What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State played even at Sun Belt-leading Arkansas State for 52 minutes, but the Red Wolves managed two late touchdowns for a 48-34 victory.
* Chandon Sullivan returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown, the first "pick six" in GSU history.
* Freshman Marquan Greene returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, GSU's first since 2012, and freshman Penny Hart notched his third 100-yard receiving effort of the season.
JONESBORO, ARK. -- Georgia State played even with Sun Belt-leading Arkansas State for most of the game, but the Red Wolves managed two late touchdowns for a 48-34 victory Saturday night at Centennial Bank Stadium.
The Panthers (2-5, 1-2 Sun Belt) led 27-20 at the half, and freshman Marquan Greene's 100-yard kickoff return for a score gave GSU a 34-27 lead in the third quarter. But Arkansas State (5-4, 4-0 Sun Belt) converted a long punt return into the tying score early in the fourth quarter, and then scored the go-ahead touchdown with eight minutes to play before adding a late score.
GSU quarterback Nick Arbuckle passed for 390 yards and two touchdowns, both caught by tight end Keith Rucker. Penny Hart had seven catches for 128 yards for his third 100-yard receiving effort of the season, and Glenn Smith rushed for 82 yards on 16 carries in his first game at running back after moving there due to injuries to other backs.
Arkansas State's dual-threat quarterback Fredi Knighten passed for 224 yards and three touchdown and rushed for 54 yards and a fourth score. Warren Wand rushed for 119 yards, including a 60-yard TD run to put the game away with 2:31 to play.
"If we can play for four quarters like we did in the first half, than we can win every game we play," head coach Trent Miles said. "Our kids will keep fighting and they're getting better as we go, but at the same time, our expectation is to win. We had every opportunity to win this football game, and we didn't get it done. Of course, Arkansas State had something to do with that and give them credit."
Georgia State trailed 13-6 in the second quarter when the Panthers took over on their own 9-yard line, and on the first play, Arbuckle hooked up with Donovan Harden down the right sideline for a 66-yard completion to the Arkansas State 25. Then Arbuckle found Rucker over the middle for a 25-yard touchdown, completing a 91-yard drive that took just two plays and 32 seconds and tied the score at 13-all with eight minutes left in the half.
The long completion to Harden is Georgia State's ninth pass play of 50 yards or more this season.
Three minutes later, sophomore Chandon Sullivan gave Georgia State its first lead with his 25-yard interception return for a touchdown. The first "pick six" in Georgia State's six-year history put the Panthers ahead 20-13 with five minutes to play in the first half.
Arkansas State tied the score again on its next drive, aided by an unfortunate targeting call on GSU's Jerome Smith, which set up Johnston White's 26-yard touchdown run to knot the game at 20-20.
The Panthers final possession of the half began on their own 25 with 2:41 until the half. On the first play, Arbuckle hit Hart with a short pass over the middle and the GSU freshman cut across the field for a 48-yard gain down to the ASU 27.
On third-and-four, Rucker caught a 16-yard pass down down to the 5-yard line, and three plays later, the Panther tight end caught his second touchdown of the day from nine yards out to send Georgia State into the locker room with a 27-20 advantage.
After the Red Wolves drove for a touchdown on the opening possession of the second half, Greene took the ensuing kickoff just inside the end zone and raced 100 yards for the fourth kickoff return touchdown in school history and the first since Albert Wilson in 2012. But that was the only score that Georgia State managed in the second half.
Demarcus Kirk finished with 32 yards rushing and scored the Panthers' first touchdown and his first of the season on a 2-yard run in the first quarter.
In addition to his interception return, Sullivan had a sack and five tackles. The GSU defense came up with two other big plays deep in Panther territory with Tevin Jones' interception at the GSU 18 and Shawayne Lawrence's fumble recovery at the GSU 25. Senior linebacker Joseph Peterson had a game-high 14 tackles, and Alonzo McGee recorded his 10th tackle for loss of the season to set a new Georgia State season record.
Georgia State returns home to host UL Lafayette next Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. at the Georgia Dome.
