norfolk State).
RUN IT BACK: The Panthers led the Sun Belt and ranked No. 14 in FBS in rushing in 2022 with 213.5 yards per game.
Over the last four seasons, Georgia State has averaged 220.5 rushing per game. Only six teams in the nations have averaged more (Air Force, Army, Navy, Ole Miss, App State, Ohio State).
Although the Panthers graduated ultra-productive running backs Tucker Gregg and Jamyest Williams, who combined for nearly 4,000 yards, the ground game is still in good hands. Returning QB Darren Grainger led the team in rushing last fall with 734 yards (No. 9 in Sun Belt) and six touchdowns, while Marcus Carroll was third on the team and 14th in the Sun Belt with 622 yards.
