Football 9/26/2022 2:51:00 PM

Panthers Hit the Road for Trip to Army

Teams Are Meeting for Third Time in Four Seasons

GEORGIA STATE (0-4) at ARMY (1-2)
Saturday, Oct. 1 | 12 p.m. | Michie Stadium

TV: CBS Sports Network
RADIO: Georgia State Radio Network (WRAS-FM 88.5, GSU athletics mobile app)

THE KICKOFF: Georgia State hits the road for a non-conference game at Army Saturday at 12 p.m. at historic Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y. The game will be nationally-televised on CBS Sports Network.

> Super senior running back Tucker Gregg scored his 19th career rushing touchdown vs. Coastal Carolina, tying him with Tra Barnett for the GSU career record.

> With 1,785 yards, Gregg ranks second to Barnett (2,156 yards, 2016-19) on the Panthers' career rushing list. Gregg's 373 career rushing attempts are just 14 behind Barnett's record of 387.

> Sophomore wide receiver Robert Lewis has six touchdown catches in his last five games, with at least one TD in all five contests. He is No. 1 Sun Belt/No. 7 FBS with five TD receptions this season.

> Lewis had a breakout game against North Carolina with seven receptions for 115 yards, including touchdown catches of 49 and 29 yards. After catching his first career touchdown in the 2021 TaxAct Camellia bowl, he had a 17-yard TD vs. South Carolina and a 34-yard scoring play vs. Charlotte.

> Senior OLB Jontrey Hunter grabbed an interception vs. Coastal Carolina and returned it 77 yards for a touchdown for the longest interception return in program history. Hunter has been one of the Panthers' top defenders with 28 tackles, 4.5 TFL, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery.

> GSU QB Darren Grainger passed for a career-high 343 yards and four touchdowns vs. Charlotte.

> Since taking over the starting role in Game 3 of 2021, Grainger has accounted for 32 touchdowns in 15 starts (28 passing, 4 rushing).

> Junior wide receiver Jamari Thrash broke the GSU single-game record for receiving yards with 213 yards on 10 catches vs. Charlotte. His 32-yard TD gave the Panthers a 41-35 lead with 1:39 to play, and he also hauled in a 73-yard reception for Georgia State's longest pass play since 2016.

> Thrash, who topped 1,000 career yards vs. Coastal Carolina, leads the Panthers with 21 catches for 381 yards. He is No. 2 in the Sun Belt with 95.3 receiving yards per game.

> The Panthers have rushed for 200-plus yards in 10 of the last 12 games.

> CB Quavian White is tied for No. 2 in FBS with three interceptions (1.0 per game). The super senior had two interceptions at South Carolina, along with two tackles for loss including a sack, a pass breakup and five tackles. He added another pick vs. Charlotte.

> White has 10 career interceptions, the Georgia State record and tied for fourth among all active FBS players. Teammate Antavious Lane is one behind with nine.

> The GSU defense has forced seven turnovers in the first four games with five interceptions and two fumble recoveries. That gives the Panthers 17 takeaways over the last eight games.

> Head coach Shawn Elliott's squad has played in three straight bowl games, including back-to-back wins in the 2020 LendingTree Bowl and 2021 TaxAct Camellia Bowl. The Panthers have played in bowl games in four of Elliott's five seasons.

BACKFIELD DUO: Senior running backs Tucker Gregg (second) and Jamyest Williams (seventh) both rank among the top seven career rushers in GSU history

> Gregg (1,785 yards) has moved into the No. 2 position, while Williams (1,280) ranks seventh.

> Since the start of the 2020 season, Gregg (1,624) and Williams (1,276) have combined for 2,926 yards, including 1,812 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2021.

MAKE THAT BACKFIELD TRIO: Junior Marcus Carroll has added a third weapon to the GSU backfield, along with super seniors Tucker Gregg and Jamyest Williams.

> Carroll rushed for 94 yards on 15 carries vs. Charlotte.

> With 190 yards on just 28 carries, he is averaging 6.8 yards per carry on the season.

SERIES VS. ARMY: Georgia State and Army are meeting for the third time in the last four seasons but the first time at Army. The series is tied 1-1.

> The teams first met in 2019, when Georgia State earned a 28-21 win on a rainy night at Center Parc Stadium. QB Dan Ellington, now on the GSU coaching staff, hit tight end Aubry Payne with the go-ahead 8-yard touchdown pass with 7:41 to play and the GSU defense made a late stand, sealed by Quavian White's interception at the 2-yard line with one minute left.

> Army won last year's game in Atlanta, 43-10.

> GSU defensive coordinator Nate Fuqua played for and coached under Army DC Nate Woody at Wofford. Fuqua succeeded Woody as the Wofford DC in 2013.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#1 Jontrey Hunter: OLB; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#34 Antavious Lane: S; 5' 9"; Freshman

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

#2 Jamari Thrash: WR; 6' 0"; Freshman

#20 Quavian White: CB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#23 Marcus Carroll: RB; 5' 10"; Junior

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

#14 Robert Lewis: WR; 5' 11"; Redshirt Sophomore

#21 Jamyest Williams: RB; 5' 9"; Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#1 Jontrey Hunter
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: OLB

#34 Antavious Lane
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: S

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

#2 Jamari Thrash
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: WR

#20 Quavian White
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: CB

#23 Marcus Carroll
: 5' 10"; Junior
: RB

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

#14 Robert Lewis
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Sophomore
: WR

#21 Jamyest Williams
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Senior
: RB