2014 GEORGIA STATE FOOTBALL Game 1 GEORGIA STATE vs. ABILENE CHRISTIAN Wednesday, Aug. 27 • 7 p.m. ET • ESPNU Georgia Dome • Atlanta, Ga. GAME COVERAGE: Television coverage is on ESPNU. Announcers FACTS ABILENE CHRISTIAN GEORGIA STATE are Ryan Ruocco and Charles Arbuckle. This is Georgia State’s second Nickname Wildcats Panthers appearance on ESPNU, following GSU’s 2010 game at Alabama. Every Location Abilene, Texas Atlanta, Ga. Georgia State game this season will be televised, including every Sun Belt Conference game on one of the ESPN platforms. Enrollment 4,600 32,000 Radio coverage is available on the Grady Health System Georgia State Affiliation FCS FBS Radio Network, including Atlanta flagship 1340 The Fan 3. Dave Cohen Conference Southland Sun Belt isn i his 32nd season as the play-by-play voice of Georgia State athletics, Head Coach Ken Collums Trent Miles while Harper LeBel and Brandon Leak join him from the booth, and Sam Alma Mater Central Arkansas, 1995 Indiana State, 1987 Crenshaw adds sideline coverage. Record at School 13-9 (3rd year) 0-12 (2nd year) FIRST FBS GAME IN THE NATION: Georgia State hosts the first Career Record 13-9 (3rd year) 20-48 (7th year) FBS f game o 2014 as Abilene Christian visits the Georgia Dome for a 7 p.m. Series Record First meeting contest that will be nationally-televised on ESPNU. Both programs have been on the move, with Georgia State completing SEASON OPENERS: For the fifth time in five seasons of football, its transition to the FBS level, while Abilene Christian is a newcomer to Georgia State is opening the season on a weeknight at the Georgia Dome, Division I after making the climb from Division II to FCS. including two Thursday night games and two Friday night contests before Entering its second season under head coach Trent Miles, Georgia State this year’s Wednesday night affair. The Panthers are 2-2 in season openers. returns2 1 starters and 34 letterwinners, led by preseason all-conference linebacker Joseph Peterson. The defense also features young standouts POUNDING THE ROCK: s A Georgia State builds its program, head like defensive end Shawayne Lawrence and outside linebacker Mackendy coach Trent Miles has used the metaphor “pounding the rock.” He reminds Cheridor, both sophomores. the Panthers that if you keep pounding the rock, keep working and chip- The Panthers’ top returnee on offense is also a sophomore in wide ping away, eventually it will break. receiver Robert Davis, who was one of the nation’s top freshmen pass- Even though it was not reflected in the win column, progress was catchers a year ago with 44 receptions for 711 yards. Junior college transfer evident during Miles’ first season at the helm as the Panthers dropped four Nick Arbuckle will make his first start at quarterback. gamesy b a touchdown or less in 2013, including a 35-33 loss to Sun Belt Senior punter Matt Hubbard is an all-star candidate with a career co-champion Arkansas State. GSU scored a touchdown with two minutes averagef o 42.3 yards per kick. lefto t pull within two points, but the try for a game-tying two-point ACU has posted eight straight winning seasons. The Wildcats compiled conversion failed. a 7-4 record in 2012 in their final season in Division II and then began their Against co-champion UL-Lafayette, Georgia State tied the game at transitiono t Division I with a 6-5 mark in 2013, when they featured a high- 21-21 with five minutes left in the third quarter before ULL won 35-21. powered offense that averaged 487 yards and 45.5 points per game. The Panthers fell by a single score in three straight games against Head coach Ken Collums is in his third season as the ACU head coach Jacksonville State (32-26 in overtime), Troy (35-28) and Texas State (24-17). after previously serving as the program’s offensive coordinator. In each game, GSU was leading or tied in the fourth quarter. The two teams are meeting for the first time in football. FIRST-TIME STARTERS: Georgia State’s depth chart features 11 new FULL FBS MEMBER: Georgia State, which began playing football starters, including eight players on offense who are projected to make their in s 2010, i now fully certified as an NCAA FBS program. Beginning this first start. Nick Arbuckle will be the Panthers’ fifth different opening-day year, s GSU i eligible for the Sun Belt Conference title and postseason bowl starting quarterback in five seasons. games. The situation is reversed on defense, where eight of the 11 projected The move to FBS was a two-year transition which began in 2012. On starters have previously started at least one game. The three first-time April, 9 2012, Georgia State accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt starters are all in the secondary in cornerbacks Bruce Dukes and Marcus Conference and move to the FBS level. That fall, the Panthers played an FCS Caffey and safety Nate Simon. and CAA schedule. In 2013, Georgia State played its first season in the Sun Placekicker Wil Lutz and punter Matt Hubbard are returning starters, Belt while completing its FBS transition. but long-snapper Daniel Zeigler is a first-time starter. 2014 SCHEDULE & RESULTS (All times Eastern) Date Opponent Time TV Site Series Result Aug. 27 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 7 p.m. ESPNU GEORGIA DOME 0-0 Sept. 6 NEW MEXICO STATE 2 p.m. ESPN3 GEORGIA DOME 0-0 Sept. 13 AIR FORCE 2 p.m. ESPN3 GEORGIA DOME 0-0 Sept. 20 at Washington (25/25) TBA TBA Seattle, Wash. 0-0 Oct. 4 at UL Lafayette 7 p.m. TBA Lafayette, La. 0-1 Oct. 11 ARKANSAS STATE (Homecoming) 2 p.m. TBA GEORGIA DOME 0-1 Oct. 18 at South Alabama TBA TBA Mobile, Ala. 0-1 Oct. 25 GEORGIA SOUTHERN TBA TBA GEORGIA DOME 0-0 Nov. 1 at Appalachian State TBA TBA Boone, N.C. 0-0 Nov. 8 at Troy 3 p.m. TBA Troy, Ala. 0-1 Nov. 22 at Clemson (16/16) TBA TBA Clemson, S.C. 0-0 Nov. 29 TEXAS STATE 2 p.m. TBA GEORGIA DOME 0-1 2014 GEORGIA STATE FOOTBALL NOTES, PAGE 2 GAME 1: GSU VS. ABILENE CHRISTIAN GENERAL INFORMATION JOE PETE: Georgia State’s top returnee on LOOKING AHEAD: Georgia State’s future Full Name Georgia State University defense is junior linebacker Joseph Peterson, aka non-conference schedules features an ambitious Joe Pete. array of opponents from Power 5 conferences, Location Atlanta, GA The 6-0, 225-pounder has led the Panthers combined with regional foes. Founded 1913 in tackles the last two seasons, collecting a total Most recently, GSU announced that the Enrollment 32,000 of 168 career hits to rank second in GSU history. Panthers will open the 2018 season by hosting Nickname Panthers In 2013 he was third in the Sun Belt Conference Atlanta neighbor Kennesaw State, which begins Colors Blue & White with 9.4 tackles per game. its program in 2015. After earning honorable mention All-Sun The following non-conference games have Affiliation NCAA Division I FBS Belt honors last fall, Peterson enters 2014 as a been scheduled: Conference Sun Belt Conference preseason all-conference pick. 2015: Charlotte (home); UAB (away); Oregon President Mark P. Becker (away); Liberty (home). Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb NFL FLAVOR: The Georgia State coaching 2016: Air Force (away); Wisconsin (away); staff features significant coaching and playing UAB (home). experience in the National Football League. 2017: Charlotte (away); Penn State (away). COACHING STAFF Head coach Trent Miles spent the 2000 season as 2018: Kennesaw State (home); NC State Head Coach Trent Miles an assistant coach on Mike Sherman’s staff with (away). Assistant Head Coach/ Harold Etheridge the Green Bay Packers. It was there that he first Offensive Line worked with Jeff Jagodzinski, now his offensive RINGING THE BELL: Backup quarter- Offensive Coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski coordinator at GSU. Jagodzinski served on the back Ronnie Bell owns or shares several school Packers’ staff from 1999-03, then moved to the records. Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter Atlanta Falcons as tight ends coach (2004) and He enters his junior season as Georgia State’s Wide Receivers Tim Lappano offensive line coach (2005) before returning to career leader in passing yards (3,095) and total Running Backs Brock Lough Green Bay as offensive coordinator in 2006. offense (3,261). He is tied for the career lead with Quarterbacks Luke Huard Wide receivers coach Tim Lappano joined 18 touchdown passes. Defensive Line Shannon Jackson the GSU staff this year after five years with the Last season, when he started 11 of 12 games, Detroit Lions, where he coached All-Pro Calvin Bell set GSU season records with 2,573 yards Linebackers/Recruiting Coord. P.J. Volker Johnson last fall. Lappano previously coached passing and 2,686 yards of total offense. Secondary/Special Teams J.D. Williams with San Francisco (2003-04) and Seattle (1998). Bell tied the school record with four touch- Graduate Assistants Ronnie Fouch (off.), Secondary coach and special teams coordi- down passes against Troy, when he completed Koby Kraemer (rec.) Tom Moak (off.), nator J.D. Williams was a first-round draft pick in 22 passes for 370 yards in the game, the third- Liam Smith (def.), Jay Volker (def.) 1990 by the Buffalo Bills, for whom he played in highest total in GSU annals. Strength & Conditioning Ben Pollard four straight Super Bowls. His six-year NFL career also included stops in Arizona and San Francisco.