Georgia State was at home in the Georgia Dome for the first time in a month. Donovan Harden, an All-Sun Belt selection and last season’s leading receiver, was in the lineup for the first time this season. And it was homecoming.
Liberty spoiled it all.
The Flames shredded the struggling Georgia State defense for 501 yards and handed the Panthers a disappointing 41-33 loss Saturday.
Georgia State entered the game ranked 115th in total defense, allowing 492 yards per game. Liberty had 447 yards of offense through three quarters, enjoyed a jarring 27-minute advantage in time of possession and punted once.
“It’s very difficult when your defense is out there the whole time and can’t get off the field,” Georgia State coach Trent Miles said.
The Flames (3-2) moved up and down the field with relative ease. Everything worked: The option game, short screens to wide receivers and a near-flawless mid-range passing game all produced big plays and time-consuming drives. Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum completed 25 of 32 passes for 239 yards.
The Panthers’ defense couldn’t stop them, forcing the offense to try to keep up. And for a while, quarterback Nick Arbuckle did just that.
Arbuckle threw three long touchdown passes, including a career-long 76-yarder to Harden to give Georgia State an early 7-0 lead. Arbuckle also hooked up with Robert Davis on a 61-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and found star freshman receiver Penny Hart on a 58-yard touchdown that tied the score 21-21 early in the third quarter.
Liberty always had an answer, usually in the form of a long, time-consuming drive. The Flames scored on drives of 98 and 78 yards and three drives of 75 yards. They led 28-24 heading into the fourth quarter and quickly extended the lead to two possessions on Todd Macon’s second touchdown run of the game.
Arbuckle completed 18 of 29 passes for 394 yards and three touchdowns. The senior also ran for a late touchdown that cut the lead 38-33 with 2:51 to play. But Liberty recovered the ensuing onside kick and sealed the win with a 56-yard field goal from Lunsford and an interception from Chris Turner to end the Panthers’ final drive.
“It’s not good that we lost, but we’re going to better next week against Appalachian State,” Arbuckle said.
Harden returned to the lineup after missing the first three games with a broken foot suffered in August practice. The senior caught five passes for 179 yards, despite still not being 100 percent.
“Technically, my bone’s not going to be healed for four or five months, and it’s only been a month and a half,” Harden said. “So I’m out there on a partially broken foot, but I’m ready to compete.”
Liberty rushed for 263 yards to Georgia State’s 11. The Panthers (1-3) ran only 43 plays to Liberty’s 82.
“We kept the ball a whole lot,” Flames coach Turner Gill said. “They have a very explosive offense, so if they get the ball they are going to score some points. It was great for us to control the clock. They only had 16 snaps in the first half. It was just great execution by our coaching staff and a great job by our players.”
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