Norfolk, Va.-Playing just its second road game, the Georgia State football team fell at Old Dominion, 34-20, Saturday before 19,278 fans at S.B. Ballard Stadium, snapping the Panthers' (5-3) four-game winning streak.
Georgia State quarterback Drew Little passed for 414 yards and Danny Williams had another 100-yard receiving day, but the Panthers hurt themselves with four fumbles and several untimely penalties.
"Had we held onto the football and not committed so many stupid penalties, it might have been a different ballgame," said head coach Bill Curry. "You can't do that against a really good football team like Old Dominion, especially on the road, and expect to have a chance."
Georgia State led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter, but the Monarchs (4-3) closed the first half with 17 straight points to take a 17-6 lead into the intermission.
Trailing by just 11, the Panthers began the second half with the ball and drove into ODU territory before Parris Lee fumbled at the 29-yard line at the end of a 12-gain. The Monarchs took advantage with a 71-yard touchdown drive, capped by Colby Goodwyn's 23-yard scoring run, to take a 24-6 lead.
Georgia State then mounted another promising drive, getting a first down at the ODU 8, but Little's fourth-down pass fell incomplete. Still, GSU stopped the Monarchs and forced a punt, but Albert Wilson misplayed the ball and ODU recovered at the Panthers' nine-yard line. That led to a 29-yard field goal by Jarrod Brown and a 27-6 lead for the Monarchs.
Another Panther fumble, this one by Sam Burkhalter, gave ODU possession at the GSU 29, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Thomas DeMarco, extending the Monarchs' lead to 34-6 late in the third quarter. DeMarco passed for 152 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 31 yards and a score.
The Panthers kept fighting and managed a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns on a 32-yard catch-and-run by Travis Evans and a three-yard plunge by Little. After Little's score made the score 34-20 with 3:18 to play, GSU attempted an onsides kick but did not recover the ball.
Little finished 32-for-53 for 414 yards, easily the biggest numbers of his young career, with one touchdown pass. The redshirt freshman from McDonough, Ga., extended his interception-less streak to 187 passes.
Danny Williams caught a season-high 11 passes for 102 yards, and Sidney Haynes added six catches for 73 yards. The Panthers outgained ODU, 477 yards to 381, but GSU managed just 58 yards rushing, while ODU backs Mario Crawford and Colby Goodwyn combined for 163 of the Monarchs' 229 yards on the ground.
In the first quarter, the Panthers twice drove deep into ODU territory but had to settle for a pair of Vance field goals.
GSU moved down the field on its opening possession as a 30-yard run by Rosevelt Watson gave the Panthers first-and-goal at the ODU two. But three running plays netted minus-two yards, and GSU had to settle for Vance's 21-yard field goal.
The Panthers' next possession also resulted in a field goal as GSU drove from its own 20 to a first-down at the ODU 20 before Vance was good from 34 yards. He is now 12-of-14 on the season.
"One of our stated goals coming in was to score touchdowns when we got in the red zone, but we didn't do that today," said Curry." When Old Dominion got in the red zone, they did score touchdowns.
"Congratulations to [ODU head coach] Bobby Wilder on a well-coached and well-prepared football team," continued Curry.
Old Dominion got on the scoreboard with an 80-yard drive in the second quarter, capped by a six-yard touchdown run by Mario Crawford, putting the Monarchs ahead, 7-6, with 7:03 remaining in the second quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out by GSU, ODU began its next possession at midfield and drove for an 18-yard touchdown pass from DeMarco to Marquel Thomas with 2:34 left in the first half.
Georgia State went to a hurry-up offense and was on the move until Danny Williams fumbled at the end of a 13-yard completion. Donald Smith recovered for the Monarchs, giving ODU the ball at the 46-yard line with 1:46 still remaining in the half. The Monarchs moved to the GSU 27 before settling for Brown's career-long 44-yard field goal.
Georgia State plays its second straight road game next Saturday at South Alabama. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. ET.
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