Football 9/4/2023 3:01:00 PM

Panthers Host UConn Saturday Night Under the Lights

GEORGIA STATE (1-0) vs. UCONN (0-1)
Saturday, Sept. 9 | 7 p.m. | Center Parc Stadium

TV: ESPN+
RADIO: Georgia State Radio Network on WRAS-FM 88.5 and GSU Athletics mobile app

THE KICKOFF: After opening the season with a 42-35 victory over Rhode Island, Georgia State hosts its second straight home game as UConn visits Center Parc Stadium Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

> Senior running back Marcus Carroll rushed for a career-high 184 yards and three touchdowns in the opener. That is the fourth-highest figure in the nation after Week 1 as well as the fourth-best single-game in GSU history.

> Super senior quarterback Darren Grainger was very effective and efficient in the opener, completing 16-of-20 passes for 193 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Grainger, who completed his first 14 passes, also added 51 yards rushing.

> Grainger is a third-year starter who was named to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Manning Award. Last fall, Grainger passed for 2,443 yards and 18 touchdowns while completing 58.6 percent of his passes, ranking second in the Sun Belt and No. 10 in FBS with 14.04 yards per completion. He was also GSU's leading rusher with 734 yards (No. 9 in Sun Belt) and six touchdowns, making him third in the Sun Belt in total offense (264.8 ypg).

> Grainger's top target is junior Robert Lewis, who had seven catches for 97 yards, including a 39-yard TD. Lewis has caught eight touchdowns in his last 10 games.

> Lewis also had 110 yards on five kickoff returns for a total of 207 all-purpose yards to rank No. 4 in FBS in that category.

> GSU's top offensive lineman is super senior left tackle Travis Glover, a Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt selection who has 46 career starts.

> Glover is one of five Panthers named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt team, along with four second-team selections, all on defense: DE Javon Denis, LB Jontrey Hunter, LB Jordan Veneziale and CB Bryquice Brown.

> One of Georgia State's offensive trademarks under head coach Shawn Elliott has been balance. In addition to ranking No. 14 in FBS in rushing (213.5 ypg) in 2022, GSU was one of just 18 FBS programs to average at least 200 yards rushing and passing (203.6 ypg).

> The Panthers are opening the season with two straight home games for the first time since 2014.

> Georgia State and UConn are meeting for the first time.

> UConn is coming off a 24-14 loss to NC State. The Huskies are coached by former Atlanta Falcons head coach Jim Mora.

MAKING A SPLASH: In his Georgia State debut, cornerback Gavin Pringle delivered the key defensive play of the Panthers' season-opening win over Rhode Island with his pick-six, a 21-yard interception return for a touchdown.

> After Georgia State tied the game at 28-all, Pringle's big play came with 1:50 left in the third quarter and gave the Panthers a 35-28 lead they would not relinquish. Georgia State won 42-35 over the Rams, a nationally-ranked FCS program.

> Pringle also contributed four tackles and a pass breakup in the victory.

> The Baltimore, Md., native joined the GSU program in June as a graduate transfer from Bucknell, where he was a three-time all-conference selection in the Patriot League.

MORE ON MARCUS: Marcus Carroll showed that he is ready to carry the load for the Georgia State rushing attack with his career-high 184 yards and three touchdowns vs. Rhode island.

> In the fourth quarter alone, he rushed for 94 yards on just eight carries. After rallying to take a 35-28 lead, Georgia State faced 3rd-and-2 at their own 25 when Carroll broke through the line and raced 63 yards to down the 12, then finished the job on the next play with a 12-yard TD run for a 42-28 advantage with eight minutes left.

> Carroll also delivered a 23-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 28-all in the third quarter, as well as a 9-yard scoring run in the first quarter.

> After playing behind Tucker Gregg (GSU career rushing leader with ) and Jamyest Williams the last three years, Carroll had his breakout game with a 163 yards and three touchdowns last season at Southern Miss.

> Beginning with that Southern Miss game, he has achieved two of the Panthers' top five totals over his last five games. Over those five games, he has averaged 102.6 yards per game while scoring eight touchdowns.

> Carroll now has 970 career rushing yards as he looks to become the 12th 1,000-yard rusher in program history.

NEW FACES: The Panthers have bolstered their roster with 32 newcomers, including 19 four-year transfers, one junior college transfer and 12 scholarship freshmen.

> Among those additions, cornerback Gavin Pringle (Bucknell), noseguard Henry Bryant (Louisville) and offensive guard Trevor Timmons (Charlotte) have earned starting berths.

> Key backups from the transfer portal include outside linebacker Kevin Swint (Clemson), receiver Jacari Carter (Merrimack), offensive linemen Tyden Ferris (Central Michigan) and Lamar Robinson (Norfolk State), safety Tygee Leach (Lehigh), linebacker Josiah Robinson (Coastal Carolina) and defensive linemen Corey Warren (Coastal Carolina) and Anthony Blume (Norfolk State).

Print Friendly Version