ATLANTA, GA. – Georgia State quarterback Dan Ellington threw for 362 yards and five touchdowns as the Panthers rallied from an early 20-3 deficit to down FCS 11th-ranked Furman, 48-42, Saturday night at Georgia State Stadium.
The win improves Georgia State to 2-0 while Furman falls to 1-1 heading into next Saturday's action against Virginia Tech.
Redshirt freshman signal caller
Darren Grainger paced Furman's offense by throwing for 323 yards and four touchdowns, while also running for 53 yards and a score. The Conway, S.C., product completed 16-of-25 passes and helped stake Furman to a 13-3 second quarter lead with 18 and 32-yard scoring strikes to
Ryan Miller and
Thomas Gordon, respectively.
Devin Wynn put the Paladins up 20-3 early in the second period when he trucked Remy Lazarus at the 1-yard line, bulling his way into the end zone on a 3-yard run to complete an eight-play, 82-yard drive.
Furman's bid to extend its lead on the next possession failed, however, as the Paladins' first punt of the contest, from the Panther 49, was downed at the GSU 6. From there Ellington engineered a 16-play, 94-yard touchdown march that Tra Barnett cashed in with an 18-yard scoring burst to slice the Paladins' lead to 20-10.
An official's review that nullified a fumble recovery by Furman's
DiMarcus Clay at the Paladin 14 teed up the Panthers for a touchdown on the final play of the first half. Terrence Dixon's 10-yard run into the end zone as time expired pulled GSU to within 20-17.
Georgia State kept the offensive pressure out of halftime, scoring touchdowns on its first four possessions of the second half — all courtesy of Ellington, who threw scoring strikes covering 26, 2, 20, and 44 yards, with the latter giving the Panthers a 45-35 lead with 12:10 remaining.
After the Panthers converted an interception into a Brandon Wright 38-yard field goal with 7:35 to go for a 48-35 advantage, Furman answered behind Grainger, whose scrambling 12-yard touchdown run pulled the Paladins to within 48-42 with 3:26 to go.
The Paladins got the ball back at their 10-yard line with just over two minutes remaining but turned it over on downs at their 16, allowing the Panthers to run out the clock.
Grainger's 323-yard passing effort was the third highest tally by a Furman freshman quarterback, and his 378 yards in total offense marked the fourth best overall total in program history.
Gordon's 163 receiving yards marked a career high, and his eight grabs matched his career standard.
The two teams combined for 1,104 yards in total offense, with the Panthers racking up 566 and Furman 538.
The Paladins' 42 points matched the program high against a FBS foe since putting up 42 in a 45-42 loss to North Carolina in 2006 and in a 42-20 win over N.C. State in 1985.
Miller's 18-yard touchdown catch that opened the scoring was the first of his Paladin career, as was Devin Arbams' 30-yard, fourth quarter connection.
