ATLANTA - Georgia State rallied with a two-yard touchdown catch by tight end Arthur Williams and then held off a last-minute Lamar drive to defeat the visiting Cardinals, 23-17, at the Georgia Dome on Saturday, ensuring a winning record in the Panthers' inaugural season.
Georgia State (6-4) fell behind, 17-13, in the fourth quarter before rallying on the touchdown pass from Drew Little to Arthur Williams with five minutes to play, and then Iain Vance added his third field goal of the day to put the Panthers ahead, 23-17, with 1:39 left.
Doug Prewitt's last two desperation heaves from the GSU 39-yard line with under 10 seconds to play fell incomplete, with both attempts batted down by wide receiver Danny Williams, who was in on the plays as a safety.
"We have a lot to work on, but the bottom line is this, we have a winning record for the year and we have a winning record at home," said Panthers head coach Bill Curry.
Georgia State led Lamar 13-3 to begin the fourth quarter, but a Cardinal touchdown with 9:50 left to play cut the deficit to three points. Prewitt, playing for injured starter Andre Bevil, hit J.J. Hayes for a 13-yard score to cap an impressive 99-yard drive after the Panthers had downed a punt inside the Lamar 1-yard line.
Just 14 seconds later, the Panther crowd was shocked into silence. On the first play from scrimmage after the Lamar kickoff, Little threw an interception to Ryan Clark, who returned it 54 yards for a touchdown to give the Cardinals a 17-13 lead.
But the Panther offense would come alive after struggling for much of the game, storming down the field on a 71-yard drive to retake the lead with 4:52 remaining. Arthur Williams, the junior from Miami, Fla., caught a tip-drill touchdown from two yards out, plucking the Little pass out of the air amidst several Cardinal defenders after it was tipped by a Lamar lineman.
The play was reminiscent of the final snap of the Panthers' overtime meeting with Jacksonville State, in which Williams caught a tipped pass but was ruled to be out of the end zone to hand Georgia State its second loss of the year.
"We went through [the play] in practice, and it was the exact same play as what happened in the Jacksonville State game (in the overtime)," Williams said. "So, I just told myself, 'not twice, not in one year.' As I released, the ball was coming right to me, and the defensive lineman slapped it. I just kept my focus on the ball and made the catch."
Little was 5-of-6 on the drive that put the Panthers ahead for good.
"You put your team down, but then again, you have to take your team back on your shoulders and let them look at you for leadership," Little said. "You have to show them that you shook it off, that it's a new drive, and they can follow you and you're going to lead them down the field for six."
Running back Travis Evans was instrumental in the go-ahead scoring march, gaining two first downs on rushes of 17 and 13 yards, the second of which set the Panthers up on the Lamar four-yard line.
The Panthers would tack on three more points thanks to Jamal Ransby's interception of Prewitt on Lamar's next possession. Ransby picked a Prewitt pass off his shoe tops on the first Cardinal series after State's go-ahead touchdown, returning it 20 yards to the Lamar 31.
Iain Vance would knock through a 29-yard field goal several plays later, giving the Panthers the six-point advantage with just 1:39 remaining.
"We didn't mean to make it this type of game," Curry said. "Nonetheless, we did and we still found a way to come back and win in spite of giving up a 99-yard touchdown drive, in spite of giving up a touchdown on an interception.
"In spite of the things we did, we managed to find ways to win the game."
In addition to the timely interception from Ransby, the Panthers got three sacks on Prewitt. The last sack by Allen McKay, his first of the season, pushed the Cardinals back nine yards to the 39-yard line and set up the two incomplete pass attempts to end the game. Safety Fred Barnes led the team with eight total tackles.
The Panthers got off to another fast start, going up 10-0 on Lamar in the first quarter to push the team's first-quarter scoring advantage to 79-25 on the season.
GSU opened the scoring on the first drive of the game on a 33-yard field goal from Iain Vance, his first of three on the day. The drive started with a 62-yard run on a handoff to wide receiver Sidney Haynes, the longest rushing play of the Panthers' short history.
After forcing a three-and-out on the next series, the Panthers experienced another first for their young program when Jordan Giles - a wide receiver used on special teams coverage - blocked a Lamar punt, which was recovered by Justin Hughes at the Cardinal 6. Three plays later, Little hit Haynes in the back of the end zone for the receiver's fourth scoring reception of the year.
Vance moved the Panther advantage to 13-3 with a 47-yard field goal, just 2 yards shy of his season best, with 5:57 remaining in the third quarter.
Little finished the game 22-of-35 passing for 189 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, giving him 18 passing TDs on the season to just seven picks. Arthur Williams led the team in receiving with 66 yards on five catches, and Danny Williams netted 61 yards on six grabs.
Five seniors were honored before the game for Senior Day, including Vance and Brandon Lupo, the holder on field goals and extra points. Defensive back Hubert Davis, linebacker Trey Ennis and wide receiver Charles Borowsky were also recognized before kickoff.
Attendance was announced at 14,689 for Saturday's game, bringing the home average to 16,750. The Panthers were No. 12 in the nation in FCS in home attendance entering the game.
Georgia State closes its season out with a road trip to defending FBS national champion Alabama on Thursday, Nov. 18.
