The Georgia State Panthers struggled to move the football throughout much of Saturday night’s contest in Statesboro, ultimately falling 38-10 to bitter rivals Georgia Southern.
The team could not have asked for a better start to the game. After the defense recorded a three-and-out on the Eagles’ opening possession, Tra Barnett found the end zone with a 15-yard run. The senior finished with 53 yards on 15 carries. Destin Coates, who was a lone second half spark, finished with 54 yards of his own.
It was all downhill from there, though.
Georgia Southern used its electric running attack, one which handed Appalachian State its only loss of the regular season, to full effect. Chad Lunsford’s men, led by Shai Werts, began to find their collective groove. Werts was solid throughout the contest, as he finished 7-of-10 with 73 yards through the air and added 55 more yards and a touchdown on the ground.
But the contest belonged to J.D. King. The junior finished the contest with a game-high 107 yards and three touchdowns. Elliott’s defense struggled to contain Georgia Southern’s RPO offense, which finished with a combined 279 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
The loss brings Georgia State’s final record to 7-5 and while the team failed to seal its first 8-win season in program history Saturday night, it will have another chance to do so in a Bowl game.
