ATLANTA--The Georgia State football program will experience another first this week by playing a repeat opponent for the first time as the Panthers (1-0) host Old Dominion (1-0) Saturday at 12 noon at the Georgia Dome.
The game will be regionally televised on CSS, and radio coverage is available on the GSU radio network, including WCFO-AM Newstalk 1160 and WMLB-AM 1690 in Atlanta.
Georgia State faced Old Dominion, a program just one year older than GSU, during the 2010 inaugural season and fell 34-20 at Norfolk, Va.
"This week, for the first time we play a repeat opponent, one who beat us physically, forced errors and forced fumbles last year," said GSU head coach Bill Curry. "We obliged by fumbling on our own and committing some of the dumbest penalties since we've been here. I'm not sure why that was, but it's a great lesson and it will not be repeated. Neither will the four fumbles be repeated. When you commit foolish penalties, can't score touchdowns inside the red zone and turn the ball over four times, you're going to be beat every single time.
"Yet at the end we were still coming back," Curry added. "If we can start where we finished last year and start by playing our very best, it will be a tremendous football game."
Curry was asked if this matchup against GSU's future Colonial Athletic Association brethren is a rivalry.
Sure it's a rivalry," he said. "Those guys started just a year before us. You can't put their film on and not admire their coaching staff. They coach really well. They play hard all the time. We'd like to even the score this year and see what happens down the road."
Both teams opened the season with big victories. GSU knocked off Clark Atlanta, 41-7, while ODU downed Campbell, 41-14.
The Georgia State defense faces a difficult challenge in ODU quarterback Thomas DeMarco, who went 29-for-39 for 312 yards and two touchdowns against Campbell. In last year's ODU win, he passed for 152 yards and one touchdown while directing a high-tempo offense that piled up 229 yards rushing.
"He's been a terrific player ever since we saw him, one of the better quarterbacks we've faced," said Curry. "He executes the offense with very few mistakes. We had a lot of trouble tackling him last year. That has to change."
Curry is also impressed with the Monarchs' redshirt freshman wide receiver Antonio Vaughan, who totaled 191 yards of receiving, rushing, and returns against Campbell and was named CAA Rookie of the Week.
"No. 5 Antonio Vaughan is their go-to guy on offense," said Curry. "He has great speed. First play of the game, he caught a little tunnel screen and outran everybody down the sideline for about 70 yards against a Campbell team that is greatly improved. This guy is a game changer, and we did not see him a year ago. He's the ODU version of our Albert Wilson."
Curry said that Bo Schlechter will again start at quarterback for the Panthers after passing for 196 yards and three touchdowns against Clark Atlanta, but Drew Little and Kelton Hill have returned from team-imposed suspensions and will both be available to play if needed.
"For the second year in a row we had a quarterback who had never played quarterback in a college game go and execute beautifully a complex offense with no turnovers," said Curry. "Bo was 13 out of 18 and could very easily have been 16-for-18 had it not been for three dropped balls. That was remarkable, and it needs to continue."
Tickets for Saturday's game are available at 866-GA-STATE or by clicking here.
Pregame activities begin at 9 a.m. with a Tailgate Carnival in the Orange and Brown Lots, including a 40-foot tall Ferris wheel. Saturday's game is also GSU Faculty-Staff Appreciation Day. Any faculty or staff member at GSU is eligible for a free ticket, with the ability to purchase three more tickets at the discounted price of just $10 each. Click here for more information.
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