Georgia Southern overcomes miscues to beat rival Georgia State for fourth straight time
Despite turning the ball over three times, Georgia Southern got everything it wanted from Saturday’s trip to Atlanta.
The Eagles won their sixth game of the year and became bowl eligible. They remained atop the Sun Belt East standings, two wins shy of guaranteeing a spot in the conference championship game. And their 34-17 win over Georgia State was their fourth straight over their in-state rival, a streak that had gone unmatched by either side since the series began.
And, as a bonus prize, they got to load the shiny silver Commissioner’s Cup on the bus and tote it back to Statesboro for the third time, as long as the trophy has been up for grabs.
“So proud of this team, especially the guys that have been with us for a while to have a fourth in a row in this great rivalry,” Georgia Southern coach Clay Helton said. “It’s something that hasn’t been done, and they own that.”
It wasn’t always pretty. Georgia Southern had three turnovers, all of which led to points for Georgia State. But the Eagles’ defense put a cork on the Georgia State offense for most of the game and prevented the Panthers from making any game-changing plays.
“When you have a really good defense that says, ‘Hey, we’re going to get some stops for you. We’re going to lift this team up.’” Helton said. “And about halfway through the first quarter it started clicking and you looked up and all of a sudden we were two scores up at halftime.”
Georgia State scored first thanks to a turnover. Southern’s Josh Dallas muffed a punt return and Isaiah Stone recovered for the Panthers at the 9. Three plays later, Qwantavius Wiggins took a pitch and scored on a 5-yard run.
Southern answered with a 75-yard drive highlighted by a 41-yard pass from backup quarterback Weston Bryan to Alex Taylor. Tyrese Woodgett went off right tackle to score from the 2 on the next play, tying the game.
Southern handed Georgia State another short field when quarterback Max Johnson fumbled the exchange and Deuce Lee recovered for Georgia State at the 7. Lanear McCrary Jr. ran it in for a touchdown on the next play.
Southern immediately got the points back. On the first play after the kickoff, Johnson handed off to David Mbadinga, who tossed it back to Johnson on a flea-flicker. The left-hander found River Helms in the left flat and he broke through a crowd and outraced the Georgia State secondary for a 52-yard touchdown, tying the game at 14-14.
Southern added two more scores before halftime. Tripp Bryant kicked a 42-yard field goal and Johnson connected with Dallas for a 13-yard score in a well-executed two-minute drill to give Southern a 24-14 edge.
“We just set our jaw,” linebacker Eli Anders said. “Coach Helton told us all week and we knew at some point we were going to be in a fist fight. We just set our jaw, on offense and defense, and played complementary football.”
The teams matched field goals in the third quarter. Georgia State’s Samer Layous kicked a 37-yarder, but Southern’s Bryant followed with a 41-yarder to keep the lead at 10 points.
Georgia State had chances to make it a one-score game, but Layous missed a pair of field goals, doinking a 41-yarder off the right upright and missing a 43-yarder wide left. Southern then put the game away on a 54-yard keeper by Weston.
The Southern defense limited Georgia State to 146 yards rushing — 49 of those on one carry by McCrary — and came up with four sacks and three other tackles for loss. Brandon Tyson led the team with 14 tackles, with one sack and two tackles for loss. Anders, Jakyri Jones and Festus Davies also had sacks.
“I think everyone did a good job on defense just doing their job,” Anders said. “There wasn’t one guy trying to be Superman. They all played their butts off and that was the result.”
Georgia Southern’s offense revolved around Johnson, the seventh-year senior who completed 16 of 22 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Theo Todd led the team in rushing, carrying 10 times for 77 yards.
Georgia State quarterback Ayden Pereira completed 14 of 19 passes for 75 yards and never had time to look downfield for his speedy receivers.
“I think our confidence stems from our preparation,” Anders said. “The way we prepare each week, when we get to the game, it’s like we just get to showcase it and really get to soar.”
The Panthers (5-5) still have two shots to become bowl eligible, next week at Marshall and the season finale at home against Louisiana.
Southern (6-4) will be going to a bowl game for the fifth straight year, every season since Helton arrived, but has loftier goals. The Eagles finish at Troy and at home against Louisiana Tech.
“It shows consistency to have five in a row, but it’s not our ultimate goal,” Helton said. “We know where we want to go. These guys are a very veteran, mature football. We weren’t perfect tonight, but good teams find a way to get wins on the road. So proud for them.”