Charlotte CLT 2-1 , 0-0

Georgia St. GSU 1-2 , 0-0

Charlotte CLT

2-1 , 0-0

Final

Sep. 18, 2021

Georgia St. GSU

1-2 , 0-0

Score By Quarters
Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	F
CLT Charlotte	0	7	2	0	9
GSU Georgia St.	0	7	6	7	20

Game Recap: Football | 9/18/2021 11:43:00 PM

Defense, Running Game Shine in 20-9 Win Over Charlotte

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ATLANTA – Georgia State piled up 298 yards rushing to back an outstanding performance by the defense as the Panthers earned their first victory of the season by defeating previously unbeaten Charlotte 20-9 Saturday night at Center Parc Stadium.

Georgia State (1-2) controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball as the GSU defense held the 49ers (2-1) to just 276 total yards, the seventh-lowest figure in program history and lowest since holding ULM to 262 yards in 2018.

Making his first start for the Panthers, quarterback Darren Grainger passed for 139 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 64 yards. The junior transfer threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Thrash and a 28-yard scoring strike to Ja'Cyais Credle.

Senior running back Tucker Gregg pounded out 76 yards on 22 carries, while senior Jamyest Williams added 73 yards on just seven carries and scored his first career touchdown on a 13-yard run to seal the win with 1:38 left. Destin Coates gained 83 yards, the bulk of it on a 64-yard run.

"This win happened exactly the way we needed it to," head coach Shawn Elliott said. "It was a tough contest. We really had to fight and claw. It wasn't easy by any means, but I'm very pleased with the way we did it.

"A phenomenal defensive effort. Our defense was all over the place. They were relentless. A strong running game and a great defense makes for a happy football coach," Elliott said.

After allowing a safety, Georgia State trailed 9-7 midway through the third quarter when Grainger directed a 6-play, 66-yard scoring drive, capped by his 28-yard TD to Credle. That gave the Panthers their first lead at 13-9 with five minutes left in the third quarter.

Charlotte drove deep into GSU territory, but Blake Carroll caused a fumble that Chris Bacon recovered for the Panthers at the GSU 13-yard line to end the threat.

Carroll, the senior linebacker, led the Panthers with nine tackles, including a sack, plus a forced fumble and a pass breakup.

Gregg converted three fourth-down plays with short runs, giving him five fourth-down conversions in the last two games.

Georgia State started its game-clinching drive with nine minutes to play after taking over at its own 10-yard line. The 13-play, 90-yard drive was all on the ground and ate up 7:20 on the clock. Gregg and Grainger got the Panthers out to midfield, and then Williams finished the drive with an 11-yard run to the Charlotte 41, a 31-yard gain to the 13 and then a 13-yard touchdown run.

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?? ESPN+#SoundTheHorn | @jamy0602 pic.twitter.com/EUdsfRPDCt
— GSU Football (@GeorgiaStateFB) September 19, 2021

With Georgia State trailing 7-0 late in the second quarter, Grainger directed his first touchdown drive for the Panthers. After a punt, GSU took over at its own 32, and on the first play, Grainger hooked up with Ja'Cyais Credle for a 33-yard completion down the right sideline. On the next play, he found Jamari Thrash down the left side for a 35-yard touchdown, tying the score at 7-all with four minutes left in the first half.

?? @_DarrenGrainger x @Jamari_Thrash #SoundTheHorn pic.twitter.com/M4y875WTy1
— GSU Football (@GeorgiaStateFB) September 19, 2021

Charlotte's first score was set up by a GSU fumble. Destin Coates broke through the line and raced 64 yards, but he was brought down at the 10-yard line and Charlotte knocked the ball out, and Shedrick Ursery recovered for the 49ers. That led to Chris Reynolds 36-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Spencer 7:41 left in the second quarter.

Georgia State plays its final non-conference game next Saturday at No. 20 Auburn at 4 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

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Next Game:

at Auburn

9/25/2021 | 4:00 PM

SEC Network

WRAS-FM 88.5 (Live on GSU Athletics App)

Next Game

Full Schedule

Sep. 25 (Sat) / 4:00 PM

at Auburn

History

Recap
Roster

Team Statistics

Team Statistics
Game Stats	CLT	GSU
Total Yards	276	435
Pass Yards	158	139
Rushing Yards	118	296
Penalty Yards	4-30	6-51
1st Downs	17	20
3rd Downs	4-15	4-12
4th Downs	2-4	3-3
TOP	33:21	26:39

Scoring Summary
Scoring Play	Visiting Team Score	Home Team Score
2nd Quarter
07:41 - CLT - Spencer,Elijah 36 yd pass from Reynolds,Chris (Cruz,Jonathan kick) 11 plays, 67 yards, TOP 06:44	7	0
04:03 - GSU - Thrash,Jamari 35 yd pass from Grainger,Darren (Ruiz,Noel kick) 2 plays, 68 yards, TOP 00:23	7	7
3rd Quarter
09:45 - CLT - 0 yd safety	9	7
05:06 - GSU - Credle,Ja'Cyais 28 yd pass from Grainger,Darren ( ) 6 plays, 66 yards, TOP 02:18	9	13
4th Quarter
01:38 - GSU - Williams,Jamyest 13 yd run (Ruiz,Noel kick), 13 plays, 90 yards, TOP 07:20	9	20