Panthers Open Sun Belt Play by Hosting App State

GEORGIA STATE (1-3, 0-0) vs. APPALACHIAN STATE (3-1, 0-0)
Saturday, Oct. 2 | 2 p.m. | Center Parc Stadium

TV: ESPN+
RADIO: WRAS-FM 88.5

After taking No. 23 Auburn down to the wire, Georgia State opens Sun Belt Conference play by hosting Appalachian State (3-1, 0-0) at Center Parc Stadium.

The Panthers (1-3, 0-0) have prepared for Sun Belt play by facing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation, including two nationally-ranked Power 5 foes in No. 22 North Carolina and No. 23 Auburn plus undefeated Army and Charlotte. Those four teams have a combined record of 12-4.

"Our team played one unbelievable contest," head coach Shawn Elliott said after his Panthers battled No. 23 Auburn to the very end, leading 24-19 until the Tigers scored the go-ahead touchdown on a fourth-down play with 45 seconds left.

The Panthers rushed for 267 yards in the game, including a career-high 150 by Tucker Gregg. Quarterback Darren Grainger, making his second start, rushed for 61 yards and threw touchdown passes to Jamari Thrash and Roger Carter.

The GSU defense held Auburn to 167 yards rushing and did not allow an offensive touchdown until in the game-winning drive. That was another outstanding effort for a Panther defense that has allowed just two offensive touchdowns to in the last two games against Auburn and Charlotte, which GSU held to just 276 yards of total offense in the Panthers' 20-9 victory.

Junior inside linebacker Jordan Veneziale led the defensive effort against Auburn with eight tackles a sack, and a forced fumble and recovery, and safety Chris Moore added six tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss. The inside linebacker tandem of Veneziale (34 tackles) and Blake Carroll (25 tackles, 2.5 sacks) are Georgia State's tackling leaders on the season.

Gregg, the senior running back, is the Panthers' top rusher, averaging 64.3 yards per game. Against Auburn, he had a 57-yard run to set up a score and then a 50-yard touchdown run, becoming the first GSU back with two runs of 50 yards or more in the same game. Gregg ranks ninth in Panther annals with 864 career yards.

The Georgia State running attack is keyed by a veteran offensive line, led by super senior left guard Shamarious Gilmore, who has started a school-record 51 straight games.

"Over the last four weeks, I've seen our team improve each and every week," Elliott said. "We've got a great opponent coming in here in Appalachian State, so we've got our work cut out for us. They're going to be the best team we've seen. They can run the ball really effectively, and they've got a great defense.

"It's a tall task for us to start out conference play, but like I said, we are gaining momentum and improving as a football team."

The annual meeting with Appalachian State means Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott is facing his alma mater. Elliott is a 1996 graduate of Appalachian State and was a long-time assistant coach for the Mountaineers. He spent 13 seasons on the App State staff under head coach Jerry Moore, helping lead the Mountaineers to three NCAA FCS titles (2005-07) plus two trips to the national semifinals and three appearances in the quarterfinals.

Elliott was a four-year letterman as a defensive lineman from 1992-96, and App State head coach Shawn Clark was his teammate.

Offensive coordinator Brad Glenn also spent seven years on the App State staff, coaching tight ends (2005), slot receivers (2006-08) and quarterbacks (2009-11). GSU Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb served nine years in the same position at App State before coming to Atlanta in 2014.

Georgia State is looking for its first win against Appalachian State. Last season, the Mountaineers scored the go-ahead touchdown with five minutes left as Georgia State fell 17-13 at Kidd Brewer Stadium. That overshadowed an outstanding performance by the GSU defense, which kept the Mountaineers bottled up for much of the day until Camerun Peoples' 10-yard run gave App State its first lead with 4:55 to play. The Panthers held App State to its season-low of 310 total yards, but 77 of them came on the winning drive.

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Players Mentioned

#42 Blake Carroll: ILB; 6' 1"; Senior

#5 Roger Carter: TE; 6' 2"; Senior

#75 Shamarious Gilmore: G; 6' 3"; Redshirt Senior

#26 Tucker Gregg: RB; 5' 10"; Senior

#28 Chris Moore: S; 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior

#2 Jamari Thrash: WR; 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore

#40 Jordan Veneziale: ILB; 6' 0"; Junior

#3 Darren Grainger: QB; 6' 4"; Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

#42 Blake Carroll
: 6' 1"; Senior
: ILB

#5 Roger Carter
: 6' 2"; Senior
: TE

#75 Shamarious Gilmore
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#26 Tucker Gregg
: 5' 10"; Senior
: RB

#28 Chris Moore
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior
: S

#2 Jamari Thrash
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore
: WR

#40 Jordan Veneziale
: 6' 0"; Junior
: ILB

#3 Darren Grainger
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Junior
: QB