On Saturday afternoon from the Georgia Dome, Georgia State football ended their season on Senior Day with a 54˗31 loss to the Texas State Bobcats.
After Georgia State won the opening toss, they began the game with an efficient drive that included six run plays from Marcus Caffey for a total of 44-yards. Nick Arbuckle completed four of out of his five passes on the opening drive as the Panthers moved the football inside the Bobcats’ 5-yard line.
Arbuckle’s first incompletion would come on third and goal from inside the five as Georgia State’s first points would come courtesy of a 21 yard field goal from Wil Lutz as the Panthers went ahead 3˗0.
Texas State’s first drive would end up being virtually identical to that of Georgia State’s. The Bobcats would gain four first downs and would feature an almost equal number of pass and run plays with runningback Robert Lowe leading the rushing attack. The 11˗play, five minute drive that lasted 71-yards would also end in a 21-yard field goal by Will Johnson as the score was tied at 3.
Georgia State would have to settle for a three and out on its next drive. A third down and four play that would have been a 14˗yard gain from Arbuckle to Donovan Harden was wiped off of the board as a chop block by the Panthers eradicated the play.
It moved Georgia State back 15-yards as the ensuing 3rd and 19 play would only go 6-yards as Arbuckle completed to Keith Rucker.
The ensuing Bobcats possession would begin at their 35˗yard line. After gaining three first downs and running nine plays to last 54-yards and nearly three minutes, Johnson kicked a 28-yard field goal through the uprights for a 6˗3 lead for Texas State.
After another Panthers three and out, the Bobcats were on the move again. The next drive would include five run plays and three passes. Three first downs, eight plays, 58-yards, and over three minutes later, Texas State quarterback Tyler Jones converted a quarterback keeper into a 13˗yard touchdown as the Bobcats would go ahead 13˗3.
Another Panthers three and out would be followed by another Texas State drive. The Bobcats would pick up four first downs on their ensuing ten play drive in which they passed the football six times. Four minutes later and 76-yards, Jones would find Robert Lowe for a 9- yard touchdown pass. This made the score 20˗3 in favor of Texas State.
The Panthers would put together a promising drive on their ensuing possession that included three first down pickups and the moving of the chains to the Bobcats’ 37˗yard line.
The drive only featured two run plays to Caffey. But a sack of Arbuckle, a delay of game penalty, and an Arbuckle interception by Craig Mager at the 25˗yard line would hamper the drive to the point where Texas State regained possession.
Mager’s return was to the 46˗yard line, and it took only three plays for the Bobcats to widen their advantage. Jones completed to Ben Ijah for 19-yards and a first down, then connected with C.J. Best for 21-yards to move the chains.
The drive culminated when on first and ten from the Panthers’ 14, Jones found Best for a 14-yard completion to extend the Texas State lead to 27˗3. The Bobcats led by this margin as the game reached halftime.
After halftime, the Bobcats would pick up where they left off when on their first drive that included all run plays and three first down gains, Jones turned another quarterback keeper into points with a 15-yard run for a touchdown to extend their lead to 34˗3.
Georgia State began their next possession at the 25˗yard line and it only lasted one play when Arbuckle found Davis for a 75˗yard touchdown as Davis’ defender fell down. This brought the Panthers to 34˗10.
Texas State would gain a pair of first downs on their next drive which included a 34˗yard pass from Jones to Best that moved the football from Bobcats’ 26˗yard line to the Panthers’ 40˗yard line on 2nd and one. The drive featured an equal number of pass and run plays.
Texas State faced a fourth and one scenario before a delay of game penalty moved the Bobcats back to the 19, setting the stage for a 36-yard field goal by Johnson tom bring the score to 37˗10.
After starting their next drive at the 25-yard line, Georgia State was aided by a pass interference flag that moved the chains to the Panthers’ 39˗yard line. On 3rd down, Arbuckle found Davis for another first down before a rush on second and ten from the 49 resulted in an Arbuckle fumble forced by Michael Odiari. He recovered at the Panthers’ 49.
The ensuing Bobcats drive would begin with a holding penalty to force Texas State back 10-yards to their 41 before three completions eventually would move the chains for the Bobcats. Texas State would gain a couple of more first downs, one via a run and one via a pass.
The ten play drive that saw four rushes and six passes and lasted 35-yards and nearly four minutes resulted in another Johnson field goal. The 31-yard try made the score 40˗10.
The next Georgia State drive would last from the end of the third quarter to the start of the fourth. A drive that would see nearly an equal number of run and pass plays would see Arbuckle complete to Lynquez Blair for 6-yards to make the score 40˗17. The drive saw five pass plays and four run plays for a nine play drive, lasting 75-yards and nearly four minutes.
An unsportsmanlike penalty would be assessed on the ensuing kickoff to the Bobcats. After a pair of runs by Lowe, Terrence Franks went 60-yards to make the score 47˗17.
The Panthers picked up a pair of first downs, one via a rush by Gerald Howse and another with a short pass from Arbuckle to Rucker. The seven play drive that included five pass plays and spanned 75-yards for around two and a half minutes culminated in a 61-yard pass from Arbuckle to Glenn Smith to bring Georgia State to within 47˗24.
The Panthers’ defense would then force Texas State into a three and out resulting in a punt and another Georgia State drive. The Panthers picked up four first downs this drive, including midway through it when Arbuckle found Donovan Harden for 34-yards on third down and five at the Panthers’ 36. It moved the football to the 30˗yard line of Texas State.
The drive would result in Arbuckle’s fourth touchdown pass of the game as he found Todd Boyd from 6-yards out for only Boyd’s second touchdown reception of the season. This made the game 47˗31.
Georgia State then attempted to convert on an onsides kick. It appeared after the kick had gone the required 10-yards that Glenn Smith had jumped onto the football, but after further review, the referees said that the Panthers illegally touched the football prior to it going 10-yards.
The ensuing Bobcats possession featured nearly all run plays as the objective had become to simply take care of the football. One of the runs by Franks was good enough for a first down as the Panthers burned all three of their timeouts. The final play of the drive was an incomplete pass by Jones to Franks on 4th and eight at the Georgia State 29˗yard line.
The next Panthers drive would see Arbuckle complete two passes for first downs, one to Dontavis Crocker for 11-yards and another to Blair for 13. Later in the drive on third and 10 from the 47˗yard line, Arbuckle was looking to throw to Davis, but instead was intercepted by David Mims who returned it 60-yards for a touchdown. 54˗31 Bobcats.
The final Georgia State drive of the year would see Duvall Smith carry the football three times before time expired on the game and the season with Texas State prevailing 54˗31.
Georgia State’s season ends with a 1˗11 record, including going 0˗8 in Sun Belt play.
| Georgia State | Arbuckle: 32 of 46 passing, 356 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions | Caffey: ten carries, 72 yards | Davis: six receptions, 117 yards, one touchdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas State | Jones: 26 of 32 passing, 267 yards, two touchdowns | Lowe: 20 carries, 146 yards | Best: 11 receptions, 120 yards, one touchdown |
