ATLANTA -- Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott is hoping for a white Christmas.

"I wish it would snow a foot," Elliott said Thursday, and he doesn't have to hope for a rare Southern winter storm because his Panthers are heading to the Rocky Mountains to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho.

Playing in its third bowl game in the last four seasons and sixth in nine seasons, Georgia State (6-6) faces Utah State (6-6) on Saturday, Dec. 23 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on ESPN. Visit GeorgiaStateSports.com/bowls for tickets and information.

Georgia State is 3-2 in bowl games, including wins in its last two bowls, the 2021 TaxAct Camellia Bowl and 2020 LendingTree Bowl.

With bowl preparations well underway, Elliott met with the media Thursday after practice.

"We're in the day and age of the transfer portal, and everyone is aware of who we've lost in the portal, and what we have to do, so this preparation time has been very important to us," Elliott said. "We have some new tackles, running backs, secondary guys. But that's college football. You can't complain about it, you have to engage and make the most of it, and that's what we've done. 

"It's been a great two weeks of practice, balancing that with exams and recruiting visits. As you can imagine, the season is a very busy time for us, but the last two and a half weeks have been ... like drinking out of a fire hose. 

"I'm looking forward to getting to Bosie, Idaho, and stepping away from all of this with our football team, getting them out of Atlanta and allowing them to experience something they've never experienced before," he continued. "College football in itself takes us to so many places, and to take our team to Boise, Idaho, where 99.9 percent of them have never been, and get to experience that environment is special. And just to have an opportunity to be around this team a little longer is special."

Georgia State is led by veteran quarterback Darren Grainger, the MVP of the 2021 TaxAct Camellia Bowl who will be under center for his second bowl game and 36th career start. Grainger is GSU's career leader in total offense, touchdown passes and touchdown responsibility while ranking second in passing yards and fourth in rushing yards.

He will have new cast members around him on offense, including three new starters on the offensive line and a new running back in Freddie Brock.

Elliott mentioned offensive lineman Ben Chukwuma, who moves into a starting role at left tackle.

"Ben Chukwuma is an offensive tackle who has been on the cusp of being a starter for us," Elliott said. "He played in our last game because of an injury, and he's had a really good two weeks of practice. He's strong, physical, and one of the more athletic lineman we have. That's a guy that's really stepped up and done a nice job."

The Panthers' opponent, Utah State of the Mountain West Conference, is a team Georgia State has never faced before, but the Aggies feature a familiar face on their sideline.

"They're a good offensive football team," Elliott said. "I know their head coach (Blake Anderson) - he's an old Sun Belt guy from Arkansas State. So we've played him a few times, and he's always going to have a well-coached, well-prepared football team. We have to go out and play very well.  

"It's really similar to a home game for those guys, coming from the west, and we have to travel about five hours on plane, but I expect it to be a competitive football game," Elliott continued. "I think we're very similar in how our seasons unfolded. They're 6-6, the same as us, and we both want to get that seventh win."

Another familiar face could be under center for Utah State. The Aggies have three played different quarterbacks due to injuries, including Levi Williams, who led Utah State to its bowl-clinching win over New Mexico in the season finale. As a freshman, Williams was the quarterback for the Wyoming team that defeated the Panthers in the 2019 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl.

Georgia State will depart for Boise on the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 19.