Georgia State had no answers on offense Saturday as the Panthers fell to Appalachian State 17-3 in Boone, N.C.
After getting out of the first half in scoreless tie, GSU (0-4, 0-1 Sun Belt) was unable to change its offensive fortunes as the Mountaineers (3-2, 1-0) wore down the Panthers’ defense and pulled away for a conference win. On the opening drive of the third quarter GSU’s defense finally busted, allowing a 45-yard touchdown run.
“Defensively, I thought we had a great game plan and the guys did a good job,” coach Trent Miles said. “We gave up the one long run and then the jump ball there at the end to ice it, but for the most part, I thought our defense was sound all day.”
Once again, the Panthers failed to possess the ball for long, causing the defense to spend almost 36 minutes on the field. In the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers controlled the ball for just less than 10 minutes while earning 113 of their 361 total yards and scoring 10 points.
An opening drive interception from quarterback Conner Manning set the tone for a lackluster offensive performance from GSU. The quarterback had a particularly poor day after playing well at Wisconsin two weeks ago, going 19 of 44 Saturday with four interceptions and 153 yards.
Wide receiver Robert Davis caught a pass for the 41st consecutive game, and thanks to his five receptions, he became the Panthers’ career leader in the category. GSU wide receiver Penny Hart returned from a hamstring injury, but a foot injury he sustained in the contest may end his season.
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