Owls huddle near sideline on Sept. 3 at Fifth Third Stadium at Walens Family Field. Photo by Jackson Louneoubonh
Sentinel sports writer Jackson Louneoubonh spoke with PantherTalk.com’s Brady Weiler about Saturday night’s football matchup against Georgia State.
Jackson Louneoubonh: Obviously, we’re only about 25-30 miles away from each other, with two campuses and student bodies being very similar, and both football programs being 1-0. Has there been any noticeable buzz between the students/fans leading up to this game? What do you think this “new” rivalry means for both fans and students of each school?
Brady Weiler: There’s certainly been some chirping on social media between some passionate fans of both teams, but I think it’s still the case that the geography has deemed this a rivalry rather than a real animus between the fanbases. It’s two young football programs who have only played once before, so you’ve got a ways to go before this is something like Georgia-Georgia Tech, to use an obvious local example. That could all change with the start of this home-and-home series (they’re playing again in Atlanta in 2028) and (ideally) this matchup becoming a pretty regular occurrence.
JL: Who is one name on this Georgia State roster that casual Owl fans might not know yet, but will likely be hearing over the PA all evening?
BW: Outside linebacker Xavier Esqillion made an instant impact with one sack and two tackles for loss in the Panthers’ win last weekend, having transferred up from D2 Savannah State in the offseason. Esqillion will have to play a big part in setting the edge against the run and trying to keep Owls QB Rickie Collins uncomfortable in the pocket.
JL: Coming off a dominant win over NC A&T, what do you think looked like the biggest identity shift for this Panther team compared to last year, and what do you think they have the edge over the Owls in in this matchup?
BW: After two unsuccessful seasons where Georgia State has struggled to establish a consistent running game under Dell McGee, the running backs coach at Georgia for eight years before taking the head coaching job at GSU, this may be the team to do it. The 284 yards they rushed for against NC A&T were the most in any single game since McGee took over and it’s a deep rotation of backs. Lanear McCrary Jr, DJ Murray Jr, Savion Hart and true freshmen Qwantavius Wiggins and Xavier Butler all scored in last Friday’s win. The level of competition ramps up starting this week against Kennesaw State, but if they can keep running the ball effectively, it will serve them well in 2026.
JL: KSU is heavily favored in this one. What do you think are the biggest strengths the Owls have over you guys, and if GSU were to take this one, what would need to happen for that to be the case?
BW: Frankly, the biggest strength Kennesaw State has is that, where GSU is still trying to rebuild a winning culture under McGee, the Owls have a strong foundation after just one year with Jerry Mack in charge. If this is a four-quarter game on Saturday night, Kennesaw has been in and excelled in those situations before in ways that the Panthers haven’t in the past two years. Those kinds of intangibles can’t be taken for granted. But if Georgia State is to find a way to win on the road in this game, it will start with the play of quarterback Cameran Brown. Now the full-time starter after sharing duties in 2025, Brown is an athletic QB who uses his legs well and doesn’t put the ball in harm’s way (just 1 interception in 205 passing attempts as a Panther). After being mired in the quarterback wilderness for the entirety of his tenure so far, McGee has his guy in Brown. He will be hoping that can make the difference as the Panthers try to turn things around in Year 3.
JL: Score prediction?
BW: With all that I’ve said above, I give the slight edge to Kennesaw. I think it’s closer than the -8.5/9.5 KSU point spread indicates, but without having been tested against FBS competition yet, it’s too soon to know that this Georgia State team can win out over the course of 60 minutes. I’ll say it mirrors the first time these teams met in 2018 – Kennesaw State 24, Georgia State 20.
JL: Bonus question – Bowling Green and Toledo have the copyright for the “Battle of I-75” already, so what do you think this rivalry should (unofficially) be called?
BW: I think it’s for the best that that one has been copyrighted away from the schools. We can do better. I don’t have anything that springs to mind, but one can’t force these things. We’ll all keep brainstorming and know it when we hear it.
