Georgia State preps for all-around speed, depth of No. 5 Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- No matter the dollar amount on the check his school will collect -- and it's reportedly a pretty sizable one -- Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott said there is a lot at stake when the Panthers head to State College Saturday night to play No. 5 Penn State.

"[What can we] gain? Well, first and foremost is a win," Elliott said Monday on a conference call. "I know you probably sit there and laugh, but we’re going up there to play that football game just like any other. ... This is a great opportunity for us to go up there against one of the top-ranked teams in the country and measure ourselves right against the very, very best, whether it be their coaching staff or their players on offense or defense or their special teams."

In 2014, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the Panthers would collect $1.2 million -- which ties the school's largest play to pay amount -- for showing up for their non-conference game Saturday night in Happy Valley. Penn State opened as 38.5-point favorites over Georgia State and while the game will be carried on the Big Ten Network -- something Elliott said is a big deal for his players -- trying to even keep pace with the Nittany Lions will be a tall order.



Georgia State is coming off a bye week after it opened the season with a 17-10 loss to Tennessee State and Elliott, in his first year as head coach at the school, said his team treated the past week a lot like training camp. The return to fundamentals was met with the realization that this Penn State roster, highlighted by Heisman candidate Saquon Barkley, is reminiscent of the power and speed of an SEC roster, Elliott said. Elliott served as an assistant coach and then interim head coach (2015) at South Carolina all from 2010-2016 before accepting the head coaching job at Georgia State.

"They can run," Elliott said. "You see it across the board and I think their secondary is very, very talented and skilled and they can matchup with probably anybody in the country and then you take the big back like Barkley right there and he’s got good speed. Is it great speed? I don’t know about that, but he’s just so powerful. They’re comparable. Up front they’re strong and physical and fast and you probably don’t see the big-time pass rusher that you typically see in the SEC, but man they’re a good football team."

It's an interesting observation about the lack of an elite pass rusher because one thing Penn State has shown through two games is depth. While so far there hasn't been one splashy defensive end or defensive tackle, the Lions got five sacks against Pitt, one of which came off a corner blitz from Grant Haley.

But how does this Georgia State team, before collecting its check, try and keep Barkley in check? That's a question Elliott had to think through, understanding all too well the same conundrum that Akron had, which is who on the scout team is even close to the level of Barkley? Is there anyone on this roster with even similar strength, power and size?

"There’s not a whole lot you can do mimicking a guy like him. There’s just not," Elliott said. "He’s a class above a lot of guys and for us to mimic him would be almost crazy, but we’ve got a back that’s going to run hard this week and get us prepared. As long as we’re making our fits, getting to the football, hopefully we’ll be OK.”

And if they're not OK and the Nittany Lions' powerful aerial attack picks them apart, playing in Beaver Stadium in front of a large television audience will still be an experience for Georgia State.

"Win or lose Penn State is going to know we came up there to play a football game," he said. "I can assure you of that.”

QUICK HITS

• Penn State's depth chart for this week was released Monday night and it featured no surprises. The closest thing to a surprise was Penn State acknowledging what it's done the last two weeks on the field by making Barkley the No. 1 kick returner ahead of Miles Sanders.

• Barkley, after accounting for 183 all-purpose yards against Pitt, was named to this week's Paul Hornung Honor Role. The award was given to five players for this past week and honors the most versatile player in college football.

• James Franklin will talk Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. in the Beaver Stadium media room for his weekly news conference. As usual, the Lions made their corrections during Sunday's workout, were off Monday and will pick up with the practice schedule Tuesday afternoon.