ATLANTA--In their first opportunity this preseason to practice at the Georgia Dome, the Georgia State football team held its second scrimmage of the week Saturday afternoon on its home field.

With head coach Bill Curry attending the memorial service for his teammate and close friend John Mackey, the long-time NFL great, assistant head coach George Pugh spoke after the scrimmage.

"I thought the defense came out with a little more fight in the beginning, and they controlled the first part of the scrimmage," said Pugh. "Then the offense woke up and got a little spark and did some really good things.

One of the highlights was a leaping touchdown catch by Jordan Giles, who jumped between two defenders to haul in the nine-yard strike from number one quarterback Bo Schlechter. Schlechter, the sophomore from Wellington, Fla., also threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Arthur Williams.

Giles, a sophomore from Columbia, S.C., was the Panthers' third-leading receiver last fall, despite missing two games with a broken finger and then playing much of the season with a cast.

"Jordan is a really good competitor," said Pugh, who coaches the wide receivers. "He does a lot of things really well. He loves to play and he loves to compete. Darren McCray made an outstanding play, too."

The defense also turned in several big plays, including an interception by safety Demazio Skelton, the transfer from Georgia Military College, and a blocked field goal by sophomore cornerback Jamal Ransby.

 "The defense really flew around, and we expect that," said Pugh. "If we're going to be a good football team, we have to be good on defense, and we have the players to do that.

"Now we'll look at the tape and see what we can build on," he added. "It's been a tough, long two-a-days, but we'll continue to get better."

The Panthers will take Sunday off and then return to practice with two workouts Monday.

Georgia State's season 2011 season opener is less than three weeks away as the Panthers host Clark Atlanta on Friday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Georgia Dome.

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