Takeaways from Georgia State Football’s Spring Game

Takeaways from Georgia State Football's Spring Game

The truth is there’s only so much you can learn from spring games. The roster’s nowhere near full and any key freshmen that may be arriving on campus in the summer or fall are still in high school. Still, it’s great to temporarily end the break from football and there were some general takeaways to note from GSU’s spring game Saturday, April 13:

  • QB runs – As we predicted in our preview of what Brad Glenn would bring to Georgia Statethe playcalling featured a lot of quarterback runs – mostly designed and some with the QB extending a play with their legs. Dan Ellington said postgame that Glenn’s offense is “quarterback-driven” and “gives the quarterbacks a lot of freedom” – and that’s clear to see from just one game. Good QB play is important in any offense, but in this system – with the impact they’re asked to bring in both facets – it’s going to be especially key.
  • Defensive improvements – 2018 was a bad year for Georgia State’s defense. There’s no sugarcoating it. So even in a spring game against an offense not at full strength and not using a full playbook, it’s promising to see a stout defense forcing a lot of three-and-outs, too many tackles-for-loss to track by eye and turnovers – two interceptions and one fumble recovery. And in general, the defensive line was getting consistent pressure on the QB, a must for success in 2019. The defense needs to improve tenfold on last season for Georgia State to achieve their season goals, and this was a good step towards that.
  • Right mentality – This one is a bit more subjective but judging from the postgame remarks from coach Shawn Elliott, Dan Ellington and wide receiver Christian Owens, the team is forward-looking and not worried about last year. Ellington’s talking about Sun Belt Player of the Year campaigns and going bowling – it’s not a team that’s still feeling snakebit by 2018. Now, there are undoubtedly guys with lingering memories of 2018. But the team isn’t focused on the struggles of last season – their attention is just on being good in 2019.
%d bloggers like this: