The Panthers hold a slight edge against the Eagles with a 6-5 record heading into their 12th meeting
A rivalry is renewed this weekend when Georgia State takes on Georgia Southern in Statesboro, the Panthers hold a slight edge against the Eagles with a 6-5 record heading into their 12th meeting.
These two programs have faced off every season since 2014 with this matchup being the second edition of the Georgia Grown Bowl, Georgia Southern coming away with the Commissioner’s Cup in the inaugural game last season.
Georgia State:
The Panther’s head into Statesboro on the heels of a three-game losing streak and sit 0-2 in conference play. TJ Finley got the hook in the third quarter last weekend after a sluggish outing. That may signal a quarterback change coming for the Panthers.
Cameran Brown sparked the offense in the third quarter of their lopsided loss against App State. He went 13-for-16, throwing for 212 yards with three total touchdowns. Passing made up a huge part of the Panther offense with senior wide receiver Ted Hurst continuing his dominant year, hauling in nine catches for 105 yards against the Mountaineers.
Georgia State will most likely look to keep the ball in the air, ranked 55th in FBS, against the Eagles passing defense which ranks 68th in FBS. The Panthers threw for over 500 yards combined over the last two games.
Despite stellar individual performances by linebacker Josiah Robinson (8 tackles) and Richard Kramer (1 sack), the defense continued to struggle as a unit, allowing 435 yards of offense against App State.
Georgia State head-coach Dell McGee left the door open when asked about the possibility of going with one primary quarterback
“We’ll look at the tape,” stated McGee in his press conference. “And make some decisions going forward.”
McGee also spoke on how tough the Sun Belt Conference is to play in and that next week is going to be determined by preparation.
Georgia Southern:
The Eagles almost completed their comeback against Southern Miss after trailing 28-7 at halftime. They narrowly lost to the Golden Eagles 38-35 last week.
Junior quarterback JC French IV aired the ball out all day long against Southern Miss, going 24-for-43 with 313 passing yards and two touchdown passes to three interceptions. French also scored two touchdowns with his legs despite having -2 yards rushing on 13 carries.
Two Georgia Southern receivers notched at least 70 yards against the Golden Eagles, with senior Camden Brown headlining the wideouts by grabbing 12 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. The running back room scored the most, with three total touchdowns on the night despite being held to less than 100 yards as a unit They gained only 82 yards on 34 total carries.
Georgia Southern may opt to keep it on the ground against the Panthers who rank near the bottom of FBS in rushing defense at 127th.
The Eagle defense racked up four forced fumbles and recovered one last weekend, led by senior linebacker Brendan Harrington with 12 tackles (7 solo) and junior defensive back Tracy Hill Jr. who had five solo tackles and one pass defended.
Georgia State vs Georgia Southern
Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 18th at 7:00p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WRAS-FM 88.5 (Local)
Click here for information on tickets. Georgia State fans can also contact the ticket office at (404)-413-4020 or email the ticket office at tickets@gsu.edu
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