The first game of a three˗game road trip for Georgia State football did not go as planned as the Panthers were dominated on the road by the Appalachian State Mountaineers by a final of 44˗0 with snowy weather in the Boone, N.C. area.
The first drive for the Panthers would only last five plays with the fifth being an Arbuckle interception by sophomore linebacker John Law who returned the football from the Georgia State 39˗yard line to the 33.
The Mountaineers would capitalize on the early Panthers turnover as runningback Marcus Cox would score from one yard out for an early touchdown and a lead. Bentlee Critcher was good on the extra point attempt as Appalachian State had an early 7˗0 lead.
Georgia State would get the ball back on their next drive that featured six out of seven run plays. Early in the drive was a Marcus Caffey run for two yards to the Panthers’ 37˗yard line that turned into a fumble forced by freshman Eric Boggs. Georgia State’s Akil Hawkins recovered the football, but the drive would eventually stall out at the Mountaineers’ 46˗yard line.
Appalachian State would begin its next possession at their 10˗yard line and the first play became a Cox run for 39 yards to midfield. The drive culminated in a 9˗yard quarterback keeper from Taylor Lamb to make increase the Mountaineers’ lead to 13˗0. Critcher’s extra point attempt failed.
The Panthers’ next drive would result in a three and out giving the ball back to Appalachian State who would keep the football going into the second quarter. They advanced the football to their 42˗yard line as the drive stalled despite beginning with decent field position.
Georgia State’s next drive would last for three plays before a miscue. On third and 16 from their 35, Duvall Smith was knocked back for a loss of two yards to the Panthers’ 33˗yard line. Linebacker Olawale Dada forced a fumble that was recovered by Law for 17 yards to the Panthers’ 18˗yard line.
It only took three plays for Appalachian State to convert the turnover into points as Cox found the end zone from six yards out for his second touchdown of the game. This gave the Mountaineers a 20˗0 lead.
After another Panthers three and out, Appalachian State took the field again on offense. The drive featured primarily run plays and would go all the way to the Panthers’ 27˗yard line. A 44˗yard field goal attempt from Critcher was no good as the Mountaineers would score no points on that drive.
Georgia State would only manage another three and out as Appalachian State took the field again on the offensive side of the football. They started this one on the Panthers’ 38˗yard line as Matt Hubbard’s punt only went 10-yards.
Similar to the last drive, this one also featured primarily run plays. Differently from the last drive, the Mountaineers put points on the board when junior wide receiver Simms McElfresh converted a 13˗yard run into six points for a touchdown. Appalachian State had a 27˗0 lead going into halftime.
On top of that, the Mountaineers would start the second half with the football. After an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty charged to Appalachian State, they began their first drive of the second half on their 22˗yard line.
It included a completed pass from Lamb to Montez McGuire for 32-yards to the Georgia State 15˗yard line after second and five from the 47. Two plays later, Cox scored his third touchdown of the day with a five yard rush into the end zone for a 34˗0 Mountaineers lead.
The Panthers would pick up a pair of first downs on their ensuing possession, but were forced to punt after only gaining 6-yards on a third and 18 play when Arbuckle completed to Robert Davis.
Appalachian State began its next offensive drive at their 16˗yard line. Cox put in a big play on the first play of the drive with a 76 yard run to the Panthers’ 8˗yard line. In spite of the huge pickup, the Georgia State defense was able to hold the Mountaineers to three points when Critcher converted on a 26˗yard field goal to make the score 37˗0.
The two teams then traded three and outs before Donovan Harden returned a Mountaineers punt 35 yards to the Appalachian State 33˗yard line. Ronnie Bell would be brought in at quarterback as the third quarter expired.
Georgia State was able to muster a first and goal situation at the five yard line of the Mountaineers. Third and goal resulted in rush attempt from Bell that ended in a loss of two yards and a fumble recovered by senior defensive lineman Deuce Robinson at the five˗yard line.
The second play of the ensuing Mountaineers drive would be an 84˗yard rush from junior runningback Ricky Fergerson. After the chains were moved all the way to the Panthers’ seven˗yard line, two more Fergerson runs allowed Appalachian State to expand their advantage to 44˗0.
This would be followed by a Georgia State three and out on their final possession of the game that only saw three runs from Gerald Howse.
Appalachian State got the football on their 40˗yard line to start their final drive. They picked up four first downs and moved the football to the Panthers’ three˗yard line as they took care of the football with primarily run plays. With time expiring, the Mountaineers took two kneel downs to seal an emphatic victory over Georgia State.
| Georgia State | Arbuckle: 8/17, 47 yards | Caffey: 7 carries, 36 yards | Ruiz: 3 receptions, 19 yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State | Lamb: 8/13, 90 yards | 29 carries, 250 yards, 3 touchdowns | McElfresh: 2 touchdowns, 16 yards |
Georgia State will take to the gridiron next week as they travel to Troy. The game will be heard on WRAS 88.5 FM and WIFN˗AM 1340 The Fan 3.
