Georgia State: 2023 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Champions

 

NEW ORLEANS — Georgia State scored 31-consecutive points and held Utah State scoreless for nearly three quarters in a 45-22 rout in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. 

 

The Panthers, who were one of an FBS-leading 12 Sun Belt football programs to compete in Bowl Season, improved to 4-2 in six all-time bowl appearances—including three-straight bowl wins. 

 

Redshirt senior quarterback Darren Grainger accounted for five touchdowns on the day, tying his own career high and program record. Grainger rushed for the first two Georgia State touchdowns—then added three through the air as part of the 31-point outburst that turned a 14-14 game at the 3:41 mark of the first quarter into a 45-14 rout at the 9:18 mark of the fourth quarter. 

 

The Aggies halted the Panthers streak with a final touchdown strike at the 4:48 mark of the fourth quarter, ending nearly three quarters of dominance by Georgia State. 

 

Senior running back Freddie Brock rushed for a Georgia State single-game program record 276 yards and the lone touchdown not accounted for by Grainger. Brock had rushed for just 31 yards in three appearances on the season for the Panthers prior to the record-setting bowl performance.   

 

Redshirt senior wide receiver Cadarrius Thompson caught five passes for a game-high 117 yards and two scores, while redshirt junior wide receiver Tailique Williams had the other touchdown reception for the Panthers. 

 

Four different Georgia State defenders accumulated five-or-more tackles. 

 

With the win, Georgia State improves to 7-6 on the season. 

Georgia State: 2021-22 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Champions

 

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Corey Allen scored 29 points and third-seeded Georgia State won the Sun Belt Conference tournament for the fourth time in eight years, defeating Louisiana 80-71 on Monday night.

Eliel Nsoseme had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Georgia State. Jalen Thomas scored 12 points and Kane Williams added 10. The third-seeded Panthers have won 10 straight games and 12 of their last 13.

After Georgia State saw a comfortable lead cut to three at 55-52 with 7:28 remaining, Nsoseme converted a three-point play, Allen made two free throws followed by a 3-pointer and the Panthers were well on their way to an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Louisiana sent Georgia State to the free-throw line on seven consecutive possessions beginning at the 2:15 mark and the Panthers made the last 12 of 13 attempts in that stretch. The Panthers made 22 of 24 free throws for the game.

Jordan Brown had 24 points and eight rebounds for eighth-seeded Louisiana. Greg Williams Jr. scored 15 points and Jalen Dalcourt 10. The Ragin’ Cajuns defeated No. 9 UT Arlington, No. 1 Texas State and No. 4 Troy to reach the championship game. Louisiana is the first team seeded eighth or worse to reach the Sun Belt tournament championship game.

Georgia State built a 21-12 lead with 11:48 remaining in the first half and led by 7-11 points for nearly all of the next 22 minutes of play. Georgia State led 42-33 at halftime and while neither team managed to shoot as much as 35% in the first 12 minutes of the second half, Louisiana went on a 6-0 run to draw within three before Georgia State pulled away.

Georgia State: 2021 Camellia Bowl Champions

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- — Darren Grainger and Georgia State saved their best for the last game of the season — and especially for a thoroughly dominating third quarter.

Grainger passed for 203 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 122 yards and a fourth TD to lead Georgia State to a 51-20 victory over Ball State in the Camellia Bowl on Saturday.

The Panthers (8-5) finished with their seventh win in eight games, dominated the lone bowl played on Christmas Day and set a season record for wins.

Coach Shawn Elliott called it "the best performance Georgia State football has had this year."

"I think we finished Christmas Day with one of the best presents we could have ever asked for and that's a commanding, dominating win," Elliott said. It was the first time the program had won back-to-back bowl games.

His team was up 20-13 at halftime but scored the next 31 points.

Grainger completed 15 of 19 passes and carried 11 times, including a play fake midway through the third quarter when he scampered 34 yards untouched into the end zone. It was the first 100-yard rushing game of his career, and he was named the game MVP.

Ball State (6-7) couldn't summon up many big plays after Drew Plitt's 56-yard touchdown bomb to Jayshon Jackson for an early lead.

The Cardinals finished with a losing record a year after coach Mike Neu led his alma mater to its first Mid-American Conference championship since 1996.

"This group of young men has changed our program, and I mean that," Neu said. "A few years ago, we were struggling, we were down and out. These guys stuck together."

Tight end Aubrey Payne had two touchdown catches for Georgia State, along with career-highs of eight catches and 109 yards.

The Panthers defense also supplied two touchdowns: a 37-yard fumble recovery by defensive end Javon Denis and a 55-yard interception return by Antavious Lane that ended the team's 28-point third quarter.

"I really just wanted to win," Grainger said. "It didn't really matter how it came. We were talking so much about getting the eighth win this week."

Plitt completed 27 of 46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Ball State, which was without injured leading receiver Justin Hall. Jackson caught 12 passes for 146 yards.

It was Plitt's last game of his career at Ball State, but afterward, he was looking ahead to how his returning teammates can bounce back.

"I feel like this team is going to surprise a lot of people," Plitt said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Georgia State: Completed a dramatic turnaround after a 1-4 start that included losses to Army, North Carolina, Auburn and Appalachian State. The nation's No. 8 ground game dominated Saturday, churning out 259 yards.

Ball State: Had a disappointing ending after gaining bowl eligibility with a 20-3 win over Buffalo in the regular-season finale. A failed fourth-and-1 try from its own 34 in the first half led to a field goal. The Cardinals fell to 1-9-1 in bowl games.

MISSING PLAYERS

Ball State was without two offensive line starters —left guard Anthony Todd (injury) and right tackle Damon Kaylor (COVID-19 protocol) — along with Hall.

"We had some moving parts on the offensive line," Neu said. "We had a few adjustments we had to make throughout the week. That's part of it. There's some guys who stepped in and played their first snaps this week."

Georgia State starting noseguard Dontae Wilson also didn't play for undisclosed reasons, and tight end Roger Carter was out with an injury.

UP NEXT

Ball State: Opens next season at Tennessee, and must replace Plitt and had 32 seniors/grad students.

Georgia State: Will have Grainger back next season and also starts on the road against an SEC team — South Carolina. "This team is growing, and I think it's going to continuously grow under Coach Elliott," Payne said.

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Georgia State: 2020 LendingTree Bowl Champions

Cornelius “Quad” Brown was right at home back in his native state on Saturday.

The redshirt freshman from Calera passed for three touchdowns as Georgia State rolled past Western Kentucky 39-21 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. Brown outshined Hilltoppers senior quarterback Tyrell Pigrome of Pinson, who ran for an early touchdown but later threw his first two interceptions of the year.

“After that first interception, I knew we’d get to rolling,” Brown said. “… The guys picked me up. They made sure I didn’t hang my head. They never lost in confidence in me. Our (offensive coordinator) continued to call the game wide-open. I knew guys would make plays. I knew if I did my job distributing the football, somehow, some way, we’d break open. And that’s what we were able to do.”

Georgia State (6-4) scored on four consecutive possessions in the second quarter, two of them set up by interceptions of Pigrome, who came into the game having not been picked off in 264 attempts this season. Antarious Lane and Jontrey Hunter both victimized Pigrome Saturday, each of them on diving grabs in the red zone.

After Pigrome’s 2-yard run put WKU (5-7) up 7-0 at the 4:02 mark of the first quarter, the Georgia State scoring barrage began. Destin Coates’ 11-yard run tied it 7-7 with eight seconds left in the first period.

The Panthers followed that up with three straight Brown touchdown passes in the second quarter, 26 yards to Sam Pinckney, five yards to Jamari Thrash and eight yards to Cornelius McCoy. Noel Ruiz’s extra point was blocked after the final touchdown, making it 27-7 at the half.

Georgia State went three-and-out on its first possession and Brown threw an interception on the second, leading to a tense conversation with Panthers head coach Shawn Elliott.

“I told him ‘you can’t win the game on one play,’” Elliott said. “And he settled down after that. On the third drive we started clicking. Our receivers and our backs and our offensive line — the supporting cast around Quad — had to play well, and they did. They push hard every single day but Quad had an exceptional night. I’m really, really proud of him.”

Western Kentucky pulled with 27-14 on Gaej Walker’s 2-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, but a pair of Ruiz field goals — 45 and 29 yards — pushed it back to a three-score game at 33-14.

Georgia State’s last touchdown came with 5:13 left, when back-up quarterback Mikele Colasurdo hit Cadarrius Thompson on a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Hilltoppers then added C.J. Jones’ 2-yard run in the final three minutes to reach the final score.

Brown ended the game 15 of 29 for 226 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, and also added 40 yards rushing. Coates rushed for 117 yards and a score on 23 carries, keying a 227-yard rushing day for the Panthers.

Pigrome, a former Clay-Chalkville standout, had the early rushing touchdown but few highlights otherwise. He was 17 of 33 for 180 yards and two interceptions passing, and was also sacked three times.

“Hats off to Georgia State, they just flat out out-played us tonight,” Western Kentucky coach Tyson Helton said. “I thought there were a couple of things early in the game we did a good job of, but penalties cost us at critical times. They did all the right things. They beat us hands-down.”

Georgia State finishes with a winning record in back-to-back seasons for the first time in the program’s 11-year history. Western Kentucky ends with a losing record for the third time in four years.

Georgia State: 2018-19 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Champions

NEW ORLEANS -- Normally talkative Georgia State coach Ron Hunter announced that he couldn't linger long at his postgame media conference following the Sun Belt Conference title game.

He had a six-hour party to attend, he said, referring to the bus ride back to Atlanta from New Orleans.

Malik Benlevi scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Georgia State advanced to a second straight NCAA Tournament with a 73-64 victory over Texas-Arlington in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament final on Sunday.

"This is about to be the best party bus you have ever seen," Hunter said. "We're not going to a restaurant. I cancelled it. We're not going to a hotel. I cancelled it. We're getting with my team. We're getting with our families. We're getting on a bus and you're going to hear us all around the country."

The top-seeded Panthers (24-9) also demonstrated they are no longer the one-man show they were a year ago, when they relied on D'Marcus Simonds' 27 points to win the 2018 conference title game. This time, Simonds was held to 10 points, but Georgia State had the balance to withstand that. Benlevi punished UTA from outside with four 3-pointers, while Damon Wilson scored 13 points, Kane Williams 12, and Jeff Thomas 11, putting all five starters in double figures.

"We are a dangerous team to play because of how we play," Hunter said. "What people are doing, they're game-planning for D'Marcus and it's the wrong thing to do. I've got good players.

"That's why I hope whoever we're playing in the NCAA Tournament, they're doing the exact same thing."

Edric Dennis scored 12 points and Brian Warren 11 for Texas-Arlington (17-16), which has now come within one victory of a trip to the NCAA Tournament in two straight seasons, only to fall short against the same foe.

The game was a rematch of last year's Sun Belt final, albeit in name only because Texas-Arlington had a different coach and five different starters a year ago. Only one current UTA player -- reserve D.J. Bryant -- even played in the 2018 final.

Texas-Arlington was as close as 64-60 when Warren's jumper went down with 2:10 to go, but the Panthers made enough free throws and grabbed enough defensive rebounds from there on to close the game out comfortably. Georgia State coach Ron Hunter started subbing out starters -- and hugging them as they came to the bench -- with a minute to go.

But UTA's real downfall was a shooting drought of 23 straight missed field goals spanning the last 10 minutes of the first half and more than the first five minutes of the second before TiAndre Jackson-Young hit a 3 with 14:46 left to trim Georgia State's lead to 43-34.

"That'll get you beat," UTA coach Chris Ogden said. "I knew we were going through droughts and we were trying different things. We had some looks that we didn't hit, but when they made the plays at the rim, I just thought it affected our overall aggression and they did a good job of contesting shots. They did, so give them credit."

AWAITED ACCOLADE

Benlevi, a 6-foot-6 senior, was named the tournament's outstanding player after garnering few other accolades during his four-year career.

"Four years I've been playing the Sun Belt and never made All-Conference. I feel like I've been snubbed two years in a row," he said. "So, I'm feeling good."

MOMENTUM SHOT

Texas-Arlington raced to a 12-4 lead as Patrick Mwamba scored seven early points and led 23-19 after Warren's 3 with 10:10 left in the first half. But after that, the Mavericks missed their last 13 shots of the half.

Georgia State surged into the lead for good with a 13-1 run highlighted by Williams' 3 as he was fouled.

"It was very big. I think it was a momentum swinger," Williams said of his four-point play. "After that, I feel like we got the tide rolling and everybody picked up the pace and we started getting the energy flowing ... It was a big-time play."

BIG PICTURE

Texas-Arlington: In its second appearance in the Sun Belt title game since joining the league in 2013-14, UTA again fell short of what would have been its second trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia State: After winning its third Sun Belt tournament title in five years, GSU enters the NCAA Tournament having won five straight and eight of nine.

UP NEXT

Texas-Arlington: Although the Mavericks were the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt, finishing just one game above .500 overall likely ends their season without a bid to any postseason invitational tournaments.

Georgia State: The Panthers await their seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia State: 2017-18 Sun Bel Men's Basketball Champions

NEW ORLEANS -- D'Marcus Simonds didn't play like the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in Georgia State's semifinal victory against Georgia Southern.

He had six points and five turnovers in 28 minutes before fouling out of the Panthers victory Saturday. But he was back in form Sunday, scoring 27 points as GSU defeated Texas Arlington 74-61 to win the Sun Belt Tournament championship.

The second-seeded Panthers (24-10) will be making their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2015. Fourth-seeded UT Arlington, which upset Sun Belt regular-season champion Louisiana-Lafayette in the semifinals, fell to 21-13.

"He played probably the worst game of his life yesterday," GSU coach Ron Hunter said of Simonds. "I didn't say anything to him. I knew he would come back and dominate."

Simonds, who set the Panthers' single-season scoring record in the otherwise poor performance Saturday, was chosen the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Devin Mitchell added 13 points before fouling out, and Malik Benlevi scored 11 for GSU.

"I was kind of lackadaisical (in the semifinals)," Simonds said. "I could have done better. I put the weight on my shoulders to play better and I did."

The Panthers, who set school records for 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made this season, connected on 8 of 17 from beyond the arc. The Mavericks made 4 of 25 3-pointers and shot 29.8 percent (17 of 57) from the floor.

"We said before the game that if they shot 25 to 30 3-pointers we would win," Hunter said. "That would play into our hands by making it a perimeter game."

The Panthers held Troy to 31.1 percent (14 of 45) in the quarterfinals and Georgia Southern to 39.6 percent (21 of 53).

"We set a goal of holding every team that we played in the tournament to under 40 percent shooting, and we did that," Hunter said. "We said if we did that we'd be able to win."

Johnny Hamilton led the Mavericks with 23 points and 14 rebounds, Erick Neal scored 12, Kevin Hervey had 11 and Kaelon Williams 10. Neal, who had averaged a tournament-best 27.5 points in the previous two games, made 2 of 15 shots, including 1 of 9 3-pointers.

"We needed to be aggressive and get the ball to the basket and we weren't able to do that the way we needed to," UTA coach Scott Cross said. "We didn't have the type of energy that we needed. If you are not bouncing around or flying around defensively, it is going to be hard to win any basketball game. We forced shots and that led to easy baskets for them."

GSU led by three at halftime, but UTA twice cut the lead to one early in the second half. Simonds scored four points during an 11-1 run that gave the Panthers a 46-35 lead.

After Hamilton made a free throw, Benlevi scored five points to start an 11-2 run that put the Panthers in command.

"Basketball is a game of runs," Neal said, "and we didn't have enough runs today."



Simonds scored 10 points as GSU opened a 22-15 lead midway through the first half. Hevery made a 3-pointer for UTA before the Panthers scored eight consecutive points to take a 30-18 lead. Wilson's three-point play ended the run and Hervey and Neal each made a 3-pointer to get the Mavericks within 33-30 at halftime.

BIG PICTURE

UTA: In its first appearance in the Sun Belt title game since joining the league in 2013-14, UTA fell short of what would have been its second trip to the NCAA Tournament.

GSU: After winning its second Sun Belt tournament title in four years, GSU takes a four-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT

UTA: Its season is over.

GSU: Waits to hear its destination in the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia State: 2017 Cure Bowl Champions

ORLANDO, Fla. -- From 0-12 to Cure Bowl champions in four years.

Georgia State's fledgling football program took a bow Saturday, celebrating a 27-17 victory over Western Kentucky -- the first postseason win in school history.

Conner Manning threw for 276 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers (7-5), who had a winning record for the second time in the program's eight-year history and set a school record for victories in a season.

"I told them before we stepped on the field that the team that wanted this game the most was going to win," first-year coach Shawn Elliott said.

"There was no doubt in my mind that we were the team that wanted it and we were going to win it," Elliott added. "We're a bunch of misfit coaches and misfit players that learned how to work hard and fight every day."

The Panthers (7-5) started their program from scratch in 2010, going 6-5 as an FCS independent. They began the transition to FBS with a 1-10 record in 2012, then sank to a program-worst 0-12 the following year -- Georgia State's first in the Sun Belt Conference.

Saturday's appearance in the Cure Bowl was the team's second in three years. The Panthers lost to San Jose State 27-16 here in 2015, finishing 6-7.

"Coming into the year a lot of us believed we could have a special year," Manning said. "The new coaches brought a lot of energy, and we started this during the winter. We got to work early with the goal of being in this position."

Manning threw a 42-yard TD pass to Roger Carter, Demarcus Kirk scored on a 26-yard run, and Kyler Neal finished a 16-play drive consuming nine minutes of the fourth quarter with a 1-yard TD run that put Georgia State up 27-10.

Mike White tossed TD passes of 54 and 4 yards to Deon Yelder, finishing with 351 yards -- the senior's eighth consecutive 300-yard game passing -- for Western Kentucky (6-7). Yelder had five receptions for 112 yards for the Hilltoppers.

Georgia State star Penny Hart, the Sun Belt Conference leading receiver, did not start and played sparingly because of an ankle injury. His lone reception -- for 27 yards midway through the third quarter -- came on the play before Manning threw his TD pass to Carter.

Western Kentucky finished with a losing record in their first season under coach Mike Sanford. The Hilltoppers also were denied in their bid to set a school record with four consecutive bowl wins.

"Today's game, honestly, it's been what's ailed us all year," Sanford said.

"We needed to identify opportunities to run the football, I thought we had some early opportunities but not enough," Sanford added. "That made us one dimensional and more difficult to throw the football. To win championships we have to run the ball effectively, and we didn't do that."

FAREWELL

White finished 26 of 39 passing and threw an interception on the final play of his career. He also lost a fumble late in the second quarter.

It wasn't the way the Hilltoppers envisioned him finishing up.

"Mike is up there with some of the best (quarterbacks) that I've ever been around," Sanford said. "It's disappointing for Mike to not go out the way he deserves to go out."

SETTING THE TONE

Georgia State DE Mackendy Cheridor had two sacks in the opening half, sending a message to White that the Western Kentucky quarterback could be in for a long day. Chase Middleton, Hardrick Willis, Terry Thomas and Dontae Wilson also had sacks for the Panthers.

TARGETING

Western Kentucky defensive end Julien Lewis was penalized for roughing the passer early in the second quarter. Officials reviewed the play and determined the 6-foot-3, 300 -pound redshirt junior should be ejected for targeting.

THE TAKEAWAY

Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers won the Bahamas, Miami Beach and Boca Raton bowls the past three seasons, joining Clemson, Georgia, Louisiana Tech, Stanford, Utah, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin as the only team with bowl wins each of the past three years. The chances for a fourth straight win were hindered by three turnovers -- one of them on a trick play early in the fourth quarter -- and six sacks.

Georgia State: Playing in the Cure Bowl for the second time in three seasons is a nice accomplishment for an eight-year-old program. The Panthers finished fourth in the Sun Belt under first-year coach Shawn Elliott, but placed nine players on the league's all-conference team.

UP NEXT


Western Kentucky: The game was the last for 19 seniors, including White, who began his career at nearby South Florida. The class won 37 games -- second-most by the Hilltoppers as a FBS program. In addition to a new starting quarterback, there will be opportunities to shine at wide receiver, where departing seniors Nacarius Fant, Cameron Echols-Luper and Kylen Towner combined to catch 134 passes for 1,423 yards and 10 TDs this season.

Georgia State: Like Western Kentucky, the Panthers will try to build off this year's success with a new quarterback. Manning's successor will have some productive players to work with, beginning with Hart -a 5-foot-8, 180-pound sophomore who led the Sun Belt in receiving with 74 receptions for 1,121 yards and eight TDs.

Georgia State: 2014-15 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Champions

NEW ORLEANS -- R.J. Hunter, the coach's son, made two free throws with 21.6 seconds left and Georgia State survived two last-second, 3-point attempts Sunday to beat Georgia Southern 38-36 in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game.

Georgia State (24-9), in its second season in the Sun Belt, will make its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2001.

Kevin Ware scored 18 points for Georgia State, the only double-figure scorer in the low-scoring game, while Hunter finished with nine.

Jelani Hewitt had eight points to lead Georgia Southern (22-9).

Hunter was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound of Ware's missed jumper. Georgia Southern's Curtis Diamond missed a 3-point attempt with 7 seconds left but tracked down the rebound and called a timeout as he jumped out of bounds with 5.1 seconds left. Eric Fergusontook Georgia Southern's final shot, missing from the left side.

Georgia State coach Ron Hunter was injured during the celebration after the game and had to be helped off the court. He did return to be with his team as they continued the celebration.