After another rough season, things are finally looking up.

By Pete Fiutak | @PeteFiutak

Georgia State came up with a thrilling overtime win over South Alabama in the middle of the 2011 season. It was just the third season ever for both programs, but USA turned out to be okay going 6-4 – it was a good win for GSU.

And that’s pretty much it for the highlights of the history of Georgia State football.

To be fair, the program has only been around for five years and it’s still trying to create a football team from scratch. However, going 2-33 in three seasons and with the lone victory in FBS world a fight against Abilene Christian to start last year, this hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride.

But that’s what’s supposed to happen when you’re trying to go from 0-to-60. Obviously, it’s hard to put together a Sun Belt champion right away, but others – like South Alabama – have at least enjoyed some success. Georgia State is overdue for the good times to start, and this year might have a few of them.

At the very least, the team was more fun last year. It was more competitive as the 2013 season wore on, but there wasn’t a more thrilling game all season long than the 38-37 firefight against Abilene Christian to kick-off the season. The defense couldn’t stop anyone – oddly enough, the fewest points allowed in any game came in the 28-0 loss to Clemson – but after scoring more than 28 points just once in all of 2013, the O scored 31 or more six times.

There were some moments when the whole thing just didn’t work – the 44-0 loss to Appalachian State being front and center – but there were also several signs that the season might have been just the sort of experience-getter needed to start to make some big things happen.

Georgia State isn’t at Sun Belt championship level quite yet, but QB Nick Arbuckle leads a veteran offense that gets back almost all of the top skill players and only loses two starters off the line. The attack should be more explosive, and even more consistent.

The defense that couldn’t stop you and ten friends last year took its lumps with underclassmen. This year, there has to be a payoff with ten starters returning including big-hitting linebacker Joseph Peterson.

It’s still going to be a process, and there will still be moments when it looks like the wheels are coming off, but Georgia State isn’t going to be a speedbump anymore.

What You Need To Know About The Offense: After a good season, the Panthers will come up with even more pop and explosion with QB Nick Arbuckle back along with almost all the top receiving weapons. The Panthers finished 25th in the nation in yards, partly because they had to keep up thanks to a defense that gave up points in bunches. The balance should be there as long as the score doesn’t get out of hand early. Marcus Caffey is a good back working behind an experienced enough line to be stronger.

What You Need To Know About The Defense: There’s a ton of returning experience, but the production needs to follow. Ten starters return, but it’s a defense that finished dead last in the nation in scoring D and was a disaster when it came to takeaways, run defense, and coming up with a meaningful stop. Seven of the top eight tacklers are back, and most of the production from the meager pass rush returns. This isn’t going to be a brick wall, but there’s too much promise and potential not to be better. The D can’t be any worse.

What to watch for on offense: A lot more pop. Offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski was a rising superstar coaching prospect after heading up Boston College, but his time in the NFL didn’t work out for a variety of reasons. Part of the fun since 2013, it’s been a rough ride putting it all together, but he has the quarterback in Nick Arbuckle, and he has the weapons at this point with Donovan Harden and Robert Davis leading the way. The passing game should be able to keep up the pace a bit more to make up for the problems on defense.

What to watch for on defense: The experience has to translate into some semblance of production. Dead last in the nation in scoring defense by two points – sort of a bigger difference than it might appear – there’s still a long way to go before the D can at least be mediocre. However, just about everyone is back – for good or bad. Joseph Peterson is a strong inside linebacker, and Tarris Batiste and Trey Payne are also producers in the back seven, but the D overall has to find one thing it can do right. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has the veterans to work with, and he has the depth, but now the group has to come up with a stop here and there.

The team will be far better if … the defense can get off the field. It all ties in together – it’s been a massive problem over the last few seasons. The run defense was absolutely miserable, and that led to opposing offenses having an easy time to convert third down chances. Last year, the defense allowed teams to convert over half of their third down tries, with Georgia Southern hitting on 7-of-8 chances and Arkansas State getting the job done 10-of-13 times.

The schedule: There aren’t a lot of big non-conference payday games for a program that’s still building. However, going to Oregon will be ugly and the date at Ball State will at least be interesting.
– Georgia Southern destroyed Georgia State 69-31 last year, cranking up 613 rushing yards and ten scores. The season finale will be telling to see how far the Panthers have come.
– There’s a rough stretch of three road games in four dates, but other than that, it’s not a horrible slate considering the team only leaves Georgia once over the final five games.
– The Panthers miss ULM in Sun Belt play, but not getting a chance at Idaho is a disaster – that would’ve been a winnable game for GSU.
– WATCH OUT FOR … Charlotte. It’s a young 49er program that’s in its first season in the FBS world, and it’s bad. It’s in the Georgia Dome, and it’s GSU’s opener. The Panthers can NOT lose this.

Best offensive player: Senior QB Nick Arbuckle. The offense needed a steadier quarterback who could bomb away, and Arbuckle turned out to be the right guy. The JUCO transfer from California kept throwing and throwing some more averaging 274 yards per game with 23 scores. He’s not all that big, but he’s strong, has a live arm, and he knows what he’s doing. He’s a baller who’ll keep pressing the plays down the field. He’ll have to limit the mistakes after throwing 17 picks, but that’s because he had keep pushing to keep up the pace.

Best defensive player: Senior LB Joseph Peterson. He’s trying his best. The defense might not have done much of anything, and the production certainly wasn’t there, but Peterson kept on tackling, leading the team with 97 stops after coming up with 103 in 2013. Active, quick, and sure in the open field, he gets around the ball, even if too many plays are happening down the field. With his athleticism, he should be able to get into the backfield more, too.

Key player to a successful season: Junior NG Jalen Lawrence. If the run defense is going to be any better, and if the defense as a whole is going to improve in any way, it has to start with the tackles holding up on first downs. Junior Tevin Jones is a 6-4, 270-pound veteran, and 6-2, 290-pound David Huey is a big body on the nose, but it’s the 6-1, 285-pound Lawrence who’ll have to be the anchor. Active and quick, he made 39 tackles and moved around well. It’ll be his job, though, to not get moved.

The season will be a success if … Georgia State wins four games. There’s not enough talent to make too big a splash, and there’s too much experience to come with another totally lost year. Beating Charlotte and New Mexico State to start the season will be a must, and Liberty needs to be a must win. Can there be an upset along the way? It’s time – the program has waited far too long to experience any success.

Key game: Sept. 12 at New Mexico State. The Panthers can’t lose the New Mexico State game again. Last year’s 34-31 shootout loss was a rough one – that was the one team GSU’s size. It’s on the road, and it’s the Sun Belt opener. Win this, and all of a sudden the season might seem like a positive.

2014 Fun Stats:
– Average Rushing Yards Per Game: Opponents 303.4 – Georgia State 96.3
– Sacks: Opponents 31 for 184 yards – Georgia State 12 for 76 yards
– Takeaways: Georgia State 30 – Opponents 8

Players You Need To Know

1. LB Joseph Peterson, Sr.
Arguably the best defensive player in the Sun Belt, he might not be huge at 6-0 and 225 pounds, and he might not be blazing fast, but he doesn’t miss a tackle, he’s always around the ball, and he’s the ultimate team leader creating a great presence and a defensive attitude. Following a 65-stop true freshman season, he came up with 103 stops and two sacks as a sophomore, dominating games for a defense that couldn’t stop anyone. Last year he came up with 97 tackles with a pick and three sacks despite missing two games. There wasn’t a better player in the conference over the first month of the season, coming up with double-digit tackles in each of the first four games, coming up with 53 stops including 15 against New Mexico State and 14 against Washington. Physical, he has to make sure he doesn’t wear down – he has made plenty of plays in his career because he only goes one speed.

2. QB Nick Arbuckle, Sr.
The offense needed a spark to crank things up, and that was Arbuckle from the start, throwing for 413 yards and four scores in the opener against Abilene Christian, and hitting the 400-yard mark against both Georgia Southern and Air Force. He finished the year with 3,283 yards and 23 touchdowns, hitting 60% of his passes, but he also threw 17 interceptions with two or more six times. At 6-1 and 215 pounds he’s not built like a big bomber, but the JUCO transfer from Pierce College in California can stretch the field and will hang in the pocket and take his lumps. At the very least, he gives the Panthers a chance.

3. WR Donovan Harden, Sr.
Not just the team’s leading receiver, Harden also turned into a good punt returner averaging 11 yards per try when he got his chances. At 5-11 and 175 pounds, he’s not huge, but he can move and he can cut on a dime, catching 60 passes for 885 yards and seven touchdowns. The California native and former Illinois State transfer got past a knee injury to produce throughout the season, coming up with a phenomenal two-game stretch catching 21 catches for 318 yards and six touchdowns against South Alabama and Georgia Southern – that helped get him First Team All-Sun Belt honors.

4. LB Trey Payne, Soph.
Making a splash right away in his redshirt freshman season, Payne finished second on the team with 88 tackles and got behind the line from time to time with 6.5 tackles for loss despite missing the first game of the year. At 6-0 and 230 pounds he’s built for the inside, coming up with ten tackles or more five times with 13 against Washington and 12 against Texas State. Physical, smart, and with good upside, he should be one of the team’s top tacklers for the next three seasons.

5. WR Robert Davis, Jr.
All the tools are there to be among the Sun Belt’s best receivers, following up a 44-catch, 771-yard, four score 2013 with 50 grabs for 732 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by a six-catch, 117-yard, one score day in the loss to Texas State. At 6-3 and 198 pounds, he has excellent size and knows how to use his frame and body against the smaller defensive backs. With nice speed, he can get deep and be used as a deep threat more – he can be the No. 1 target at times.

6. TE Joel Ruiz, Sr.
A good-sized tight end who turned into a nice receiver, earning all-star honors, he can hit a little bit, but he made his impact as a target making 39 catches for 478 yards and three touchdowns. He started out the season hot, catching seven passes for 111 yards and two scores against Abilene Christian, and he was a good target throughout the year before tailing off late, catching just two passes for 14 yards over the last three games.

7. RB/CB Marcus Caffey, Sr.
The ground game went nowhere at times, and the offense revolved around the passing game, but Caffey did his part to give the offense a little bit of production. The former defensive back and JUCO transfer has good speed and 6-0, 195-pound size, and he looked the part when injuries hit the backfield leading the team with 354 yards and three scores. Will he go back to the secondary? He made ten tackles and broke up three passes to start the year at corner, and took off for 90 yards and three touchdowns in his first game at running back against Louisiana-Lafayette. However, he didn’t run for a score the rest of the way.

8. PK Wil Lutz, Sr.
While he didn’t get much of a chance to be a difference-maker, the former walk-on still did his part hitting 7-of-8 field goals including a 48-yarder against Louisiana-Lafayette. His only miss was a 48-yard try against Georgia Southern, and he only attempted one field goal over the final four games, but he has a great midrange leg as one of the Sun Belt’s most reliable kickers.

9. S Tarris Batiste, Sr.
The former Indiana State Sycamore has 6-1, 210-pound size makes plenty of big plays all over the field. A good tackler, he came up with 86 tackles to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss, holding up well and coming up with good games against Texas State – with 13 tackles – and Clemson making 12 stops. With his size and physical ability, he can be used like a linebacker, but his athleticism makes him right for the secondary.

10. CB Bruce Dukes, Sr.
A good tackling corner, he has decent 5-10, 195-pound size and the talent to have started out his career at UCF for a few years. Smart and tough, he’s great in the open field with 44 of his 62 tackles solo stops with six broken up passes and a forced fumble. The team doesn’t come up with enough interceptions and Dukes has to make up for that with more big plays against the pass.