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The Georgia State Panthers need to shore up a defense that is allowing 35.91 points per contest. Georgia State and the Georgia Southern Eagles will face off in a Sun Belt battle at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. The odds don't look promising for Georgia State, but the bigger the opponent is, the harder they fall.
The Panthers were able to grind out a solid win over the South Alabama Jaguars last week, winning 28-15. No one put up better numbers for Georgia State than RB Tra Barnett, who really brought his A game. He rushed for 128 yards and one TD on 23 carries.
Meanwhile, Georgia Southern might not have won anyway, but with 97 yards lost due to penalties, they really shot themselves in the foot. They were within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 38-33 to the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Georgia Southern might have lost, but man -- QB Shai Werts was a total machine. He picked up 158 yards on the ground on 18 carries and threw three passing touchdowns.
The Georgia Sou rn defensive unit accumulated four sacks for a loss of 22 yards. It was a group effort with four picking up one sack apiece.
Georgia State's victory lifted them to 7-4 while Georgia Southern's loss dropped them down to 6-5. Two offensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Eagles are stumbling into the game with the fewest passing yards per game in the nation, having accrued only 72.7 on average. To make matters even worse for the Eagles, the Panthers come into the matchup boasting the 11th most rushing yards per game in the league at 257.6. Maybe that strength will give the Panthers the oomph they need to beat the odds.
