The game that was
If you believe in football karma, then a lot of good things are ahead for Georgia State’s football team because nothing is going right this year. The Panthers (2-8) were beaten by Division II West Alabama 30-23 in another game in which they had a chance to win, but made too many mistakes to take the victory. Georgia State has lost to an NAIA team and Division II team in back-to-back weeks.
What we learned
1. If it weren’t for bad luck... One of the priorities this season was taking care of the ball. While not perfect, the Panthers had a minus-1 turnover margin ... until Saturday. Georgia State turned over the ball five times, including on three of their final four possessions when the game was on the line. They also had a field goal bounce off the goalpost.
2. Fourth-quarter futility continues. The Panthers have now been outscored 102-20 in the fourth quarter this season after being outscored 10-7 in Saturday’s loss. Actually, the Panthers drove six times into West Alabama’s red zone in the second half and came away with one touchdown.
3. Georgia State’s offense is inconsistent. Kelton Hill kept his team in the game by rushing for a school-record 152 yards and passing for 228 more. However, his three touchdowns were offset by his two fumbles and two interceptions. The rest of the running game was non-existent, partially because of injuries to the top three running backs, which put a bull’s eye on Hill and also limited the offense. Donald Russell was questionable before the game and had just one carry for 5 yards. Travis Evans had three carries for 25 yards before being forced to leave.
Numbers game
5
The Panthers had a season-high in turnovers.
Injury report
Running backs Travis Evans (elbow) and Parris Lee (knee) are out for the last game.
Sound bite
“The lesson u get from winning are the exact same ones u get from losing, one just hurts a little more than the other.”
Tweet from tight end Arthur Williams @DatBoyBully84
Loose ends
Albert Wilson caught a career-high eight passes for 120 yards. ... Danny Williams caught one pass, extending his streak to 21 consecutive games. ... Linebacker Jake Muasau, back from injury, had six tackles and an interception. ... Matt Ehasz missed a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter. They Panthers have missed seven of their last nine field-goal attempts.
What’s next
Georgia State will host Campbell in its regular season finale.
Doug Roberson
