BOONE, N.C. -- After a close game through three-and-a-half quarters, Georgia State fell 33-26 in heartbreaking fashion to the Mountaineers on Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
"Always proud of our guys for battling and staying the course," head coach Dell McGee said. "It all comes down to stopping the run, getting off the field on third down and limiting the big plays."
Michel Dukes totaled 81 yards to lead the Panthers' ground attack and added one touchdown in the game, picking up 13.5 yards per carry along the way. Freddie Brock also tacked on 67 yards on the ground, picking up 6.7 yards per carry, as well as 31 receiving yards.
Zach Gibson's most prolific target in the ballgame was Ted Hurst, who caught three passes for 57 yards and one score.
Anthony Blume showed out for the Georgia State defense, totaling four tackles and one recovered fumble. Gavin Pringle finished with five tackles and 0.5 TFL.
The Panthers won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, forcing one turnover while avoiding any giveways, with Georgia State turning that takeaway into three points.
Georgia State's defense held up fairly well against the run, limiting Appalachian State to 180 yards on the ground and out-rushing Appalachian State by 14 yards.
How It Happened
Appalachian State scored first to take a 2-0 lead, but Georgia State responded with 14:56 left in the second quarter to go ahead 3-2. Appalachian State responded and went up 8-3 before the Panthers scored again on a four-yard touchdown reception from Gibson to Hurst to retake the lead at 10-8.
Appalachian State then grabbed a 15-10 lead, but Georgia State scored again at the 1:15 remaining mark in the second quarter with a nine-yard touchdown run from Dukes to jump back ahead 16-15.Appalachian State fought back to take a 25-16 lead, but the Panthers got on the scoreboard again to narrow the gap and make it a 25-23 game.
Georgia State scored again, a 38-yard field goal from with 6:39 left in the fourth quarter, and grabbed a 26-25 lead in the process. Georgia State didn't score again and Appalachian State added eight more points to finish off the game.
Game Notes
» Georgia State won the turnover battle 1-0 after recovering one fumble.
» The Panthers tallied 16 points in the second quarter, accounting for 61.5% of their total score.
» Georgia State converted 1 of 8 third downs while Appalachian State was successful on 7 of 12.
» Jeremiah Johnson led the Panthers with 10 tackles.
» James Allen punted two times for the Panthers with an average of 49 yards per punt.
» The Panthers forced one red zone turnover in the contest.
» Georgia State won the time of possession battle 30:34 to 29:26.
» Gibson completed 72.7% of his passes on the day, going 16-for-22 while averaging 8.7 yards per attempt.
The Panthers look to bounce back at UConn for a Friday night matchup on Nov. 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET
