Another huge rushing performance from an opponent equaled the ninth loss of the season for Georgia State football. The Panthers suffered defeat at the hands of the Troy Trojans by a final of 45˗21.
The Panthers gave up 324 rushing yards to Troy with 1,400 yards given by Georgia State in total.
Nick Arbuckle did set the single˗season record for passing yards as he upped his total to 2,812, surpassing Ronnie Bell’s 2,573 mark established last season.
Georgia State responded with seven on their own in their first possession of the game. The Panthers were able to pick up four first downs on their first drive and scored their first points when Nick Arbuckle threw a complete to Todd Boyd for a 21˗yard touchdown. Wil Lutz’s point after attempt was good to tie the game at 7˗7.
The tie would not last long as the Trojans would come back on the field with good field position. Their drive began at the Panthers’ 47˗yard line after a low kick attempt was recovered by sophomore wide receiver Clark Quisenberry. Two plays into the drive, runningback Brandon Burks rushed for 24-yards to the Georgia State 24˗yard line.
The plays on the drive would be handoffs to Burks, including when he capped off the 8 play, 47-yard drive that lasted over three minutes with a 3˗yard touchdown run. That allowed Troy to regain the advantage at 14˗7.
Georgia State regained possession of the football as the first quarter ended, heading into the second. The play would only result in a three and out. Troy’s next possession would produce the same result as well.
Georgia State had an efficient drive in which they moved the chains to the Trojans’ 30˗yard line before an Arbuckle pass was intercepted by senior cornerback Ethan Davis at the 27˗yard line.
After converting three of their 11 plays of their following drive into first downs and a third and six at the Panthers’ 31˗yard line, redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Silvers passed complete to Bryan Holmes for a 31˗yard touchdown. This made the score 21˗7 in favor of Troy.
Georgia State would get possession of the ball again and engineer a drive that would place the offense into Troy territory. The Panthers picked up three first downs, but on 2nd and 14 from the Trojans’ 31˗yard line, saw Arbuckle get picked off for the second time this game. Junior defensive back Montres Kitchens was responsible for the interception on this occasion.
The following Troy drive would see a three and out along with Georgia State burning two timeouts. Troy would then punt to the Panthers’ 45˗yard line as the first half concluded with the Trojans in front by a score of 21˗7.
Three plays into the following Trojans drive, Silvers turned a quarterback keeper into a 30˗yard touchdowns as Troy extended its lead to 28˗7.
The Panthers would then get the ball back on its next drive at the 25˗yard line after a touchback. Georgia State picked up three first drive on a possession that featured primarily runs courtesy of Duvall Smith and Gerald Howse.
Arbuckle passed the football only three times on this drive, but one of them was a 13˗yard connection to Lynquez Blair to cap off a 10 play, 75 yard drive that lasted just over four minutes.
The last Georgia State score brought the deficit down to 28˗14, but Troy began their ensuing possession with decent field position at the Panthers’ 48˗yard line after a return from freshman wide receiver John Johnson for 21-yards.
Troy would gain one first down and advance the football to the Georgia State 27˗yard line, but the Panthers’ defense held the Trojans to three as Ryan Kay kicked a 44˗yard field goal through the uprights for a 31˗14 score.
As Georgia State would get the ball back again, they converted on one first down with a 37˗yard pass from Arbuckle to Donovan Harden to advance the ball to the Troy 32˗yard line. But Smith lost four yards on the next play and two plays later, Arbuckle was sacked for a loss of nine, putting the Panthers out of field goal range for Wil Lutz.
As Troy would get the football again at their 33˗yard line, two plays into the drive, their rushing attack was on full display with a Burks 49 yard run to the Panthers’ 13˗yard line. Runningback Jordan Chunn capped off the drive by gaining those thirteen yards to increase the lead for the Trojans to 38˗14.
A delay of game penalty and an Arbuckle sack would drive the Panthers’ next heading into the fourth quarter.
Georgia State would have to punt after the three and out.
Georgia State’s next possession also ended in a three and out as Troy took over on offense again. This time, they only gained one first down and then had to punt.
The Panthers would see, on their third play of the ensuing possesion, a third and seven from their own 14˗yard line, Arbuckle complete for 38-yards to Todd Boyd for a first down pickup. This moved the chains to the 48˗yard line of Troy.
Georgia State would then get two more first downs, including one on first and ten from the Trojans’ 36˗yard line that saw Arbuckle complete to Robert Davis for 32 yards to the four˗yard line of Troy.
After forcing first and goal, the Panthers’ drive was temporarily hampered by a 15˗yard offensive pass interference flag assessed against Blair. This moved the ball back to the 19˗yard line, but Arbuckle would find Blair on third and goal to get those 19 yards back for a touchdown and a score of 45˗21 with less than a minute to play in the game.
Troy would have the game’s final possession that saw them gain a first down on a 16˗yard run from Keith Johnson. A pair of plays later, the game ended as the Trojans defeated the Panthers, 45˗21.
“Obviously, we weren’t good enough,” head coach Trent Miles said after the game. “We couldn’t stop the run, again. We couldn’t kick it where we were trying to kick it to. We didn’t call some plays I felt that we shouldn’t have called. We were all around not good enough.”
| Georgia State | Arbuckle: 23 out of 37 passing, 293 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions | Caffey: 16 carries, 86 yards | Blair: nine receptions, 62 yards, two touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troy stats | Silvers: 17 out of 21 passing, 111 yards, one touchdown | Burks: 13 carries, 118 yards, one touchdown | Holmes: four receptions, 52 yards, one touchdown |
“We have to get healthy,” Miles said. “We are so beat up. Our young guys are beat up. Our kids battled hard. It wasn’t the fact that we didn’t try hard or anything like that. They showed up tonight. We got beat. We didn’t do some things well. We just have to get healthy.”
After a bye week the upcoming week, Georgia State’s three˗game road trip will end as the Panthers face the ACC’s Clemson Tigers in South Carolina on Nov. 22.
