Georgia State suffers first loss in Sun Belt play

Quarterback Dan Ellington completed 15 of 18 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 64 yards and another score against ULM.   Credit: Todd Drexler/Georgia State Athletics

Credit: Todd Drexler/SESPORTSMEDIA.com/U

Credit: Todd Drexler/SESPORTSMEDIA.com/U

Quarterback Dan Ellington completed 15 of 18 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 64 yards and another score against ULM. Credit: Todd Drexler/Georgia State Athletics

On the road for a Thursday night Sun Belt Conference TV game, Georgia State’s offense sputtered in a 37-20 loss at Troy.

Until two late touchdowns, Georgia State struggled to move the ball, finishing four of its 11 drives with a punt and two with a turnover. After a record-breaking rushing performance against Louisiana-Monroe, Georgia State (2-4, 1-1 Sun Belt) was held to 115 rushing yards against Troy.

“We take our first possession down to, what, the 12-yard line, and we fumbled,” Elliott said. “That really took the wind out of our sails.”

In the third quarter, the Panthers received a boost when freshman cornerback Tyler Gore intercepted a pass thrown by Troy quarterback Sawyer Smith, but Georgia State’s momentum was cut short when freshman running back Seth Paige fumbled on Troy’s 39-yard line, setting up another Troy touchdown.

Georgia State finally found the end zone late in the fourth quarter. Georgia State running back Tra Barnett punched the first touchdown on a 1-yard run, then Ellington found wide receiver Christian Owens in the end zone for the second touchdown.

“We’ve got to go regroup,” Elliott said. “We’ve played a lot of ballgames in a short amount of time.

Georgia State faces Arkansas State in its next conference game Oct. 18.