COLUMBIA, S.C. — It was a business trip for Georgia State who loaded up the buses Saturday and made the trip to Columbia for Saturday’s season opener.
But the game at Williams-Brice Stadium was also a chance for several Panther coaches and players to work in front of family and friends.
Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott is a Camden native who spent seven years on the Carolina staff where he and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer were colleagues when they worked under Steve Spurrier.
Secondary coach Cory Peoples is a native of Bishopville and a former Gamecock defensive back who is in his third season on the GSU staff. His coaching career includes stops at W.J. Keenan, Charleston Southern and South Carolina State.
Defensive line coach Allen Smith is a graduate of W.J. Keenan. Allen joined the Georgia State staff this year after one season in the National Football League as assistant defensive line coach for the Houston Texans.Before his NFL stint, he spent three years as defensive line coach at Wofford, helping the Terriers to back-to-back berths in the NCAA FCS playoffs in 2018 and 2019. He started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Calhoun County in 2014.
On the field, former Dutch Fork standout Malik Sumter and former News19 Player of the Week KZ Adams from Gray Collegiate Academy were back in town playing in front of family and friends. Sumter is an All-Sun Belt Conference performer Georgia State while Adams is a freshman for the Panthers.
The Panthers lost 35-14 to South Carolina. They will host North Carolina this Saturday at high noon in Atlanta.