Sam

Pinckney

Pinckney (6’4/210) came into this game with only two receptions for 20 yards on the season because he missed the start of the year in COVID protocols and came back slowly. Pinckney, who posted a 47-815-7 receiving line in 2020, will be a bigger part of the offense going forward, beginning next week when 1-4 GSU plays at UL-Monroe.

Pinckney (6'4/210) is Georgia State’s biggest threat in the passing game, so his absence will surely have an impact. A second-team All-Sun Belt performer in 2020, the redshirt sophomore caught one pass for 12 yards in last week’s loss to North Carolina before going down with the undisclosed injury.

Pinckney (6'4/210) reached the end zone for the seventh time this season on Saturday, with his 26-yard reception giving the Panthers the lead for good with 9:50 remaining in the second quarter. The redshirt sophomore led Georgia State in receptions (47), receiving yards (815) and touchdowns, as part of a receiving group that should only get better in 2021. In addition to Pinckney, the Panthers also have Cornelius McCoy, Cadarrius Thompson, Terrance Dixon and Jamari Thrash due to return next season. And none of those four will be seniors.

Pinckney (6'4/210) caught ten of his game-high 12 targets, with a long of 26-yards as he deftly worked the sidelines and kept the chains moving. It marks the fourth game this season that the towering wideout has gone for over 125-yards in a game while leading the Panthers in receiving on the year. He ends the regular season with 44 receptions for 753 yards and six touchdowns in only nine games. Both Pinckney and redshirt freshman return in 2021 for what should be a potent Georgia State passing attack.

Pinckney (6'4/210) was QB Cornelious Brown’s top target on a day in which the signal-caller completed just 11-of-33 passes. The redshirt sophomore finished the game tied with TE Roger Carter (two receptions, 15 yards) in targets with eight, and his 19-yard touchdown reception less than five minutes into the first quarter opened the scoring. The touchdown was Pinckney’s first since October 16, when he scored three in a loss to Arkansas State. He’ll look to reach the end zone again next week when Georgia State visits South Alabama.

Not only did Pinckney (6'4/210) absolutely tear it up, but he did so without Georgia State’s other top WR taking pressure off. No.2 receiver Cornelius McCoy missed the game with an undisclosed injury, while no other played on the roster had caught more than two passes coming into the day. Despite the tough situation, Pinckney pulled through, providing the Panthers with a flurry of explosive plays. Georgia State QB Cornelious Brown obviously deserves credit, but he could not have done it without Pinckney stepping up in a huge way to give the defense a real threat to worry about.

Pinckney (6'4/210) is GSU’s second leading returning receiver from 2019, but his standout performance against ECU on Saturday was second-to-none. Reeling seven of a team-high 10 passes, Pinckney set a new career high in receiving yards and matched his high for touchdowns in a game. He caught touchdown passes of 38 and 13 yards as Pinckney accounted for over half of QB Cornelious Brown’s passing yards on the day. The ascending redshirt sophomore will try to keep the positive momentum going in GSU’s next game against Arkansas State on Thursday, October 15.

Pinckney (6'4/210) did his best “Philadelphia Eagles Cris Carter” impersonation Saturday, as all he did against the Black Knights was catch touchdown passes. On the season the redshirt freshman has caught five touchdown passes, tied for tops on the team with TE Aubry Payne. Cris Carter jokes aside, Pinckney has done a lot more than just catching touchdown passes this season. Counting Saturday’s effort the redshirt freshman has caught 30 passes for 389 yards and the five scores mentioned above. Next up for Pinckney and the Panthers is a home game against Troy next weekend.

Pinckney is enjoying a very nice freshman season, but this was the best we’ve seen the 6-foot-4, 210-pound wideout play. That being said, this is already his third game over 90 yards with seven or more catches, and while the Panthers will lose Dan Ellington next year, it appears Pinckney will leave the next quarterback in good hands; literally and figuratively. He and the Panthers will take on Coastal Carolina next Saturday.