Senior Day Against An Old Foe
ODU had a short playing history with many of the SBC East teams before it joined the conference. Some of that history was great, such as with JMU and Coastal. Some of that history was not, such as App. State and Ga. Southern. On November 25th, ODU will host its last game and Senior Day against a team it has a good history with. In fact, ODU beat Georgia State three straight times from 2010 to 2012. That goes back to when ODU Hall of Famer Thomas DeMarco was the Monarchs’ quarterback. But last year in Atlanta, ODU fell to Ga. State for the first time bringing the series to 3-1. The offensive line struggled to stop the Panther pass rush and the defense struggled to contain quarterback Darren Grainger in a 31-17 loss at old Turner Field (yes, they play in the Atlanta Braves former baseball stadium for one of the most unique college football stadiums in the country and I refuse to call it by its new name). This year, ODU will have a chance to extend their lead in the series when the Panthers return to Norfolk.
Coach Shawn Elliott returns for his seventh season. He has taken the Panthers to four bowl games, winning three of them in his tenure. However, his seat is starting to feel a little warm as the Panthers underperformed last season with a 4-8 record and missed a bowl game for the first time since 2018. If they miss a bowl game this year, his seat may get warmer. However he returns 12 starters including star quarterback Darren Grainger so he will have an opportunity to right the ship this season.
Grainger has started for the Panthers the past two seasons after transferring from Furman. He is a dual-threat quarterback who topped 300 yards passing three times and was Georgia State’s leading rusher (734, 4.5 yards per carry). He was the only quarterback to take a snap last year and that should be true again this year. Grainger enters his final year as the undisputed heart and soul of the team. He could have his best season yet if he can find playmakers to help him carry the load.
The rest of the offense brings back six starters, three of which on the offensive line. However, the beat-up offensive line allowed 25 sacks in their last six games. They will need to stay healthy if that number is going to improve. Furthermore, the Panthers lost their top two running backs including Tucker Gregg who held the team record for career rushing yards (2,265). Marcus Carroll and KZ Adams will likely be the leading rushers but they have limited experience and neither will have more rushing yards than Grainger. They also lost First Team SBC wide receiver Jarmari Thrash who transferred to Louisville in the ACC. He had three times as many yards as the next receiver. The Panthers return the other starting receivers but finding any playmakers outside of Grainger may be tough. We may see a regression for an offense that scored 30.8 points per conference game (3rd in SBC).
The defense returns 5 starters from a unit that allowed 31 points per conference game (12th in SBC) and 394 yards per conference game (9th in SBC). Elliott brings in new defensive coordinator Chad Staggs who spent last year coaching Coastal Carolina’s defense. That may not be what Panthers fans want to hear because Coastal’s defense had problems last year. However, the Panthers return 6 of their top 8 tacklers so improvement is likely but will have to increase their sack number (27 in ‘22) to be more effective. The defense moves to a four-man front, moving key pieces on the defensive line around which may have a slight learning curve but the unit is more experienced than before. Jontrey Hunter, Justin Abraham and Jordan Veneziale return to a loaded linebacker corps. Clemson transfer Kevin Swint also adds talent and can play defensive end and linebacker. However, the secondary lost a pair of All-SBC starters and brought back only one starter, Bryquice Brown at corner. The pass-happy teams in the SBC may be out for blood against this unit.
This Georgia State team has a high ceiling and a low floor. They could win only two games or they could win as many as seven. Vegas predicts the Panthers will win 5.5 games. If this unit did not have a quarterback as talented as Grainger they would probably be seen as a SBC basement dweller. Even with Grainger it is hard to imagine the Panthers competing with Coastal Carolina or Marshall to win the SBC East.
ODU may even match up well against them, especially with the Panthers coming off a game in Death Valley against LSU. Jason Henderson’s task will be to limit Grainger on the ground. ODU’s receivers may have a big day too. But Senior Day is a long time from now and a lot of things can change for both teams by then. Regardless, ODU hopes to extend its series lead when the Panthers come to Norfolk on November 25th.