September 2 at Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA
Georgia State is coming off its first bowl appearance in just its third year in Division 1, but year four did not start well.
The Panthers led 14-7 very early in the second quarter, then allowed 24 unanswered points as Ball State won 31-21.
A lot didn't go well for GSU in this one, most notably the 325 rushing yards allowed (James Gilbert rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns) and the 77 rushing yards gained. The Panthers had -2 yards on the ground at halftime, so technically the second half was a dominant effort in comparison.
Some good things for Georgia State:
* Redshirt freshman Aaron Winchester didn't start at quarterback, but he did collect 59 yards on eight carries (7.4 average), mostly on designed QB draws, and had a nice touchdown in the fourth quarter for GSU's final points. I thought starter Conner Manning was fine under center (21-for-32, 163 yards with a TD & INT), but I'm betting Winchester becomes the starter at some point.
Remember: Sun Belt Conference player of the year Nick Arbuckle graduated, so GSU has to fill a huge hole in 2016.
* Cornerback Jerome Smith ended each of Ball State's first two possessions with interceptions, including a 48-yard return for a TD on the fourth play of the game for the first points of the season.
I'm interested to see how GSU handles these next three games and avoids the very real possibility of starting 0-4.
Next week they visit Air Force, which in the last two seasons has won 8 and 10 games under Troy Calhoun and is currently on a 12-game winning streak at Falcon Stadium (last loss in November, 2013). That's followed by trips to Wisconsin and Appalachian State, which should've won at No. 9 Tennessee on Thursday.