Georgia State quarterback Conner Manning is coming off of a stellar performance against Wisconsin, where he proved he has what it takes to reinvigorate the team’s production from an offensive standpoint, as well as proving to his coaches that he is worthy of being the starting quarterback. He showed an enormous amount of poise in the pocket and threw the ball with confidence, giving his team a chance to do the unthinkable. Although Georgia State failed to secure a win that would have brought widespread attention to the university’s football program, it is safe to say that many will continue to observe Manning’s level of production from here on out; And rightfully so. He arguably gave his team the best chance possible to pull off a great upset.
Nonetheless, we will leave the imagining of what could have been for another time. For now, we will have to continue to follow the development of the transfer quarterback from Utah to see if he can indeed provide us with some optimism that he can be the next great quarterback for Georgia State. Albeit the possibility of him duplicating the same amount of success as last year’s quarterback is quite preposterous.
The question is can he be consistent throughout the rest of the season.
Georgia State head coach Trent Miles knew it would be a tough challenge filling the shoes of former quarterback Nick Arbuckle, who recently signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League and is currently on the team’s practice squad. However, the team also feels as if Manning is equipped with the necessary tools and assets to provide a spark the team needs at the quarterback position. Yes, he may not have the strongest arm or possess the blazing speed and elusiveness that Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson is endowed with, but he showed flashes of being able to produce at a high-level against a respected Wisconsin defense.
During that game, Manning completed 20 of his 29 passes, while throwing for 269 yards with one touchdown. A big difference between this game and the previous two he has played in is, the passing yards per attempt. In his first two appearances, Manning’s average was a mere 5.3. This came against subpar defenses in Ball State and Air Force. Against Wisconsin, he was able to spread the field out, and his passing yards per attempt was 9.3. Perhaps, though, the most significant surprise for him through that game was the fact that he was able to protect the football. In previous outings, Manning knows that he has made some decisions throwing the ball that have proven to be costly and has ultimately hurt his team’s chances of winning football games.
“There are some decisions I wish I could have back in previous games—so I am working on that and to continue to be a leader on and off of the field no matter what, and get this group, you know, ready to play,” he said.
While Conner is not related to any of the infamous Manning brothers (Peyton Manning and Eli Manning), he has a similar demeanor in that of Eli, the current New York Giants quarterback, and how he approaches the game. Not to mention, he resembles the guy. Manning is incredibly humble and soft-spoken, but he is also becoming more demanding of the offense, a characteristic that many of the great quarterbacks possess. It is a known fact that he will be looked upon to be one of the vocal leaders for this team going forward, being that the quarterback is held accountable for making sure the offense is running smoothly.
“I think stepping up as a leader vocally is one of the biggest things for me and taking ownership of this group,” Manning said.
He also realizes that every play orchestrates through him as the quarterback of this team.
“I got the ball in my hands every play, you know, so I am the one out there leading it, so I have to take charge,” he said.
Manning will look to continue to take charge of this offensive group moving forward. His coaches have instilled faith in him, and he seems to be grasping the offense better as the season progresses.
Bio
Conner Manning had a stellar football career during high school. Being recognized as the record-setting prep passer at El Toro High School in Southern California, where he threw for 9,449 career yards to rank second in Orange County history behind the former University of Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley. For the record, Barkley is now playing in the NFL for the Chicago Bears.
Manning also threw 88 career touchdown passes with just 26 interceptions. He Set the Orange County season record with 4,219 yards passing as a junior in 2011 when he was Orange County Offensive Player of the Year, CIF Southwest Division co-Offensive Player of the Year and Sky View League MVP. As a senior in 2012, he completed 65 percent of his pass attempts (319-of-490) for 4,062 yards and 41 TDs (10 interceptions). Manning set the county’s single-game passing mark with 613 yards, along with seven touchdowns passes that year vs. Valhalla High School. He then added 1,168 yards passing with six touchdowns as a sophomore. He was selected first-team All-Orange County as a junior and senior. In 2011, he was named first-team Max Preps California Division II all-state and Cal-Hi Sports First-team all-state underclassman. In 2012, he was named second-team Max Preps California Division I all-state … In 2012, he was appointed Rivals.com all-Southern Section first team. He was also a two-year team captain.
