MOBILE, Ala. — Quarterback Brandon Bridge ran for 65 yards on the first play of a late fourth-quarter drive and threw the go-ahead touchdown two plays later as South Alabama defeated Georgia State 30-27 on Saturday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The game featured five lead changes in the second half. It was the first time since a double-overtime win over Florida Atlantic that the Jaguars had won a game in which they trailed after three quarters.
The Winning Drive
With Georgia State driving into South Alabama territory, the Jaguars’ defense forced a punt. Bridge took over at the South Alabama 15-yard line with just over five minutes to play.
On the first snap, Bridge ran 65 yards to the Georgia State 20. Two plays later, he threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Danny Woodson II that put South Alabama ahead for good.
The Jaguars then stopped Georgia State and ran out the clock.
Bridge Leads Ground Game
Bridge led South Alabama in rushing for the first time, finishing with a career-high 137 yards on 15 carries, the most ever by a Jaguar quarterback. He completed 11 of 32 passes for 126 yards.
Jay Jones, who left late in the game with an injury, ran for 71 yards on 16 carries. Xavier Johnson added 58 yards, and Houston contributed a season-high 55.
South Alabama outrushed Georgia State 321-90 and outgained the Panthers 447-401 in total offense.
Panthers Move It Through the Air
Georgia State quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 23 of 40 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns. Donovan Hardin caught 10 passes for 132 yards, Robert Davis had 108 yards on four receptions, and Joel Ruiz added 75 yards on seven catches.
Rich Sets Sack Record
Theo Rich set a South Alabama single-game record with 3.5 sacks and finished with a career-high eight tackles. Terrell Brigham led the defense with 10 tackles, and Roman Buchanan had nine tackles and a pass breakup.
Coaches React
South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said the performance was uneven but that his team closed the game well.
“I told the team after the game that I’m not real pleased with some of the things we did tonight, but there are some things I am pleased with. It wasn’t a complete game for us, but it’s a win,” Jones said. “You can’t always play great. I didn’t think we played great tonight and we still won. I thought that was a big deal. The last three series were in our favor — we scored, stopped them and then ate the clock up. I thought that was a great way to win.”
Jones credited Georgia State’s offense and praised his defense’s red-zone work under defensive coordinator Travis Pearson.
“They’re very good on offense, but our guys really played well inside the red zone,” Jones said. “Some of the biggest plays of the game were on the goal line.”
Georgia State fell to 1-6 overall and 0-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. Panthers head coach Trent Miles, in his second season after succeeding Bill Curry, is 1-18.
“We had opportunities to win the game, but give South Alabama credit, they stepped in and did it at the end when they had to,” Miles said. “Joey is doing a great job with them, he’s done a great job building the program the right way.”
Up Next
South Alabama improved to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in Sun Belt play, two wins from bowl eligibility. The Jaguars host in-state conference rival Troy on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in a game televised nationally on ESPNU.
