The long blue nightmare is over.
Wil Lutz kicked a 26-yard field goal with four seconds remaining, and Georgia State snapped its 16-game losing streak with a 38-37 victory over Abilene Christian on Wednesday at the Georgia Dome.
“It’s a great day for the Panthers,” coach Trent Miles said.
Nick Arbuckle, signed in the offseason after a prolific junior college career, passed for 413 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in leading Georgia State to 566 yards in offense and its first win since knocking off a depleted Rhode Island squad on Oct. 13, 2012.
“We’ve worked really hard,” Arbuckle said. “We knew we were winners coming into the game. The team would find a way to win. Individually we’re not perfect but as a team we are 1-0.”
It took a team effort. Georgia State’s running game, the worst in the Sun Belt last year, rushed for 153 yards behind Krysten Hammon’s 74 and Kyler Neal’s 46. The defense, which surrendered almost 500 yards, came up with a key interception that changed the momentum of the game.
Arbuckle looked to have the game won in the final minutes when he hit Donovan Harden for a 58-yard touchdown, but the score was wiped out by a holding call against tackle A.J. Kaplan. Arbuckle thought he saw the flag fly as the play was developing. After the pass, he dropped to his knees and slapped his helmet after seeing the flag on the turf.
But Arbuckle and the Panthers weren’t done.
Facing fourth and 19 on the 27-yard line, Arbuckle hit Lynquez Blair for 24 yards to keep hope alive. Blair caught eight passes for 188 yards and a touchdown. Arbuckle said he knew the coverage would include three safeties on the play. He just needed to move the safety over to open the middle seam.
After a holding call against Abilene Christian gave Georgia State possession on the 39-yard line, Arbuckle twice scrambled to move the Panthers on the 9-yard line with seven seconds left. Arbuckle said he asked the offensive line if the blocking would work if he ran the ball instead of a running back. When they gave him the go-ahead, he took off on the second run to set up Lutz’s game-winner.
“Being able to pull out a win in that fashion is awesome,” said Lutz, whose kick was among the first highlights on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
The Panthers didn’t make things easy for themselves against a team in its second season of FCS football and playing with a quarterback making his first start.
The characteristics Georgia State has shown during the losing streak resurfaced throughout the game. The Panthers committed three turnovers and were called for 12 penalties as the defense gave up 498 yards. The pass-rushers couldn’t generate any consistent pressure against the Wildcats’ quick passing game in the second half.
The most egregious mistake came with Georgia State trailing 23-21 late in the third quarter. Facing third-and-nine on the Panthers’ 45-yard line, Abilene Christian quarterback Parker McKenzie came up 1 yard short on a scramble. But Georgia State safety Tarris Batiste hit McKenzie at the end of the slide. Batiste was called for a personal foul that gave the Wildcats a first down on the 24, and he was ejected.
On the next play, McKenzie hit wide receiver Jace Hudson for a touchdown and 30-21 lead with 1:41 left.
The life left in the crowd of what remained of the 6,109 who showed up disappeared as the memories of losses to Samford, Lambuth and St. Francis resurfaced.
Arbuckle added to the team’s troubles on Georgia State’s next possession by lobbing a pass down the sideline that Abilene Christian’s Justin Stewart easily intercepted on the 26-yard line. He said he didn’t see the safety.
Georgia State linebacker Joe Peterson responded with a momentum-changing play, intercepting McKenzie and returning it to the 46-yard line.
“I was supposed to be pushing to the curl (route),” Peterson said. “I saw (the receiver) hook up and I saw the quarterback and Jep (Sean Jeppessen) made a heck of a play on it to tip the ball up. I caught the ball.”
Hammon, injured in the first half after helping Georgia State rush for 104 yards, returned to the game and rushed for 19 yards on three carries. Arbuckle then hit Blair, who sprinted down the middle of the defense for a 27-yard touchdown to cut the Panthers’ deficit to 30-28 with 10:42 left.
But Georgia State’s mistakes continued on Abilene Christian’s next drive.
Facing third-and-six on the 47-yard line, McKenzie found Cade Stone between two Georgia State defenders for a 20-yard gain.
Two plays later, outside linebacker Mackendy Cheridor was called for a facemask penalty that set up Abilene Christian with first and goal at the 10. McKenzie soon found Stone for a 7-yard touchdown to give Abilene Christian a 37-28 lead with 6:36 left.
As they did last season, Georgia State kept fighting and cut its gap to 37-35 with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Arbuckle to Joel Ruiz with 4:31 left. Ruiz caught seven passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Georgia State’s defense forced a punt with 2:53 left, and the offense took over on the 19 with 2:41 left to set up the game-winning drive.
“It shows the resiliency of your young men,” Miles said. “They believe, they stay even-keeled.”
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