It’s not scripted. In fact, it wouldn’t be necessary if not for a few head-scratching plays earlier in the season, but Georgia State can become bowl eligible if it can beat rival Georgia Southern in Statesboro next week.
“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Panthers coach Trent Miles said. “We have to go through them and so be it. Our young men will give everything they have.”
The Eagles, who hosted South Alabama on Saturday, were bowl eligible before October was over. Their bonafides are well established: winners of six FCS national championships, winners of the Sun Belt in their first season in the conference last year.
Georgia State’s bonafides aren’t as clear: winners of one game the previous two years, the Panthers entered 2015 with a lot of hope based on starters returning at most positions on offense and defense, plus an infusion of talent with transfers from UAB.
Instead of taking advantage of that experience, the Panthers lost their opener to FBS newcomer Charlotte 23-20 after a horrible first quarter. They followed that by dropping games at Oregon, which was expected, and then at home to FCS power Liberty, which wasn’t expected, and to Appalachian State, which was.
And then things began to turn around for the Panthers. They beat Ball State 31-19 in their best performance to date under Miles, lost to Arkansas State 48-34 and Louisiana-Lafayette 23-21, games that the Panthers had chances to win but didn’t make the plays. The loss to the Red Wolves was punctuated by an inability to convert a third- and fourth-and-one in the third quarter that could have led to a two-score Panthers’ lead, and then an interception in the fourth quarter. The loss to Louisiana-Lafayette will be remembered for a failed fake punt late in the game.
Those defeats set the scenario: the Panthers needed do win their next four games to reach bowl eligibility and possibly save Miles’ job.
And win they did, looking progressively better each game, capped by Friday’s 31-21 win over Troy. The Panthers grabbed control by outscoring the Trojans 24-14 in the second and third quarters.
It was a performance much different than those against Charlotte or Liberty.
The offense had turnovers — one of which gifted Troy great field position, and another into the end zone — the defense played with discipline, rarely fooled on anything Troy tried with formations or calls. It forced a missed field goal after the first turnover. One of the Trojans’ touchdowns came against a blitz and missed tackle. The other came when the result was all but decided.
Now with a win the Panthers not only have a chance to make it to a bowl for the first time in school history, they will get a chance to assuage the humiliation of last year’s loss to the Eagles in the Dome. Georgia Southern routed the Panthers 69-31, rushing for 613 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Panthers are confident that next week will be a much different game than last year’s.
“This isn’t the same team as we had last year,” tight end Keith Rucker said. “We think we are fully capable of winning this game, just like we have own these past three.”
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