Central Georgia Sports ReportOctober 02, 20221 Comment

Peach State college 🏈: UGA survives, Tech stuns, Mercer rolls, GMC & FVSU topped; around the state, around the Southeast, around the nation

Central Georgia Sports ReportOctober 02, 20221 Comment

Box score link is in score header

Georgia State 31, Army 14

The Panthers led from the start and pulled away at the end to improve to 1-4.

Georgia State had four fewer first downs and 56 fewer rushing yards, but 146 more passing yards for a 456-365 total offense advantage.

A stop of Army on fourth down inside the 1 and then another fourth-down stop keyed the win, a 57-yard pass from Darren Grainger to Ja’Cyais Credle after the second putting GSU up 24-14 with 2:59 left.

Slow start dooms Army

Mercer 42, Wofford 7

The 13th-ranked Bears marched out to a 21-0 lead at halftime and opened the third quarter with a scoring drive to keep Wofford winless.

Mercer (4-1/2-0) outgained Wofford 265-79 in the first half, and passed the 500-yard mark early in the fourth quarter en route to a whopping 554-221 gap, the Bears running 71 plays to 59 for the Terriers (0-5/0-2).

The Bears almost tripled the Terriers in first downs, 26-9.

Fred Payton was 20 of 25 for 330 yards and two scores with no sacks or picks. Devron Harper caught seven of those passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Austin Douglas led the ground game with 73 yards on 12 carries.

Mercer was 6 of 11 on third down to 4 for 15 for Wofford.

Benedict 45, Fort Valley State 13

Benedict turned out to be the rudest of homecoming opponents for Fort Valley State.

For one, the Tigers came to town undefeated. Worse for the Wildcats, they left town undefeated.

The 5-0 Tigers took a 14-0 lead before the first quarter was half over, the 4-1 Wildcats getting a score back with 3:51 left on Troy Dendy’s 11-yard touchdown.

But Benedict answered a half-minute into the second quarter with another nice drive, for a 20-6 lead, which was the halftime margin.

The visitors couldn’t wait to get back on the field, and won the third quarter 20-0 for a 40-6 lead after three. FVSU’s TD pass from Kelvin Durham to Kevin Epps was countered five minutes later by a safety for a 42-13 Benedict lead.

The Wildcats were more than doubled in first downs, 28-12, and gave up 73 offensive snaps for Benedict in a 473-207 total offense romp.

Third downs were big: 6 for 10 for Benedict, 2 for 10 for FVSU.

Washington County grad Dyquan Bloodsaw had 56 yards on three carries for Benedict. Baldwin’s Christopher Hurst topped the defense with six tackles, one for loss.

Jacksonville State 35, Kennesaw State 28, OT

The Owls weren’t able to add any drama to a tight game in overtime, fumbling on a sack on the first play to end the ASUN battle.

Jacksonville State scored in five plays, going first in overtime, getting an 11-yard pass on second and 9.

It was a painful loss for Kennesaw State, which led 21-10 at halftime on two Jonathan Murphy runs, a score from Washington County grad Preston Daniels, and a field goal.

Jacksonville State took the lead on a 42-yard TD catch from Houston County alum Keishoen Jarrett with 1:03 left in the third quarter. The Owls tied it on Murphy’s 2-yard run with 3:14 left in regulation.

Kennesaw State almost pulled off a miracle, taking over after a defensive stand at its 1 with 1:51 left. Murphy went 57 yards on the first play, but the Owls stalled.

Nathan Robertson’s 45-yard field goal with 19 seconds left was off, forcing overtime.

Snow 41, GMC 18

GMC got into an early hole and couldn’t get out in a battle of ranked teams, Snow’s defense stuffing the Bulldogs’ run game.

Snow took its first possession the distance, boosted by a 49-yard kickoff return. The Badgers’ 21-yard TD pass was followed by a failed PAT kick.

The 4-1 hosts kept on rolling with a 6-yard rushing touchdown more than four minutes later, and then added a pick-6 of 77 yards for a 19-0 lead with 5:24 left in the first quarter.

GMC (4-1) broke the shutout with a 32-yard field goal by Daniel Gibbs (Veterans) late in the quarter.

GMC reached the Snow 5 and went backwards, losing 25 and fumbling, but an unsportsmanlike flag against Snow kept the ball with GMC for one play, an interception ending the possession.

Snow kept it going with two second-quarter touchdowns – both from 5 yards out – for a 33-3 halftime lead, GMC missing a 52-yard field goal.

Taylor Gant returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards for a GMC touchdown. The Bulldogs had a first and goal late in the third, only to lose yardage and fail on fourth down.The Bulldogs gave two points back on a safety midway through the fourth quarter, but got a TD pass from Colin Hogan to Ivan Arroyo and the conversion to pull within 35-18 at the 6:57 mark.

But they got no closer, and Snow sealed it with a 9-yard TD pass with 63 seconds left.

GMC matched Snow with 18 first downs, but was held to no positive yardage on 35 rushes while giving up 182 yards on the ground.

Coastal Carolina 34, Georgia Southern 30

Wild one goes go Coastal

Georgia 26, Missouri 22

Bulldogs have to rally – and really rally – to survive

‘When you have to have it’

What we learned

Flaws exposed a second straight week

Kirby talks on how Show Me was almost Woe Me

Takeaways

Carter goes in, and is hurt quickly