ATLANTA – White defeated Blue 23-17 in Georgia State's annual Spring Game, but the final score seemed less important than the energy, effort and fun on a beautiful Friday evening at Center Parc Stadium.
 
A lively crowd of 4,633 was treated to trick plays, including a defensive lineman scoring a touchdown, and plenty of competitive action between the two squads, which were drafted by captains Dontae Wilson and Shamarious Gilmore for the White and Roger Carter and Hardrick Willis for the Blue.
 
Backup quarterbacks Darren Grainger, the Furman transfer, and redshirt freshman Mikele Colasurdo saw the bulk of the action with returning starter Cornelious Brown IV seeing a few snaps for both teams.
 
Grainger did not throw a touchdown pass, but his 54-yard completion to redshirt Jacob Freeman down to the 9-yard line set up the winning score as Dawson Hill punched it in on the next play, giving White a 23-17 advantage with two-and-a-half minutes left.
 
Blue had one final possession, and Sam Pinckney got behind the defense down the middle, but Colasurdo's pass to the end zone was just out his reach in the final seconds.
 
"What an awesome night!" head coach Shawn Elliott said. "The weather was just exceptional and the turnout was great. There was a lot of energy in the stadium. It almost felt normal. It was exciting for me to look up in the stands and see people enjoying themselves and our players playing hard. It was really an unbelievable finish to a great spring.
 
"Our players had a LOT of fun, and the game was really, really competitive," Elliott continued. "It comes down the last throw to Sam Pinckney, and it could have gone either way. It was just a great evening and great turnout for our Panther Family and Georgia State University football."
 
Colasurdo, quarterbacking the Blue team, threw a touchdown pass to promising redshirt freshman Robert Lewis. Blue also scored on a long run by sophomore Marcus Carroll, while White's other touchdown was a 1-yard plunge by senior noseguard and White team captain Dontae Wilson.
 
"After watching tonight, I feel very confident in all three of our quarterbacks," Elliott said. "A year ago, we really had one, and now we have three guys who we feel can go lead our offense."
 
There was one more touchdown that didn't count on the scoreboard. Former quarterback Dan Ellington, now on the coaching staff, stepped on the field, took a lateral from Colasurdo and threw to the end zone to a waiting Ulrick John, the former Panther great and NFL offensive lineman.
 

"I told Dan that I would have let it stand as a touchdown had it thrown it better, but he underthrew it and made it a lot tougher catch than it should have been," Elliott joked.
 
All-Sun Belt placekicker Noel Ruiz booted a 50-yard field goal, and then punter Michael Hayes, also the backup kicker, matched him with a 50-yarder.
 
Halftime was almost as exciting as the game as Elliott used that opportunity to award a scholarship to senior safety Keon Carter (Norcross High School), who was mobbed by his teammates at the announcement.

Before the game, a large contingent of Georgia State football alumni from the decade played a flag football game on the field.