Big fourth quarter sparks Georgia Southern to win over Georgia State
STATESBORO - Georgia Southern owns the hashtag for another year.
After the Eagles put together a dominating second half to beat Georgia State 41-24 in the “Georgia Grown Bowl” on Saturday, they own the right to say “SouthernNotState” on all their social media platforms.
It was the third straight victory for Georgia Southern in the series between the two heated G5 rivals for the Commissioner’s Cup.
“This has become a really special game,” Georgia Southern coach Clay Helton said. “I wish you could have all seen that locker room and being able to hoist that trophy up. It’s become a very, very special game.”
Georgia Southern (3-4, 1-2 Sun Belt) pulled out all the stops. It was homecoming and a whiteout, with most of the 25,418 fans – the fourth-largest crowd at Paulson Stadium in school history -- following the requested protocol. They rewarded their supporters with a big fourth quarter.
Southern trailed 24-20 after three quarters, but outscored Georgia State 21-0 in the fourth quarter. Quarterback J.C. French threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
French, a redshirt junior who played at Atlanta’s Blessed Trinity School, had one of his best all-around games. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions and no sacks. He led the team in rushing, running 12 times for 85 yards and one touchdown.
“I think it’s how you respond,” French said about the fourth quarter. “I think we’ve done a great job responding in the second half and I think once we play a full game it’s going to be scary.”
The same can be said of Georgia State (1-6, 0-3 Sun Belt), which has lost four in a row. And while the Panthers lost the game, they may have found their quarterback in redshirt sophomore Cameran Brown.
Brown earned the starting nod this week over T.J. Finley and took advantage of the opportunity. He completed 29 of 38 passes for 280 yards and one touchdown and ran 15 times for 120 yards and one touchdown.
The other notable comparison was that between Georgia State’s Ted Hurst and Southern’s Camden Brown, two of the top receivers in the Sun Belt. Hurst caught five passes for 68 yards and one touchdown, and Brown caught three passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
Trailing 17-13 at the half, Southern regained the lead after forcing Georgia State to turn the ball over on downs. The Panthers came up short on fourth-and-1 when Hurst was stopped short of the first down marker, a play that was reviewed – the sixth review of the game – and upheld.
Southern cashed in on a 43-yard drive with French scoring on a four-yard keeper for a 20-17 lead at 8:08 in the third quarter.
But Southern’s defense couldn’t stop the Panthers, who drove 83 yards and took the lead on a three-yard run by Rashod Amos. Southern aided the effort with a pass interference penalty and a targeting call, which cost them Ayden Jackson, the team’s No. 4 tackler, for the rest of the half.
But Georgia Southern took the lead just two seconds into the fourth quarter when backup QB Weston Bryan scored from the 1.
The Eagles pulled away when they forced a fumble and turned it into a score for a 10-point lead. Southern added the final touchdown after forcing a Georgia State punt.
“The difference was in the second half,” French said. “The offense was just clicking on all cylinders. The whole line and the running backs and receivers were making my jobs easier. I think we were playing off each other.”
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
