What kind of effect will the firing of Trent Miles have on the game this weekend?

The thing I’m most sure it will do is give the players a lot of emotions for this game. If you look at a lot of the players tweets after the decision, you can tell the genuine respect they had for Coach Miles as not just a coach, but a man.

Over the summer, some of the players participated in the Black Lives Matter protest in Downtown Atlanta. A lot of college coaches would avoid addressing the issue because the discussions about it have been so controversial. The first thing Coach Miles did was tweet support for the guys marching amongst the masses. When I asked him about it on media day, he explained to me that his job goes beyond just recruiting the best players and yelling at them on the field. He said his job was also to make men and that one of his most important characteristics he looked for when signing high schoolers was character.

The thing I’m not sure about this weekend is is that emotion will benefit or hinder the team’s performance.

What were some of the reasons that Miles was let go?

Sources told me in January that our athletic director Charlie Cobb didn’t really like Coach Miles. Cobb said that he lacked charisma and he wasn’t involved enough with the GSU community. Of course, Cobb couldn’t fire him right after he was named Conference Coach of the Year and he led us to our first Bowl Game, but he knew he wanted a fresh face leading the charge to start the Turner Field era. Starting 2-8 made that decision easier I suppose.

At 2-8, what are the Panthers playing for at this point in the season?

GSU seniors like Bobby Baker, Keith Rucker, Jr., and Robert Davis are playing for a spot in the NFL. Other guys on the team are working to build some chemistry and momentum for next season. We never got settled in this year with the continuous cycle of quarterbacks we rotated, injuries also hurt us missing an All-American freshman like (now sophomore) Penny Hart.

Who’s been the MVP for the Panthers so far this season?

I’d probably say the MVP for GSU has been Chandon Sullivan. He plays in the secondary for us and he’s been huge all season. Him, Jerome Smith and Bobby Baker have been leading “The Dark Side” all year.

What are the keys for the Panthers if they want to win the contest this weekend?

For GSU to win, special teams have to limit their mistakes, whoever the quarterback is has to show up and the defense needs to be rested. They also can let the emotion of a rivalry game and losing Coach Miles ruin their composure.

Photo courtesy of Rashad Milligan.