Georgia football: Georgia State Georgia Southern to face off in 2014

ATLANTA — Georgia State and Georgia Southern will face off on Oct. 25, marking the first time the two programs play.

Georgia Southern, starting play in the Sun Belt Conference in 2014, travels to the Georgia Dome for the historic contest.

Georgia State’s season starts a three-game homestand. After opening against Abilene Christian on Aug. 27, a day earlier than the rest of the nation, the Panthers start conference play by hosting Sun Belt newcomer New Mexico State on Sept. 6.

Georgia Southern kicks off its 2014 schedule on Aug. 30 at N.C. State. After playing Savannah State at home on Sept. 6, Southern travels to Georgia Tech for a week three matchup in Atlanta on Sept. 13.

Shorter starts with early workouts

Disappointed with a 2-9 finish last season, Shorter players returned to field early. Head Coach Phil Jones last month called for a 5 a.m. start to workouts that included strengthening and agility drills.

“We wanted to challenge them and get a feel of just how much they really want to play,” goshorterhawks.com quoted Jones as saying.

“I feel good about it right now,” Jones added. “They’ve been working hard on the field and in the weight room where all of them had a gain in how much (they are) lifting.”

The upcoming season will be Shorter’s first as a full NCAA Division II and Gulf South Conference. The Hawks kick off their 2014 campaign on Sept. 4 when they host Paine, a Division II school.

“They want to get back to winning,” said Jones. “It’s a long road. There’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Berry adds 15 recruits for second season

Berry College recently announced 15 new commitments for its second season of football. Of the 15 recruits, 14 are from Georgia. The 15th is from Alabama.

The Vikings will kick off their second season on Sept. 6 at Maryville. Berry lost to Maryville in 2013 by a 37-0 margin in the school’s first-ever game.

“Our recruiting plans have changed a little going into year number two,” Berry Head Coach Tony Kunczewski said in a statement. ”We aren’t recruiting the volume we needed in year one, but the high caliber of student-athlete has not changed.

“The young men we have added so far have possessed all of the traits we are looking for here at Berry,” Kunczewski added. “They are great players on the field, outstanding students in the classroom and good citizens in the community: they fit the Berry mold.”