41-20 makes this game seem closer than it was.

For the first quarter, it was close and cagey. Georgia State drove, then had a field goal blocked. There was that weird muffed punt that wasn’t due to “active blocking.” Then it was an avalanche. 17-0 at halftime and 31-0 in the third quarter sealed the game.

Even though they had three touchdowns late on, Georgia State was done. They gave it a good shot but some very bad luck, lack of offensive consistency led to the defense breaking. Then they broke.

The quarterback wars should be over, for at least this week. Kohl doesn’t have the high-end potential of Swann, but he minimizes mistakes and when you got 11 receivers/tight ends catching a pass, it’s a matter of getting the ball to them. For a team near-bottom of FBS in turnovers after Boise State, limiting turnovers matters more. The job should be Kohl’s until further notice, not that Dowell Loggains will say that when asked.

Kohl can put the ball in the strike zone for his receivers. It’s like baseball. If you put the ball in the strike zone, the batter has to swing. The WR’s swung and missed a lot in September, but they’re finding their rhythm.

The stats have been there, but Georgia State was the coming out party for Izayah Cummings. He is built like an NFL tight end and is acting like it. Cummings adds a release valve for the offense that sometimes needs an open tight end to catch the ball.

Davion Dozier is becoming what you wanted him to be. A vertical threat that can be a playmaker and take some pressure off Dalton Stroman, who has always been inconsistent.

Rashod Dubinion’s shoulders have carried a heavy burden so far in the run game. One of those shoulders has been ailing him. With the lead and Jaquari Lewis established as the RB2, it was a good time to let him rest and avoid more hits. The next two games before the final off week are important for him to be healthy.

Colton Phares is like, really good at this whole linebacker thing. He makes one or two big plays each game. Then you got Zyeir Gamble, Bryshawn Littlejohn, Elijah Mc-Cantos, Juan Berchal, DJ Burks and more making tackles and getting big stops.

It’s not a 1990s style defense that will fight you for every yard, but those days are long gone. Offenses have evolved to where you have to defend the entire field and rule changes have made the style of even 20 years ago obsolete. On defense, you trade yards for opportunities. Those opportunities are to get takeaways, to strip the ball out, to jump a route, to bow up and bring pressure when there’s not enough blockers.

GSU was 9 of 19 on third down. On those 10 misses, GSU went for it on fourth down four times and converted zero of those. That’s opportunities taken.

Being 4-2 is decent. Objectively, 5-1 would feel amazing even with the Boise loss. Southern Miss was a lost opportunity because of turnovers. But the team is learning.

Now the expectation is 5-2. Being 4-3 going to Old Dominion would be a disaster. Coastal is an enigma. The 23-8 win versus ULM should be looked at with trepidation due to the rainstorm that game was played in.

Coastal is 3-3 and can turn around a putrid season start in Boone. It’s a revenge game for the Apps, who have lost the last three to the Chants, including that accursed 2023 game.

Coastal is the kind of game Dowell Loggains was hired to win. Can’t let Tim Beck go to 3-0 versus App State. That’s just tawdry. Continue the upward trajectory and bring it home.