This year’s homecoming matchup features Georgia State taking on Sun Belt rival Arkansas State. The Panthers are currently 1-4 for the season as the team was able to earn a season-opening 38-37 victory over Abilene Christian but have since lost their last four contests including to conference rivals New Mexico State and Louisiana-Lafayette.
The Red Wolves have begun the season at 3-2. They kicked off the season with a 37-10 win over Montana State before losing on the road to a pair of Power Five conference foes in Tennessee and Miami.
They rebounded in week four with a 21-14 overtime victory against Utah State and a 28-14 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
Last year: loss to Arkansas State 35-33
With the Panthers’ move into the Sun Belt commencing in 2013, last year’s matchup between Georgia State and Arkansas State was the first time the two teams have met. It ended with the Panthers coming up just short as the Red Wolves bested Georgia State by a final of 35-33.
Arkansas State took an early 7-0 lead before the Panthers went ahead 10-7 with a field goal from Wil Lutz and a touchdown run from quarterback Ronnie Bell. Albert Wilson’s 80-yard touchdown run in the second quarter increased the Georgia State lead to 17-7, which is what it would be at halftime.
Wilson then fumbled on the first possession of the second half for the Panthers, which turned into a 21-yard touchdown by Red Wolves free safety Sterling Young to bring the score to 17-14. Defensive back Brock Barnhill blocked a Matt Hubbard punt which was recovered by Raziel Young in the end zone to give Arkansas State the lead at 21-17.
Shortly afterwards, Georgia State regained the lead with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Kelton Hill to Wilson to make the score 24-21, but the Red Wolves responded with a five-yard run by Michael Gordon to pull ahead 28-24.
A field goal from Lutz to begin the fourth brought the Panthers within one at 28-27. Arkansas State senior quarterback Adam Kennedy found J.D. McKissic for a five-yard TD pass to go ahead 35-27. With over two minutes left in the game, Hill connected with Wilson for a 70-yard touchdown pass to bring Georgia State within two, but the Panthers’ two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, sealing the game for the Red Wolves.
Homecoming History
Since the debut of the football team and its transition to a fall homecoming, Georgia State has played a homecoming football game every season. This will be the fifth in the short history of the program. The Panthers notched wins over Morehead State and eventual Sun Belt foe South Alabama in their first pair of Homecoming matchups, but have fell to Villanova and Troy the last couple of years.
Qushaun Lee—Tackles this season
8/30 vs. Montana State-5
9/6 at Tennessee—9
9/13 at Miami-4
9/20 vs. Utah State-13
10/4 vs. Louisiana-Monroe-3
Nick Arbuckle–Passing yards this season
8/27 vs. Abilene Christian-413
9/6 vs. New Mexico State-294
9/13 vs. Air Force-414
9/20 at Washington-194
10/4 at Louisiana-Lafayette-276
Recaps (Georgia State)
8/27: 38-37 win over Abilene Christian
In a nationally televised matchup on ESPNU, Georgia State kicked off the 2014 football season in style with a 38-37 victory over the Abilene Christian Wildcats to snap at 16-game losing streak dating back to 2012. Wil Lutz’s 26-yard field goal with four seconds left sealed the victory for the Panthers. Nick Arbuckle threw for 413-yards and four touchdowns in his Georgia State debut.
9/6: 34-31 loss to New Mexico State
In spite of an early 17-0 lead, the Panthers suffered defeat to New Mexico State by a final score of 34-31. A late Arbuckle TD put Georgia State ahead by four, but the Panthers defense could not muster one last defensive stand to stop the Aggies’ offense.
9/13: 48-38 loss to Air Force
In a matchup that saw a huge Air Force contingency at the Georgia Dome, the Falcons defeated the Panthers 48-38. Air Force led 31-10 at the half before the Georgia State offense fought hard to come within striking distance of the Falcons. It was not enough as the Panthers finished their opening homestand with a win and two losses.
9/20: 45-14 loss to Washington
The Panthers played their first road matchup at Washington in Seattle—the longest trip the team has taken in its five-year history. Georgia State led the Pac-12 power 14-0 before the Huskies stormed back with 45 unanswered points to take the game.
10/4: 34-31 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette
Georgia State played a hard fought football game against a Louisiana-Lafayette team prior to the start of the season was a unanimous pick to win the Sun Belt Conference. The team had a huge opportunity to win the game late in the fourth quarter before a pair of illegal formation penalties hampered the Panthers’ last offensive drive.
Recaps (Arkansas State)
8/30: 37-10 win vs. Montana State
The Red Wolves opened the season in defense of their co-Sun Belt title last season with a 37-10 victory over Montana State. The game was close between the two squads through the third quarter until 24 consecutive Arkansas State points allowed the Red Wolves to cruise to their opening victory.
9/6: 34-19 loss at Tennessee
Arkansas State’s record fell to 1-1 with a 34-19 defeat to Tennessee in a nationally televised matchup via the SEC Network. The Red Wolves scored the first points of the game as they went ahead 6-0, but the Volunteers’ offense led by quarterback Justin Worley and wide receiver Marquez North was too much for Arkansas State to handle.
9/13: 41-20 loss at Miami
The team’s game the following week at Miami was also nationally televised via ESPNU. The result was a 41-20 defeat at Miami. Hurricanes freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya threw for four touchdowns and 342-yards. Senior wide receiver Phillip Dorsett was the recipient of 201 of those yards along with a pair of touchdowns.
9/20: 21-14 win vs. Utah State (OT)
The Red Wolves got back in the win column with a 21-14 overtime triumph over Utah State at home. Arkansas State trailed late in the fourth quarter 14-7 before tying it with just over five minutes remaining in regulation. A blocked field goal attempt along with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Fredi Knighten to Dijon Paschal capped off the Red Wolves’ second win of the year.
10/4: 28-14 win vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Last week’s matchup against the Warhawks was Arkansas State’s homecoming game. They won by a final of 28-14 to win their 11th of their last 12 homecoming games. Knighten finished with three rushing touchdowns along with a passing touchdown on 284-yards passing. Michael Gordon added 168 yards on the ground.
Statistics (Georgia State)
3rd in Sun Belt in Scoring Offense (30.2 points/game)
3rd in Sun Belt in Total Offense (456.8 yards/game)
1st in Sun Belt in Passing Offense (331.5 yards/game)
8th in Sun Belt in Total Defense (452.0 yards/game)
9th in Sun Belt in Pass Defense (255.5 yards/game)
Statistics: (Arkansas State)
7th in Sun Belt in Scoring Offense (24.2 points/game)
7th in Sun Belt in Total Offense (380.8 yards/game)
8th in Sun Belt in Passing Offense (220.0 yards/game)
5th in Sun Belt in Total Defense (386.0 yards/game)
8th in Sun Belt in Pass Defense (249.8 yards/game)
Interview with Matt Stolz, Arkansas State play by play radio voice:
Initial thoughts on the game:
MS: I’m looking forward to it. It will be fun for our players to take the field at the Georgia Dome and they’ll know they’ll have their hands full with an improved Georgia State team. The Red Wolves also remember last year’s game very well when they had to come from behind to win in Jonesboro.
How much of a challenge will it be for Arkansas State to play on the road at Georgia State’s homecoming after coming off its own?
Homecoming is always a fun atmosphere to be a part of and the Red Wolves expect Georgia State to be ready to play. However, one big reason that Arkansas State has been able to win 3 straight Conference Championships is their ability to win on the road. The Red Wolves have lost just one conference road game over the last three seasons.
What are the Red Wolves coaching staff looking at that could present potential matchup issues?
Well, it’s impossible not to be impressed with the start of Nick Arbuckle. He’s leading the Sun Belt and is in the Top 15 in the nation in passing yards and total offense. Linebacker Joseph Peterson is also among the national leaders in tackles with over 13 per game. Anytime you have a couple of players averaging numbers like they are, then opposing teams have to take notice.
Is Georgia State a better team this season than last year when Arkansas State barely beat them?
They seem to be more a complete team. The entire Sun Belt has a lot of respect for Trent Miles and what he’s trying to do. Georgia State will be winning a lot of games very soon as they become more of a complete team on both sides of the ball. Last year, Albert Wilson had one of the best individual efforts I’ve ever seen from an opposing player. The Panthers played well that day, but Wilson took that team on his shoulders and almost upset the Red Wolves on the road. Our fans were very happy to see him graduate.
Now that this is the second season playing them, is that familiarity through being Sun Belt competitors an advantage or disadvantage for A-State?
We’ll probably have to wait to find out. Both teams were unfamiliar with one another last season and now have a better idea of what to expect as far as personnel. That said, the Red Wolves have another new coaching staff this year that wasn’t able to see the Panthers play in person in 2013. With a new coaching staff, comes new philosophies and we’ll see at kickoff how both teams adjust.
