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At the suggestion of his uncle, I talked to Jacksonville State offensive coordinator Ronnie Letson Thursday. Letson is a local, having graduated from Norcross High before going on to play quarterback at Ole Miss. Letson is just 33 but has been the Gamecocks' coordinator since 2005.
He had some stuff to say about Georgia State that I think you'll find interesting.
A bit about Letson: He didn't actually intend to go into coaching after he earned a business degree at Ole Miss and even started working as a loan officer before graduation in 2000.
He took a grad assistant job at Jacksonville State, anticipating earning his MBA and moving on, but then the wide receivers coach left and Letson got a full-time job and a future profession.
"When I got here, I realized how much I loved it and (that) it was what I wanted to do and been in it ever since," he said.
Some notes:
1. Letson called the shots for the offense in Jacksonville State's upset of Ole Miss in the opener. You'll Gamecocks outscored Ole Miss 21-3 in the fourth. Letson, who calls more than 90 percent of JSU's plays, said the difference wasn't the playcalling.
"To be honest with you, we didn't run many different plays in the fourth quarter than we did in the first three," he said. "It's just players started making plays. We were an inch away here, a block away here, whatever it may be, and all of a sudden, players started clicking and making plays and they overcame everything that came at them."
2. A case in point was a dump-off pass to Calvin Middleton (from North Cobb High) that went for about 15 yards in the Gamecocks' game-tying drive. Middleton missed a blitz pickup, which allowed a linebacker a free shot at quarterback Marques Ivory (Northside-Warner Robins High). However, Middleton was quick enough to realize he missed the pickup and turned towards Ivory, who dumped the ball to him for the long gain.
Letson said the play is one reason why he (along with most coordinators, I imagine) thinks people make too big a deal of playcalling. Sometimes coordinators make the right play call and players don't execute. Other times, they make bad play calls and the players compensate for it.
3. Jacksonville State liberally used backup quarterback (and true freshman) Coty Blanchard, even in the fourth quarter and overtime. He played less against Tennessee-Chattanooga last week, as starter Marques Ivory played more snaps. He said it is a Gamecocks strategy to get the backup snaps early in the game so he's ready in case of injury.
4. Letson said he recruited Kelton Hill and Drew Little, but ultimately the coaching staff decided not to offer scholarships to quarterbacks for the 2009 signing class. (Quarterback Steven Coates from Southwest DeKalb signed this past spring.) Even still, the staff almost offered Hill a scholarship as an "athlete" but decided against it.
"They both actually came to our camp during the summer," he said. "Both (were) high on our board. We have a lot of respect for those guys."
5. On Georgia State's defense: "Very talented on defense. Their schemes are very multiple. (Coordinator) John Thompson does a very good job. I know he's only had a very short time of playing games, but you can tell he does a lot of stuff, tries to cause a lot of confusion and you've got to prepare for different things he can bring you."
6. Defensive players he said impressed him: Cornerback Brent McClendon, linebacker Jake Muasau, defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi. "They're all pretty good," he said, meaning all of the players on the defense. "I don't know if they really have a weakness for a team only starting up. They've got a lot of good players and a lot more than what you would expect."
7. His thoughts on Georgia State: "I don't know much about the CAA. I know it's a very strong conference. We don't see them much on film. … I know it's probably going to be a lot of travel for them, but Georgia State's got 30,000 students. You're in the heart of Atlanta. I don't think that there'll be any problems competing [in] three, four, five years. I think they'll compete nationally, to be honest with you."
Thanks for reading. What do you think?
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September 17th, 2010
9:14 am
Good write up. I contended for a while that we were one of the only schools offering Kelton Hill as a QB instead of an ATH and that's why he signed.
The more I think about this game, the closer it gets to me. I really don't see JSU putting up 40+ points on the defense.
September 17th, 2010
9:47 am
GStateBen: And as a remember, you didn't think broke-ass, NAIA-playing Lambuth wasn't going to win either. KEEP DREAMING!!!
September 17th, 2010
9:55 am
Good information, Ken. Marcus Ivory had a heck of a game in his last appearance at the Georgia Dome as a senior at Northside High. I know it was high school, but I always thought he was a heck of an athlete.
On Kelton Hill, a thought the biggest drawback on him was size. Wasn't he also a good baseball player at Lithia Springs?
September 17th, 2010
10:29 am
With the FB talent in Georgia and with the larger state football program in decline, GSU should be able to recruit well and can eventually compete on a national level.
The CAA is a conference doing well this year with the success of Richmond and William and Mary.
I would like to eventually see GSU ranked every few years in the top 25.
September 17th, 2010
10:47 am
83 Alum: NEWS FLASH!!! The CAA does well each year. UMass, Richmond, Delaware and James Madison and Villanova have all won national championships. We are awaiting GSU's arrival for an annual soft spot on our schedules. We don't lose to NAIA schools, we beat FBS schools.
Just like you all are the doormat in basketball in our conference, get ready for the same treatment in football.
Top 25? You all will probably be No. 12 in our league and there are only ten football-playing schools. Worry about Jacksonville State, and let the big boys play.
September 17th, 2010
10:51 am
Let's go Gamecocks!!!! I was at the UTC game…This team has a "can't quit" attitude!!
September 17th, 2010
11:02 am
I like the opposing coach's view, Ken. And keep up the local talent parentheticals. Cool to see who's playing for local pride.
September 17th, 2010
11:08 am
GoCocks: UTC has a good team. They give App State all it wanted before losing.
However, you will find on this blog that Georgia State is not worried about some smalltown team in Jacksonville, Statesboro or Kennesaw. They are a national research university with over 180,000 alumni playing in a world-class facility. They have bigger fish to fry than an East Alabama college. Their AD is awaiting a call any day now from the Big East or C-USA commissioner to accept an invite into their FBS conference.
You do know that GSU has 30,000 students and are in the middle of one of the biggest football talent pools in the country. They are coached by the legendary Bill Curry, who after Saturday will be 23 games under .500.
September 17th, 2010
11:11 am
To the that utilizes Lambuth Sucks as his/her username: Lambuth doesn't suck. They are now 13-2 over their last 15 games.
Read my blog and witness that I said it was a much tougher game because their team went 12-1 last year and returned a veteran offensive and defensive line. I thought Georgia State would win a closer game (which they could have up 14-9 in the 4th quarter) and needed the defense to step vs. their 6′8 WR (which they did).
The schedule was built this way on purpose, Shorter, Lambuth and Jacksonville State. Progressively getting more difficult.
It's funny you continue to talk about financial woes with colleges. How's the State of Georgia secondary colleges doing? Ask Lagrange, Mercer, West Georgia about how the economy is affecting them.
We'll see you at the Dome on Saturday. Ready for Panther football!
September 17th, 2010
11:14 am
Also, vocal fans represent the fans, not the university. If you'd like an educated conversation I'd love to speak with you. Visit my blog via PantherTalk.
We are in a conference (the CAA) and will be joining that conference in 2012. Do we aspire for more? Yes. Are we dillusional? Sometimes. FBS schools will be reclassifying by 2014 and there will be major moves in the Sun Belt, Conference USA and the Big East.
September 17th, 2010
11:19 am
I'm glad to hear Ga. State has a team now. However, let us not forget that Georgia Southern University is back on the prowl with the triple option. We will be contending for the national title at the FCS level within a year or two…maybe this year if our D keeps playing lights out. I know little Statesboro is 3 hours away from the Metropolis of Atlanta, but let's not forget the other D1 school in the state. We always hear about UGA, Ga. Tech, and now Ga. State. How about some more write ups about Georgia Southern. We recruit heavily in Atlanta, and have several thousand grads living in the Atlanta area. Can't wait to play Ga. State one year and show how to play ball down south…HA!…Go Eagles!!!
September 17th, 2010
11:26 am
Woody Hayes' Book Club: It's called "coach speak". What do you expect Ronnie Letson to say.
The truth:
On Hill & Little: "Kelton Hill was too short and Drew Little was too fat to take a chance on"
On Georgia State: "The school has 180,000 with only a couple really giving a darn about football or athletics. The schools borders crime-infested Auburn Avenue in the middle of downtown Atlanta. The two neighboring parts are were the bums hangout to play chess and sleep at night."
I'll give you a heads up after Jax State whips that butt Saturday. Here is the quote and interpretation:
WHEN HE SAYS: "We were lucky to win today. That was a tough and determined team that we beat."
HE MEANS: "That team doesn't belong on the same field as us, but when their head coach gets fired in a couple years and ends up on my staff, I need him to want to work for me. By the way, our AD should know better than to take a chance on this guy. He should be coaching high school tennis."
GStateBen: Keep believing that and you will be OK. So I guess the lights will be out at Mercer, Shorter and LaGrange college. Lambuth has always been and always will be a financially poor school. You can sugar coat it any way you want to feel better. Lambuth/Morris Brown/FIsk they are all the same.
GSU has had a year to get ready for this two scholarship school with all its FBS tranfers and hot recruits. Lambuth is an also-ran NAIA school with a washed up coach.
GSU as a major player in the restructure of the NCAA FBS. LMAO. Have they added a comedy major at GSU, because you are cracking me up.
Dillusional? ALL THE TIME.
Let's here more!!!!!
September 17th, 2010
11:40 am
Wow, the trolls are out in full force once again! Please don't feed them. What will they say when we beat Jax State in a barnburner?
Or…will they finally take a long walk off a short pier?
September 17th, 2010
11:45 am
Why would large conference come after GSU? We are in the #9 Largest Demographic and the #7 media market in the country. We play in Atlanta. Major conferences approached us when Lefty was the coach, we didn't have football then. We do now.
Why do you think Gary Stokan and the ASC is grabbing two games for the Chick Fil A kickoff in 2013 when they open the college football hall of fame? Because this is a market that it can succeed.
It's great to criticize that we had all this time to get ready. Do you know that we had nearly half of our starting offense and defense haven't worked with a coach until Fall practice started? Not making excuses, just stating facts.
Don't come to a gun fight with a pencil. Don't let facts get in the way of a good argument.
September 17th, 2010
12:00 pm
GStateBen… I wrote a book once called the Dictionary. You may want to check it out sometime… Delusional, not dillusional…
September 17th, 2010
12:05 pm
GStateBen: You are stating the obvious. Playing Atlanta means nothing because Morehouse and Clark Atlanta play here. Next Saturday FAMU and Tennessee State will play. And the price of tea in China is?
I'm sure Gary Stokan is on the phone with your AD now what that big GSU vs. Rhode Island matchup to open the 2013 season. LMAO!
No. 7 media is really helping Georgia Tech?
Yeah, the CAA approached you all when Lefty was there. Go back and read some of Lefty quotes, he said GSU is a tough sell not only in Atlanta, but GSU people didn't give a damn about basketball. That under a 1,000 attendance really supports that. LMAO!
Yes, ACC and SEC schools will success in this Atlanta market because of big college football fan support and alumni support. Where is the GSU support.
Lambuth didn't have a coach because he was heading to Jackson, MS instead of Tennessee. A large portion of the Lambuth players were there last year because they ran out of money and wasn't sure the padlocks were coming off the doors. LMAO!
Come on with more excuses and inflated reasons.
GSU doesn't not play into the landscape of Atlanta and national sports.
Let me hear that line again about GSU and the 2013 Hall of Fame game invite. LMAO!
Where's the real fights to this argument in relation to GSU in the
September 17th, 2010
12:05 pm
GStateBen: You are stating the obvious. Playing Atlanta means nothing because Morehouse and Clark Atlanta play here. Next Saturday FAMU and Tennessee State will play. And the price of tea in China is?
I'm sure Gary Stokan is on the phone with your AD now what that big GSU vs. Rhode Island matchup to open the 2013 season. LMAO!
No. 7 media is really helping Georgia Tech?
Yeah, the CAA approached you all when Lefty was there. Go back and read some of Lefty quotes, he said GSU is a tough sell not only in Atlanta, but GSU people didn't give a damn about basketball. That under a 1,000 attendance really supports that. LMAO!
Yes, ACC and SEC schools will success in this Atlanta market because of big college football fan support and alumni support. Where is the GSU support.
Lambuth didn't have a coach because he was heading to Jackson, MS instead of Tennessee. A large portion of the Lambuth players were there last year because they ran out of money and wasn't sure the padlocks were coming off the doors. LMAO!
Come on with more excuses and inflated reasons.
GSU doesn't not play into the landscape of Atlanta and national sports.
Let me hear that line again about GSU and the 2013 Hall of Fame game invite. LMAO!
Where's the real fights to this argument in relation to GSU in the landscape of sports. I know Atlanta's.
September 17th, 2010
12:26 pm
CAA Fan: The fact is that if GSU can piece together some victories these next two seasons, get some institutional knowledge about how to have a football program, and get exposure here in the Atlanta area we will be very competitive in the CAA. I, for one, am very glad we're in the CAA. It's is simply the SEC of FCS. However, no team in the CAA can compete with GSU for proximity to first class recruits. GA–Atlanta specifically–is a hot-bed of college football talent. The fact that GA Southern won so many championships since they reinstituted football is part of the evidence for that fact. All GSU needs is time and patience and we will be "there" sooner rather than later.
September 17th, 2010
12:33 pm
Lambuth Sucks: I think you are missing the point with regard to other Atlanta-area college teams. Morehouse and Clark are, firstly, private. They have small alumni bases even in Atlanta. Secondly, they are very small schools. Again, while they are fine schools, they simply aren't going to pack the city every home game because they don't have the numbers. GSU, on the other hand, has 31,000 students this year. Couple that with at least 20,000 registered for the last 10 years alone and you can see that the alumni base is already bigger than Clark or Morehouse. On the point about nobody supporting the basketball team. Well, yeah, that's right. We haven't supported them. There's no excuse, but they have had many institutional and campus-cultural (i.e. no dorms before 1996) situations stacked against them. I'm guessing with this new school spirit that is on campus now that we might do a little better than we have in the past for basketball. If you've ever been to GSU, you would know that you would typically see UGA or Tech shirts everywhere. This year, all I've seen is GSU shirts. They are everywhere. I've been at GSU for quite sometime and I've NEVER seen anything like this. My point is that things are changing, and we can't use past as prologue in this instance.
September 17th, 2010
12:37 pm
jtaylorr27: You are right in CAA is a very tough conference. Our teams have beaten teams from the Southern Conference who raid the Atlanta and Georgia area for those top-level talent. Atlanta is also a hotbed for basketball talent, and what has that got you? Even Lefty, a master recruiter, good coach and cheater. He has been quoted as saying GSU is a tough sell. So simply being in Atlanta is not going to cut it. I think a lot of your fans are basing everything on "We are in Atlanta". UMass and Delaware have won national titles over Southern schools and they are nowhere near being in a recruiting hotbed.
Georgia Southern had a charismatic, savvy football coach who built that program in a sleepy little town. He had community, regional support in an area where there was nothing but football as entertainment. Georgia State does not have that. Most people in Atlanta could careless about GSU. The students hope on MARTA for class then go to work and home. Most know GSU as the school next to the park where the bums hangout.
BUT good luck, and we await you all in 2012.
September 17th, 2010
12:48 pm
CAA Fan: I suppose I forgot to mention this…No one in GA who is a serious college sports fan cares about basketball. Okay, maybe Tech, but even they would forgo decent basketball teams for ACC Champion football teams. Basketball just isn't a draw around here. On not being good because UMass beat GA Southern in 1998, humm…well, so they won a game. That's good I suppose. My point wasn't that GSU was suddenly going to be in the championship game every year, or even go to the playoffs every year. My point is that with GSU being in a place with a good climate, and in a major city with lots to offer in the way of career opportunities and internships for college students we can certainly be competitive every year. We have lots of things in our favor. Will we lose a bunch in the beginning? Maybe. My guess is, however, that if we do this thing correctly that won't be the case.
September 17th, 2010
12:51 pm
jtaylor27 just warned you about using "past as prologue," but here you go again. If you think no one cares about GSU, TODAY, you're out of your damned mind, and probably haven't been to downtown Atlanta in the last 5 years. The old stereotypes just don't fit anymore, but you and other keep painting GSU as the ghost town commuter school it may have once been. Good luck with that.
Meanwhile, we'll keep buying up Downtown Atlanta and putting our logo on everything in sight. Then, perhaps, the naysayers will wake up and retire the lie that Atlanta could "careless" about GSU.
September 17th, 2010
12:54 pm
The above was not just for CAA Fan, but anyone that still can't fathom what GSU has become, practically overnight: the heart of this transforming city.
September 17th, 2010
12:57 pm
jtaylor27: Not missing the point. I throw Morehouse and Clark Atlanta in there because his statement was "GSU is in Altanta". My response is so what, so is Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, Emory, Oglethorpe, Carver Bible, Atlanta Christian College. You all keep throwing out those enrollment figures what is that far. Lambuth has less than 500 warm bodies, won't call them all students, and they can field a respectable football team that beat your large enrollment, endowment and research grant state supported schools as the sheriff head over to the Lambuth College to padlock the doors. It wasn't by accident. Been to GSU. And as I said a large majority of your 180,000 plus alumni, non-giving base could give a damn about GSU athletes.
I know the past is the past, but you can ignore history. There are some variable working in GSU favor, but you must agree, there are some that are definitely equally working against them.
I know some comments are over the top and just like a lot of these Jimmy-Come-Lately GSU fans. Just trying to be the devil's advocate and add some spice to this blog.
But I will still contend that GSU should have NEVER lost to Lambuth. And if most are honest with yourself, you know you was counting that as a sure WIN, especially after you googled the school.
GOOD LUCK on Saturday against Jax State, and if you know if you lose I'll be back to give you ALL HELL.
September 17th, 2010
1:00 pm
Adding spice to a blog? Who is this loser?
September 17th, 2010
1:01 pm
Panther Prowler!: Up until last year worked downtown. Yes, you name or on some buildings. Maybe there is some buzz. But I have some friends taking classes and the overall pulse is still: "Who gives a damn?" I just want these Central Park bums to leave me alone, not get mug walking to my car. And hurry up and get my degree. And what time is Georgia playing on Saturday?".
September 17th, 2010
1:10 pm
Are those friends taking classes at night? Of course, it depends on where they went for undergrad, but you're painting with too broad a brush. How would you know the "overall pulse?" I went to law school and business school there, and taught on campus the last 2 years, and you're DEAD WRONG. What "some friends" of yours said is pretty nebulous compared to the thousands of undergrads (and grad students) I see on campus and all around the metro.
Same old misinformation from someone that really knows nothing about the real "pulse" of the campus or the city.
September 17th, 2010
1:13 pm
Thanks for the response, but I find it hard to believe that someone that works downtown thinks no one cares about GSU. dawg day nailed it: you sound like every other moron that bashes Georgia State, and by extension downtown, regardless of where you work.
September 17th, 2010
1:15 pm
Well, it's too bad lunch is almost over because there is a lot to go over here. I'll keep it short. Losing to Lambuth was bad, there's no doubt. They were, however, a decent football team no matter how you slice it. They weren't tackling dummies. Nonetheless, it was the SECOND, that's right, number 2 game in GSU history. As I recall, football history is littered with teams that lost when they "shouldn't have lost." As a result, I am willing to move past Lambuth. We now know we can lose, and WILL lose if we have a heads up our you-know-wheres like we did last week. As for being safe on campus, please man. Give me a break. I've been on this campus for 8 years now and feel safer here than almost anywhere else I go. If you feel like you are going to get mugged on GSU's campus 1) you don't know what you are talking about, or 2) you are in the wrong place which is probably not even on campus. Bums in the park…hahahaha….seriously, those guys sit around and place chess on a giant board.
September 17th, 2010
1:20 pm
dawg day afternoon: Both day and night. Old or young. Worked downtown for 25 years. I'm sure the lunch crowd in the park is all abuzz about GSU football. I am sure there are some that are thousand (maybe the 7,000 that attend games) are happy as can be. What about the other 23,000? I'll admit there are some that are happy as can be about GSU football. BUT there are even more that couldn't give a damn. And, I don't think I'm DEAD WRONG.
September 17th, 2010
1:24 pm
You are right. No crime in DOWNTOWN ATLANTA. HEY, Santa Claus will be here on December 25. Be a good boy and he will slide down your chimney with plenty of gifts.
September 17th, 2010
1:25 pm
The point is, the few people you know don't speak for the thousands of GSU fans and alumni. And to spew that nonsense here just makes you look half your age and, yes, DEAD WRONG.
September 17th, 2010
1:29 pm
When did anyone claim there was no crime downtown? We're just bored with the whole "downtown=bums" shtick, which, shockingly, we've heard more than once. After all, we go/went to school downtown, and the only people that talk about "bums" are idiots that work or visit downtown, but don't actually LIVE there.
September 17th, 2010
2:03 pm
Lambuth Sucks: Why are you so concerned with trying to tell GSU students/alumni how GSU students/alumni really feel about football? Why are any of you non-GSU people concerned about it? You don't go there so why does it matter to you? Although we appreciate you trying to help us find reality, reality is we either attend or attended the school and we know the pulse. But thanks for trying. Why all the hate and jealousy???
September 17th, 2010
2:12 pm
Panther Prowler!: Don't worry, people have always overlooked GSU as a national university and mistaken it for some just-OK school scattered throughout downtown. However as our footprint grows, the bums go away (which is about to happen since we will soon own pretty much everything surrounding Woodruff park), our football program grows and people continue to look up their corporate ladder to find a GSU alumni sitting there, it will soon gain the recognition it has earned years ago.
September 17th, 2010
2:16 pm
I have to agree with Lambuth Sucks here. GSU's fan base obviously doesn't care about football. The school currently averages over 20K fans per game, which is a measly No. 6 out of all 126 FCS schools in the country. In fact, it is so bad that GSU's attendance right now is higher than some FBS schools in conferences like C-USA, Sun Belt and MAC. And the Morehouse example about media market not being a factor is PERFECT. By golly, how can one not see how much Morehouse and a national research university with 31,000+ students have in common? Oh and his assessment of Lambuth is spot-on my friends. Sure GSU might have led the game 14-9 with 2:39 left in the game, but just because GSU's coaching staff is trying to fuse 30 new players (mostly freshmen) doesn't mean they should make silly freshmen mistakes and give the game away to No. 7 NAIA team that has a 6-8/250-pound WR that Baltomore Ravens were scouting just 5 days prior to the GSU game. Amright? Lambuth Sucks, you my friend hit the nail on the head on multiple topics. I mean, sure, GSU has transformed downtown over the last 10 years and is gobbling up blocks of real estate every year, but that doesn't mean the school is transforming the campus, right? Now sure, the crime statistics show that the area around GA Tech has far more crime than Downtown, but why focus on statistics when you can just POST IN ALL CAPS!!! Amright?! I think we can all agree that GSU is going nowhere because of its urban campus. Obviously students don't want to go there as evident by the fact that the school hit record enrollment this year and is on pace to surpass UGA's enrollment in five years. Not to mention that the quality of students is just terrible, as again, GSU's incoming freshmen class has the highest SAT and GPA averages. Lambuth Sucks, you my friend are the brightest this city has to offer. Please tell me where I can read more of your insightful opinions. If you have some sort of blog, please let us know. I can't get enough of your level-headed and objective analysis.
September 17th, 2010
2:23 pm
To The Real GSU
Can you guys make up your minds. I thought Atlanta and the AJC sucked? But now youre trolling for a write-up? Guess the Statesboro News Gazette and Farm Bureau Report has less than a quarter million paper circulation…
September 17th, 2010
2:24 pm
GSUGrad06: That was so well-written. Wake up, now? Earth to GSU, Earth to GSU!!!!! I like how you GSU people keep telling yourselves and each other that its going to be OK as the facts keep being thrown at you all. Remember there are two sides to every story. You all just want the goody, goody stuff out there. Why don't you meet down at Hurt Park (make it before 5 p.m. before the bums come back) and do one BIG ASS group hug.
September 17th, 2010
2:35 pm
CAA Fan, you seem to know so much about us. You're one of those bums from Hurt Park yourself, aren't you? C'mon, don't be shy!
September 17th, 2010
2:41 pm
The hate and jealousy stems from the fact that no FCS school has ver enjoyed the enrollment, geographic, media and financial fortune mecessary to move to FBS that GSU has. USF did it 4 years to C-USA. UTSA will try and meet that timeline. USA will be playing in the Sun Belt in 2013 and has half our enrollment and is playing a 2nd year schedule that is less challenging than our first year one. You add up the numbers (Metro Pop. 6million, enrollment 31,400 #8 Media Market) and it angers a lot of FCS faithfull whose schools will never be able to make that move. There is nothing wrong with being FCS if that fits your model. The differentiation between I-A and I-AA was developed a long time ago to help out smaller schools who wanted to stay in Division I but were experiencing huge cost pressure from their football program budget. It was put in place to protect those schools interests. At the same time 30,000 amd 40,000 student schools like USF, UTSA and GSU do not belong in FCS. The marketing pressure in their home enviroments is such that FBS ends up being the best option. Unfortuantely some FCS faithful see this as us disrespecting FCS football and all it stands for. They cannot see that every university should looking out for its best interests and that of its students and alumni. So the question is, is it in the best interest of GSU to be playing Lambuth in 10 years when Georgia Tech is playing Florida State on the same day accross town?
September 17th, 2010
2:44 pm
I sit near the family of GSU's injured nose tackle, I think he's #98. If he plays tomorrow, the Panthers have a shot against Jax State. Also, Star MUST get some playing time, and the defense must continue to play hard, despite giving up some big plays against Lambuth. Between the Gamecocks fans, who apparently travel very well, and GSU fans waking up from the hangovers that kept them at home last Saturday, I see attendance of 20,000+ tomorrow.
September 17th, 2010
2:56 pm
Fun to read the haters explain what is going on at the campus when in reality they have no clue.
I got 2 degrees from State. Was one of many students begging to see a football program get started. Went to basketball games every chance I got (yes the arena was empty). There was very little school pride, people showed up, went to class, and left. Thats it. When I told people I went to G State they had no clue there was a G State.
What a difference 4 years makes! Go to the campus today, you see the students decked out in blue and white. People who know me to be a G State alumni ask questions about the program and the campus. High School students that I teach are sending their applications there, and not as the "back-up plan" but as their first choice. People are excited, and football is something that was needed.
It seems to me from reading this blog that the only people that care about wins and losses this season are the Southern fans. Must be that are hoping against hope that G State never gets a program going. They know that once GSU becomes a factor in football, they are going to be even lower then they already are on the list to recruits that would rather play downtown in the spotlights of the dome then in a 18,000 seat stadium 4 hours from anywhere worth going.
They same recruits might also want to get a degree from a school that is known for more than parting. And from what I hear, Southern is not even good at that anymore.
September 17th, 2010
3:03 pm
Whoa, Panther Prowler! I'm not so sure about that score. I think JSU's offense if pretty potent. I'm thinking it's something more like this:
I hate to say the Panthers lose, but I just don't know how we pull it out. Hill/Jackson come in to relieve Little and give the offense a much needed spark (thus, the 27 points for GSU). The defense shows some heart, but JSU is a solid, playoff bound team. They know how to win, and have been through these battles before. We lose, but I think we've got some very good stuff on which to build.
September 17th, 2010
3:13 pm
I skewed the score downward because I think we'll catch the Cocks off-guard and play to a stalemate in the first half. I see our defense making a statement in this game, especially with Lambuth in the rear view mirror, and a big yellow hammer a few miles down the road.
September 17th, 2010
3:16 pm
I'm not sure if Georgia State's attendance will be good tomorrow. I believe Georgia Tech and Georgia play at noon and Georgia State plays at 1 pm. It would be smarter for Georgia State to play at 4 pm or later.
September 17th, 2010
3:19 pm
Panama: You make some good points. Seriously, here is my take. You fund a program and compete on the level that you feel is most comfortable and beneficial. Yes, GSU has a huge enrollment and some other resources that says it should be on the highest NCAA level. I trust that the administration did the proper market research to place the athletic program on the right level. Wake Forest and Rice are two of the smallest school as far as enrollment in the NCAA highest level. Wake is respectable at times in football and decent in basketball.
Emory also has a big alumni, MONEY and other resources that says it should compete on a high level. But administrators and alumni say NO we don't want the other headaches that come from running a higher level program. They make it perfectly clear that they want STUDENTS-athletes.
As this process continue, there will be some bumps on the way (a loss to Lambuth). And want happens when the negative stuff comes into play (player arrest, discipline issues, and all the other baggage that fielding big-time sports bring). I know the media coverage is all good now, but there will come a time when all will accuse the AJC as a liberal rag stirring up trouble.
Can GSU compete on the highest level or at the FCS level no one will knows for sure. The numbers may say they can, but the numbers don't tell the whole truth. IF you are really honest with yourself, and take some of the BS that I have said away, I do make some valid. Like I said before, there are definitely two sides to every argument, and sometimes the truth lies in between.
I wish GSU luck against Jax State and in the future.
September 17th, 2010
3:23 pm
Attendance will be better. Jacksonville State has purchased 4500+ tickets and it should be a good atmosphere. This team has had trouble starting up and that's why I don't necessarily see a game in the 40s from JSU.
This is a 12pm start for them as well. Interesting to see how they react.
Interesting programs to take a look at and 1st year attendance for those interested:
-UCF began football in 1979 at the Division III level. They finished 6-2 and averaged 11,227 fans a game. They are now in Conference USA.
-UAB began playing in 1991 in Division III and finished 4-3-2 with an average attendance of 4,661. They are also now in Conference USA.
-USF began football in 1997 at the FCS level and finished 5-6. They averaged 33,039 and now play in the Big East.
-FAU started football in 2001 as an FCS team. They averaged 10,607 fans per game and now play in the Sun Belt.
September 17th, 2010
3:23 pm
CAA Fan: This is what I'm talking about. Why do you care what's going on at GSU? Tell me how anything I said is not fact. Our footprint is growing, look up our purchasing of landmark buildings in Atlanta if you need proof. Our football program will grow, there's no reason or indication it will not. Lastly, there are more top executives working in Georgia with GSU degrees than any other university, including Ivy league. If you need proof here, there's an S&P report that shows this.
I'm not sure what you're trying to argue here. Would all the haters of GSU football just like us to pack it up and quit? What will that do for you? According to you all we're just going to be a sucky team stuck in the bowels of the FCS. If so it will only eliminate a guaranteed win from your schedule, right? So what's it to you that we play football? Only thing that comes to my mind is jealousy or you're worried that there will be one more big university in front of your program.
Here's what you guys don't understand…thanks to our current and future alumni we have the money to take this program where you don't. GSU football is here to stay, get over it, let us be excited and then we can all be friends in the tailgate lot.
September 17th, 2010
3:26 pm
CAA fan…you come across rather strong but you make some good points. Old Dominion U. started football last season and did very well. They play in a very old but beatiful refurbished stadium and have sold out their season tickets two years in a row in their 25,000 seat facility. They should be watched as a solid program on the rise. Caa, tone it down next time. You don't have to be so negative.


text:
Delicious and a Christmas morning favorite.
Egg & Cheese Soufflé
Community Recipe from
Recipe Time
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
- 1 loaf(s) white bread
- 8 ounce(s) Old English or American Cheese
- 1/2 cup(s) Butter
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) Dry Mustard
- 3 eggs
- 8 ounce(s) milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- In a greased casserole dish, break 6 slices bread with Crust removed and cheese and place in dish in layers
- Mix melted butter, milk, beaten eggs, dry mustard and pour over bread/cheese
- Let stand overnight
- Bake 1 hour @ 350 degrees (if double, longer)
- Uncover last 10 mins. to brown
December 2012
This recipe is a personal recipe added by goldmanaz and has not been tested or endorsed by MyRecipes.
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Egg & Cheese Soufflé Recipe at a Glance
- COURSE: Breakfast/Brunch
- MAIN INGREDIENT: Eggs
- OCCASION: Christmas
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By Drew Buono
Jets Insider.com Staff Writer
December 6th, 2006
Returning to work today, the Jets and coach Eric Mangini are being very cautious not to take the dangerous Buffalo Bills lightly this Sunday.
The team is focusing on one thing and one thing only this week, the Buffalo Bills. The dreaded P word, playoff has been brought up a lot by the media but no player or coach wants to even think about it. There's even rumors at the complex that speaking about the playoffs is a finable offense. The Bills are the worry, especially after almost coming back and beating the Jets back in week three.
The goal of the Jets this week is to stop RB Willis McGahee, who exploited the Jets defense for 150 yards on 26 carries during their last game. This is a different Jets defense than the one who showed up to Buffalo two and half months ago. The defensive unit has been playing exceptional over the last four weeks allowing only a little more than 11 points per game.
Head coach Eric Mangini calls McGahee dynamic and the Bills themselves are tough across the board. Mangini of course had to be referring to the 475 total yards the Bills put up on the Jets during their last meeting and not the 230 yards the team had as a whole against San Diego last week. The Jets still consider the running game to be a worry even though McGahees sore ribs have been a major factor in his lack of production recently. McGahees four straight 100-yard games against the Jets would be the reason to worry.
The key for the Jets this week will be establishing their offense early like they did in Green Bay. WR Jerricho Cotchery had the game of his young career and is now being regarded as a threat just like his counterpart, WR Laveranues Coles. Mangini said he first noticed Cotchery last year, the second time the Patriots faced the Jets. He was always an issue of special teams, said Mangini about his receiver.
Another key on offense has been the emergence of RB Cedric Houston who has earned his playing time with really good weeks of practice, according to Mangini. On the flip side, a running back that has been experiencing the negatives of recent practices is, Kevan Barlow. Mangini said the Barlows place on the team will be on going and that he worked on special teams last week for the first time in his career just to have a chance to get back into game play.
As the season now enters its final quarter, the Jets are happy to be playing December games that actually mean something. QB Chad Pennington calls December, a fun month in this league. Pennington also said that it was exciting for him to be playing these games after the injuries. He feels excited about the teams improvement and accounts the teams recent fast starts on, players becoming more comfortable and executing plays better.
OL Pete Kendall called it refreshing to play games of importance this late in the season. Kendall wouldnt talk about the playoffs directly, but he did say that he doesnt pay attention to other teams in the race. He worries about his own team and not the out-of-town scoreboard. I never think about tie-breakers or anything like that, it comes down to our body of work over 16 games and if thats good enough then we move on, said Kendall about the playoff race.
The Jets are putting the pieces of the puzzle together at the right time and even if they dont want to talk about it they know the situation their in. With four games to go in the season, another 3-1 record might get them into the next round of play and a chance at something no one in August thought would be possible, a chance at a Super Bowl.
-DT Titus Adams was signed off the Jets practice squad by the Giants to their active roster. Adams was originally a seventh round choice of the Jets this past spring from Nebraska who never cracked the active roster.
- The Jets signed WR Sloan Thomas and DE Darrell Adams to the practice squad both were in the Jets' training camp this summer.
- Autralian National Rugby League player Willie Mason was brought in by coach Mangini to have a workout with the team yesterday. Mangini called him dynamic and feisty but no imminent signing was announced. The Giants and 49ers had reportedly offered Mason a tryout earlier this year.
- Before the season, Pennington eluded that a problem he's had in the past is trying to be too much of a perfectionist when passing the ball and maybe being too cautious. In past years it's made him one of the lowest mistake makers in the league.
Well, this season he seems to be taking more chances. Some may say he's even been too careless with 13 INT's so far this season (the highest number in his careeer). During his press conference, the QB spoke about quest to find a middle ground between taking risk and trying to make plays.
It's always a struggle, especially the first year in a new system," said Pennington. "This is unlike 2002 because, I was learning from Vinny (Testaverde) and this time Im the one who is experiencing it first hand. Any time you make a mistake, you learn from it, try not to repeat it. Once you get into the off-season, you can really study those things and see what you can do to get better in the system
- RB Leon Washington furthered the coachs mantra for consistency saying that, we have to stay consistent for a full game not three quarters like in Green Bay. There is always something to improve on even if your are doing it well.
-Beware the Penguin? Jets WR Laveranues Coles was asked if the cold, arctic weather would bring back his penguin dance if he scored. Laughing and nodding his head yes, Coles says it breaks up the monotony a bit.
Im just trying to make light of everything this time of year, said Coles. Its cold out there and especially after playing in Green Bay , its a way to have a little fun. The Penguin is the nickname Coles made up for Mangini, who he says resembles one while strutting the sideline.
New York Jets:
The Jets return to practice tomorrow in preparation for their home game against the Buffalo Bills. JetsInsider.com will have a complete recap after Thursdays practice.


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