HOUSTON--Playing just its second-ever game against an FBS opponent, Georgia State fell at Houston, 56-0, Saturday night at Robertson Stadium.
The loss was the third in a row for the Panthers, who dropped to 1-3 and were shut out for the first time in their brief history.
The Cougars improved to 4-0 behind record-setting quarterback Case Keenum, who was every bit as good as advertised. The sixth-year senior completed 29 of 34 passes for 415 yards and two touchdowns.
He went 20-for-24 for 279 yards in the first half to stake the Cougars to a 35-0 lead at the intermission.
The Cougars rolled up 732 yards of offense, including 561 yards in the air and 171 on the ground. Fourteen different Houston receivers caught passes, led by Justin Johnson with six catches for 83 yards, including touchdown catches of 18 and nine yards. Bryce Beall added 64 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
"Their speed really unnerved us, and we didn't play the fundamentals," said GSU head coach Bill Curry. "We repeated the mistakes and stupid penalties we made the last two weeks. It's frustrating and it's embarrassing, and I don't know anything else to do except keep working."
The Panthers made a change at quarterback, starting Drew Little and also utilizing Kelton Hill. Little passed for 117 yards on 11 completions, while Hill contributed 33 yards rushing.
"Both quarterbacks were rusty, but we felt like we had to give them a chance," said Curry. "But we didn't protect them, and we didn't get [Houston] stopped on defense."
Travis Evans rushed for a career-best 70 yards on 14 carries for Georgia State, and wide receiver Danny Williams had his best game of the season with four catches for 70 yards, including a 42-yard catch.
Georgia State's best chance to score came late in the third quarter, when the Panthers drove for a first down at the Houston nine. But on second down, Little's pass was tipped in the air, and Marcus McGraw came down with the interception.
The Panthers played without their top receiver and offensive player Albert Wilson, who injured his hamstring last game, and one of its primary ball carriers in Donald Russell, who sustained a sprained knee in practice this week. Also missing from the GSU lineup due to injury were the team's top two centers in Ben Jacoby (knee) and Michael Davis (ankle) and starting free safety Brandon Jones (ankle).
Curry reiterated that the only option for his young squad is to keep working to improve.
"I want to see resolve, and I want to see work ethic," he said. "I want to see guys who are as embarrassed as we are as coaches and are ready to go to work and get better."
Georgia State is off next weekend before returning home to host Murray State on Saturday, Oct. 8 at t 2 p.m. at the Georgia Dome. The game will feature a "White Out," with all fans asked to dress in white. Free white t-shirts will be distributed to the first 3,000 fans.
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