In what was a back-and-forth contest for much of this ball game, the Georgia State Panthers (3-4, 2-1 Sun Belt) prevailed against the Texas State Bobcats (2-5, 1-2 Sun Belt) on Saturday afternoon.
It was a Sun Belt battle back in Atlanta, Georgia as the Georgia State Panthers pulled away late to defeat Texas State once again. Dropping their second consecutive game of the season, the Bobcats face a tough matchup against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns next Saturday. Before we head into that matchup, Saturday’s contest was too familiar for Bobcat fans.
The situation has been far too familiar to Texas State fans, players, and alumni. The Bobcats kept it close for as long as they could, before giving up a 4th quarter score, ultimately failing to answer back.
It started out well for the Bobcats on Saturday, they scored the first six points of the ball game and had a lead up until the one minute mark in the first quarter. After pinning the Panthers deep in their own territory, Georgia State went on a 99 yard drive that ended in a touchdown. The 7-6 lead put the Panthers up one point heading into the 2nd frame.
It was then in the second quarter where Quarterback Darren Grainger hit the Bobcats defense up for a 35-yard strike that put the Panthers up by a score of 14-6.
Low and behold, that wasn’t enough to put the Cats away, yet. Quarterback Brady McBride used his legs to find the end-zone and cut the deficit to just one point with 9:46 left in the first half.
The first half concluded with a one-point lead for the Panthers, led by Grainger and running back Jamyest Williams, that drove Georgia State to the one-point lead. The first half displayed a tug-of-war match between two programs that definitely needed the edge in terms of in-conference play.
The second-half scoring was opened by Williams, who took a 28-yard run to the house that put the Panthers up by eight points with less than 25 minutes left in the ball-game. Williams only had 8 carries, but ultimately ran for nearly 80 yards on his eight touches.
After a made Bobcats field-goal by Seth Keller, who made three on the day, Georgia State put one more on the board as Darren Grainger struck again from inside the pocket. The Panthers final score of the evening put them up by a score of 28-16.
The 28-16 score was enough for the Panthers to hold onto, as they prevailed as the winners against a Texas State bunch that’s struggling to stack good performances atop of one another. The win puts Georgia State at (3-4) on the season, with a matchup against Georgia Southern on the horizon.
The 12 point deficit was too much for the Maroon and Gold to overcome, and as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Bobcats dropped their fifth game of the season. Their second consecutive conference loss puts them at (1-2) in-conference, with a battle against the Ragin Cajuns upcoming on Saturday afternoon.
The Bobcats offense turned the football over just once on the evening, but in shorter terms, they got beat by the better football team. Georgia State turned the Texas State offense into a one-dimmensional, check-down heavy offense that baited the Bobcats into quick passes, and McBride to use his legs to beat them.
It's a bad miscommunication. Marcell Barbee runs inside, ball goes outside @smdrsports https://t.co/5xtywiff3R pic.twitter.com/8QrGutRN46
— Drew King (@drewking0222) October 23, 2021
Their defensive strategy proved to be enough, and despite another loss on the season, the Maroon and Gold will learn a lot from this performance. It was the second time all season where the Cats were forced into playing offense according to an opposing defenses scheme, as Texas State’s players and play-callers must drill down new offensive strategies to attack softer coverage schemes.
After their fifth loss of the season, the Bobcats will travel down to Cajun country to take on the Lousiana Ragin Cajuns in yet another in-conference battle. The Cats must build some much needed momentum heading into the second half of their season, with both time and resources becoming limited to find their way into bowl season, the time is now for the Bobcats to make something happen.
Saturday afternoon’s contest for Texas State against the University of Louisiana will take place at 11 A.M. at Cajun field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio and ESPN+.
