ATLANTA--Georgia State fell at home to Murray State, 48-24, at the Georgia Dome on Saturday. A third-quarter rally in which the Panthers scored 14 unanswered points fell short after Murray State regained control of the game in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers made the score 35-24 in the third after getting a 43-yard Kelton Hill touchdown pass to Danny Williams and a 9-yard rushing TD from Donald Russell, his second of the game.
“The team was defiant (going into halftime),” said head coach Bill Curry. “The team was ready to come back, which we did, but we didn't sustain.”
The defense got a stop on the next series to set up a Panther drive that would take 6:33 off the clock and give freshman kicker Christian Benvenuto a chance to make it a one-score game on a 31-yard field goal try. But Benvenuto, who connected on a 46-yard field goal in the first quarter, missed wide left with 8:10 to play and the Panthers would not threaten again.
Georgia State (1-4) is in the midst of the program's first four-game losing streak after an opening win against Clark Atlanta University.
“We practice long and hard, and the staff works long and hard, but that isn't good enough,” Curry said. “The results have to be displayed on the field.”
Murray State (3-3) capitalized by adding two touchdowns after the Benvenuto miss. The Racers, of the FCS Ohio Valley Conference, are the fourth team in a row to put up over 40 points on the Panther defense. Quarterback Casey Brockman finished 35-of-46 passing for 321 yards and four touchdowns.
Cornerback D'Mario Gunn was a bright spot on the Panther defense, intercepting Brockman twice. Gunn becomes the first Panther defender to register two interceptions in a game.
Russell put the Panthers on the board in the first quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run. The junior running back has scored six touchdowns in four games this season, reaching the end zone in every game he has played at Georgia State after transferring from Kentucky in the offseason.
The Panthers used three quarterbacks in the game, starting Drew Little, who finished 17-of-38 passing with two interceptions. Bo Schlechter, who also punted six times in the game, entered the game late in the second half at quarterback.
“I don't feel like we've played four quarters of football all year,” Little said. “We go out there and play strong one quarter, but not the next. We just haven't put it all together for four quarters yet. We've got to get back to the little things.”
Hill, who saw his first game action of the year last week against Houston, found Williams for the wide-open touchdown pass on his first snap of the game. Williams set a school record for receiving yardage in the game with 151 on nine catches, breaking the record set last year by tight end Arthur Williams. Williams has a reception in each of Georgia State's 16 games as a program.
The first-quarter drive that culminated in Benvenuto's 46-yard field goal went for a school-record 90 yards, breaking the previous long of 85 yards against North Carolina Central last season.
The Panthers were again without starting wide receiver and return man Albert Wilson, who missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury suffered late in the contest against Jacksonville State.
Georgia State travels to South Carolina State next Saturday, Oct. 15 for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff in Orangeburg, S.C. The Bulldogs (3-3) were an FCS playoff team a year ago, losing to Georgia Southern in the first round. The Panthers will play their homecoming game on Oct. 22 against South Alabama at 3 p.m.
