Coming off the best offensive showing in school history, Georgia State’s homecoming was a dud. The Panthers were crushed by Sun Belt rival Troy 34-10 on Saturday.
“Certainly not the outcome we had prepared for,” coach Shawn Elliott said. “Disappointing game for us. You come out here, the homecoming crowd, hadn’t played here in 51 days, you think there would be a lot more juice than what we showed out there today.
The Panthers sit at 3-3 (3-1) with five games remaining. Here are five observations from Saturday’s loss, in their first game at home since Aug. 31.
1. Every game follows a similar script: In GSU's three wins, it built an immediate or early lead. In the losses, it came out sluggish. Panthers cornerback Bryan Williams intercepted Troy quarterback Brandon Silvers on the opening possession – things looked good. Then it all tanked from there.
The Panthers were forced to settle for a 30-yard field goal, a win for Troy. The Trojans went down the field to take a 7-3 lead roughly six minutes into the game. Silvers found Deondre Douglas for another score in the first minute of the second quarter.
After a GSU punt, Douglas took a double-reverse 35 yards to the end zone for a 21-3 lead at the 9:45 mark of the second. The Panthers got into Trojans territory twice more before intermission, coming away with no points.
By half, GSU had run 33 plays opposed to Troy’s 34. The Trojans had 246 yards, and the Panthers had 166. Troy held the ball for 15:23 minutes. Despite the yards discrepancy, if GSU hadn’t left (at least) 10 points on the table, it might’ve been a different game.
Troy wrapped it up by forcing a GSU punt to open the second half, then going 79 yards in five plays to close the door at 28-3. For a Panthers team fighting to join the ranks of the conference’s elite, it was an extremely underwhelming performance.
“A demoralizing defeat, to tell you the truth,” Elliott said, “after playing pretty well the previous three weeks.”
2. Wasted opportunities were the story of GSU's first home game, and 51 days later, little changed. Settling for a field goal on the first drive hurt, as did wasting a brilliant Devin Gentry kickoff return in which the Panthers started at the Troy 49 and fumbled it away.
Brandon Wright missed a field-goal attempt when the score was still 7-3, then missed a 42-yarder wide left after the Trojans’ third touchdown. The Panthers got to the Trojans 5 with a minute until half but were stuffed three times. They went for it on fourth down, and Conner Manning’s pass fell incomplete.
GSU punted three consecutive times to open the second half, while the Trojans added 10 points in that time. Any hopes of making the Trojans sweat faded moments after the band left the field.
3. Their red-zone efforts were abysmal. GSU twice had a first-and-goal from the 5 and came away with nothing. The second time, the Panthers recovered a botched punt-return attempt, but on the second play Manning lobbed an ill-advised pass into a group of defenders that Cedarius Rookard picked off in the end zone.
GSU finished 2-for-5 in red-zone opportunities. That may not have single-handedly cost the Panthers the game, but it certainly ensured a blowout.
Elliott promises Sunday will be a “huge red-zone day” for them at practice.
“It’s really frustrating,” Elliott said. “You get down in there, you have the opportunity to put it in, and for some reason it just doesn’t happen. … Just a continual build-up of frustration in the red zone.”
4. Manning and receiver Penny Hart were breaking records a week ago. Manning struggled this time, completing 25 of 40 passes for 255 yards. He was sacked four times and threw the end-zone interception.
Elliott said the Panthers expected to lean on the passing attack. He thought they could control the game through the air, but credited Troy’s adjustments. He also noticed early on that Manning simply didn’t have it. Manning admitted the same.
“I played terrible,” Manning said. “And it affected our offense. Just a lot of missed opportunities today.”
As for Hart, who entered the day leading the conference in receptions per game, with 8.4, it was a forgettable afternoon. He had five catches for just 32 yards, including a touchdown with 56 seconds left. He touched the ball one other time on a punt return that gained one yard.
If Georgia State’s going to win, those two have to do a fair amount of heavy lifting, especially with an injury plagued backfield that saw Glenn Smith and Kyler Neal, both battling injuries, carry 23 times for 51 yards combined.
5. The loss snapped a three-game win streak that put the Panthers above .500. GSU is 3-1 on the road opposed to 0-2 at its new stadium. The Panthers are the only FBS school to play four consecutive road games because of the cancellation of a home game against Memphis. The good news: The Panthers also are the only FBS school to win three road games in a row.
Three of their final five games will come at home, including a faceoff with Elliott’s alma mater, Appalachian State. GSU sits at 3-1 in conference play, but dropped to 1-4 all-time against the Trojans. The Panthers are 3-5 in homecoming games.
Georgia State will need to turn it around quickly as it welcomes South Alabama to town Thursday night. South Alabama defeated Troy 19-8 just a week ago. It should still be a favorable matchup for the Panthers. The Jaguars entered the day 1-1 in the Sun Belt and 2-4 overall.
If the Panthers are going to make a bowl, they need to win three of their past five. They should be favored in their next two, at least, including the trip to Statesboro against the winless Georgia Southern Eagles.
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