Football 11/12/2019 7:06:00 PM

GSUGameday.com: Georgia State vs. No. 24 Appalachian State

GSUGameday.com

GEORGIA STATE (6-3, 3-2) vs. No. 24 APPALACHIAN ST. (8-1, 5-1)
Saturday, Nov. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Georgia State Stadium

TV: ESPNU. Announcers are Clay Matvick and Ryan Leaf.

RADIO: Georgia State Radio Network coverage will air on WAOK-AM 1380 and WRAS-FM 88.5. Dave Cohen is in his 37th season as the play-by-play voice of Panther athletics. Harper LeBel joins him from the booth with Sam Crenshaw on the sideline.

2019 RECORDS:
Georgia State: 6-3, 3-2 Sun Belt
App State: 8-1, 5-1 Sun Belt (Ranked No. 24 in Amway Coaches Poll; RV in AP poll)

SERIES: App State leads 5-0

LAST MEETING: App State 45, GSU 17, Nov. 17, 2018 at Boone, NC.

GSU HEAD COACH SHAWN ELLIOTT
Record at GSU: 15-18 (3rd year) / Career Record: 16-23 (4th year)

THE KICKOFF:
Hosting a nationally-ranked team for the first time, Georgia State faces No. 24 Appalachian State Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Georgia State Stadium in a nationally-televised game on ESPNU.

Georgia State sits one game behind App State in the East Division standings with three games to play.

"We are playing a significant ball game in the month of November, going up against one of the best teams in the country. It's certainly exciting for our football program," head coach Shawn Elliott said.

"It's always fun to play meaningful games in the month of November with a chance to win a conference championship."

> Georgia State had its four-game winning streak snapped in a 45-31 loss at ULM. The game was tied at 24-24 at the half, but QB Dan Ellington missed the second half due to injury. The Panthers still rushed for a school-record 414 yards, including 190 by Tra Barnett and 119 by Destin Coates.
> Appalachian State returned to the national rankings at No. 24 (Amway Coaches' Poll) after a 20-15 victory at South Carolina. The Mountaineers will be the first ranked team to play at Georgia State Stadium and the Panthers' first ranked opponent since their 2017 game at No. 5 Penn State.
> Both teams have knocked off SEC foes this season as Georgia State opened 2019 with a 38-30 victory at Tennessee for its first ever win over a Power 5 opponent.
> Georgia State's offense ranks among the FBS leaders:
No. 6 Rushing (274.7 ypg)
No. 14 Total Offense (485.0 ypg)
No. 23 Scoring (36.0 ppg)
No. 5 3rd Down Conversions (51.8 percent)
No. 9 First Downs (234)
> Senior Tra Barnett leads the Sun Belt and ranks No. 6 in FBS with 124.2 yards rushing per game. His 1,118 yards and 10 touchdowns are GSU records, and he is the Panthers' first 1,000-yard rusher.
> With a school-record 242 yards rushing and two touchdowns vs. Troy, Barnett broke the Georgia State records for rushing yards in a game, season and career in the same game.
> Barnett is Georgia State's career leader in rushing yards (1,821) and rushing touchdowns (17).
> A two-time Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week and a member of the Watch List for the Manning Award, Ellington averages 268.4 yards of total offense per game, including 1,813 yards and 18 touchdowns passing and 603 yards and five touchdowns rushing.
> The Panthers' top receivers are sophomore Cornelius McCoy (48 receptions, 515 yards, 4 TD; No. 4 Sun Belt in receptions and yards per game) and redshirt freshman Sam Pinckney (36 receptions, 460 yards, 5 TD).
> Tight end Aubry Payne has caught six touchdowns in eight games.
> The Panthers have rushed for 1,641 yards over the last five games (328.2 ypg), including 340 yards vs. Arkansas State, 350 vs. Coastal Carolina, 390 yards vs. Troy and a school-record 414 yards at ULM.
> Georgia State, which began playing football in 2010 and moved to FBS in 2014, is bowl eligible for the third time in five seasons. The Panthers played in their first bowl game in 2015 in the AutoNation Cure Bowl and then made a return trip to the Orlando, Fla., bowl in 2017, when GSU knocked off Western Kentucky for the first bowl win in school history.
> Georgia State has already broken its season record for rushing yards with 2,472 yards.
> Four different Panthers have recorded 100-yard games: RB Tra Barnett (6), RB Seth Paige (2), RB Destin Coates (1) and QB Dan Ellington (1).
> GSU set school records with 722 yards of total offense, 340 yards rushing (since broken twice), 39 first downs and 39:19 time of possession in its Oct. 5 win 52-38 win over Arkansas State.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Tra Barnett: RB; 5' 10"; Senior

#17 Destin Coates: RB; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#13 Dan Ellington: QB; 6' 3"; Senior

#83 Cornelius McCoy: WR; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#28 Seth Paige: RB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#88 Aubry Payne: TE; 6' 4"; Redshirt Junior

#15 Sam Pinckney: WR; 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman

Players Mentioned

#5 Tra Barnett
: 5' 10"; Senior
: RB

#17 Destin Coates
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: RB

#13 Dan Ellington
: 6' 3"; Senior
: QB

#83 Cornelius McCoy
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: WR

#28 Seth Paige
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: RB

#88 Aubry Payne
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Junior
: TE

#15 Sam Pinckney
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman
: WR