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Georgia State Football Preseason Practice

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Jeremiah Johnson

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Javon Denis, Akeem Smith

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Antavious Lane

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Marcus Carroll

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Avery Reece

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Keilon Brown

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Mikele Colasurdo

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Steven Krajewski

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Akeem Smith

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Darren Grainger

Georgia State Football Preseason Practice - Malik Sumter

Football 8/9/2022 4:56:00 PM

On the Run

ATLANTA -- Georgia State returns one of the nation's top running back tandems in All-Sun Belt Conference seniors Tucker Gregg and Jamyest Williams, headlining a talented position group for the Panthers, who open the season Sept. 3 at South Carolina.

Under sixth-year head coach Shawn Elliott, Georgia State Looking to build on its streak of three straight bowl berths. The Panthers return 18 starters from last year's squad that won a school-record eight games, capped by a dominating 52-10 win over Ball State in the TaxAct Camellia Bowl for the program's second straight bowl victory.

A big part of that success has been the Georgia State rushing attack as the duo of Gregg and Williams combined for 1,812 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2021, helping the Panthers rank No. 8 in FBS in rushing with 226.4 yards per game.

After leading the team with 953 yards (third in the Sun Belt) and nine touchdowns last fall, Gregg is the No. 3 rusher in GSU history with 1,560 yards.

Williams adds speed and explosiveness, rushing for 859 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging a school-record 6.71 yards per carry, the sixth-best mark in FBS. The former cornerback has gained 1,112 yards in 21 games since moving to offense midway through the 2020 season.

But another name to watch in the backfield is junior Marcus Carroll, who had a strong spring, when he was named the team's Top Offensive Player of the spring.

"This is one of the deepest groups of backs I've ever had in my years of coaching," Elliott said.

Veteran Antoine Lane and redshirt freshman Jay Dixon add depth, and true freshman KZ Adams could make an immediate impact. A finalist for the Mr. Football award in South Carolina, Adams led the nation in rushing with 3,343 yards and 42 touchdowns to lead Gray Collegiate Academy to the Class 2A state title.

Over the last three seasons, the Panthers have averaged 223 yards rushing per game.

After opening the season on the road, the Panthers kick off their home slate on Saturday, Sept. 10 vs. North Carolina at 12 noon as the Tar Heels will be the first Power 5 program to play at Center Parc Stadium. The home schedule also features a Thursday night game against Coastal Carolina (Sept. 22), the annual rivalry game vs. Georgia Southern (Oct. 8) and the Homecoming game vs. Old Dominion (Oct. 29).

Season and single-game tickets for GSU's six-game home slate are on sale now by visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com/Tix or calling 404-413-4020 during business hours.

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