MOBILE, Ala. — Georgia State scored 24 unanswered points after falling behind in the third quarter and beat South Alabama 31-14 on Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium, handing the Jaguars their fourth consecutive loss.
South Alabama fell to 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia State improved to 4-4 and 3-4 in league play. With two games left in the 2020 season, the Jaguars are assured of a losing record for a seventh consecutive season.
The Jaguars held a 14-7 lead midway through the third quarter. Georgia State then scored on four consecutive possessions while South Alabama’s offense went three-and-out on back-to-back series.
Sacks Tie School Record
Georgia State sacked South Alabama quarterback Desmond Trotter seven times. That matched the school record for sacks allowed in a game, set in 2012 when the Jaguars played at NC State.
South Alabama’s offensive line was again without starters Jacob Shoemaker and Connor Estes, who missed a second consecutive game because of COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing. The Jaguars have allowed 20 sacks over their last four games.
Early Takeaways, Early Lead
South Alabama’s defense made a play on Georgia State’s second offensive snap. Christian Bell intercepted Panthers quarterback Cornelious Brown IV at the Georgia State 34-yard line, and the Jaguars converted quickly when Carlos Davis ran 17 yards for a touchdown. South Alabama led 7-0 with 13:05 left in the first quarter.
Georgia State moved into scoring position on its next drive, but Keon Voisin recovered a fumble at the South Alabama 19 with 8:37 remaining in the opening quarter. The Jaguars were unable to move the ball and punted.
The Panthers tied the game 7-7 with 13:25 left in the second quarter. South Alabama was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on the extra-point attempt.
On the ensuing kickoff, Kawaan Baker fielded the ball at the 21 and returned it deep into Georgia State territory before fumbling. A South Alabama player recovered and carried the ball into the end zone, but an illegal block penalty on Cade Sutherland wiped out the play and moved the ball back to the Jaguars’ 22.
Later in the half, facing fourth-and-8 at the Georgia State 39, head coach Steve Campbell elected to go for it. With his receivers covered downfield, Trotter threw short to Davis, who was tackled for a 2-yard loss, giving the Panthers possession at their own 41 with 9:40 left before halftime.
South Alabama regained the ball when Shawn Jennings intercepted a pass at the Jaguars’ 11 and returned it 15 yards. A few plays later, Terrion Avery fumbled, and Georgia State recovered at its own 38.
The Panthers drove toward a go-ahead score before halftime, but Devin Rockette intercepted a fade pass in the end zone with one hand while keeping a foot inbounds, and the game went to the half tied 7-7.
Third-Quarter Swing
After a slow start to the second half, South Alabama took over at its own 30 and drove 70 yards in eight plays, using just 1:32. Jared Wilson had a fumble overturned on replay review when officials ruled he was down before the ball came loose. Wilson then carried three more times for 31 yards, helped by a 15-yard personal foul penalty, and scored on a 7-yard run to give the Jaguars a 14-7 lead with 6:11 left in the third quarter.
Georgia State answered with a three-play, 75-yard drive that took 55 seconds. The key play came on second-and-3, when Brown connected with Sam Pinckney for 65 yards to the South Alabama 3. The Panthers scored to tie the game at 14.
After a South Alabama three-and-out, Georgia State went 80 yards in five plays and 1:46 to take its first lead, 21-14, with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter.
The Jaguars went three-and-out again and returned the ball to Georgia State with 43 seconds left in the period. That drive stalled at the South Alabama 5, and the Panthers kicked a 23-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead with 11:03 to play.
South Alabama ended its string of three-and-outs when Trotter hit Jalen Tolbert for 30 yards to the Georgia State 48, but the Jaguars turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert on fourth-and-11. Georgia State completed a 43-yard pass on the second play of its next possession to reach the South Alabama 7 and scored from the 1 to make it 31-14.
By the Numbers
Georgia State finished with 556 yards of total offense, 334 passing and 222 rushing, and converted 9 of 14 third-down attempts.
Brown completed 19 of 28 passes for 334 yards with three interceptions. Pinckney led all receivers with 176 yards on five catches. Roger Carter caught five passes for 71 yards, and Jamyest Williams had five receptions for 48 yards. Tucker Gregg led all rushers with 79 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries, and Williams added 68 rushing yards on 10 carries.
South Alabama totaled 324 yards, 211 passing and 113 rushing. The Jaguars converted 8 of 19 third downs and none of their three fourth-down attempts.
Trotter completed 25 of 43 passes for 211 yards. Tolbert caught five passes for a team-high 75 yards, and Baker had five receptions for 37 yards. Wilson ran for 49 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, and Davis added 38 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
South Alabama’s defense forced four turnovers: interceptions by Bell, Jennings and Rockette and Voisin’s fumble recovery.
What They Said
“We’re very disappointed in the outcome of this game,” Campbell said. “I thought the guys played hard, but we need to play better. We need to score more points. We need to get off the field more defensively.”
“We were up 7-0 early, but we couldn’t get any separation,” Campbell said. “We couldn’t score points, and that’s been our issue. You’ve got to score to beat a good team, and we weren’t able to matriculate the ball down the field enough to score points.”
“It’s very disappointing,” Tolbert said. “The defense gave us four turnovers and we couldn’t get more points than we did. We’ve just got to execute better. We had all the momentum and we let it slip away.”
Up Next
South Alabama plays its final road game of the season at Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Arkansas, with a 2 p.m. kickoff. The Jaguars beat the Red Wolves 34-30 in last season’s regular-season finale at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
