2012 GAME SUMMARIES
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2013 Georgia State Football
SEASON REV I EW
S.C. STATE 33, GEORGIA STATE 6
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Richard Cue was just too much for Georgia
State in the 2012 season opener. The South Carolina
State quarterback threw for 300 yards and three
touchdowns as the Bulldogs defeated the Panthers
33-6 in front of 18,921 at the Georgia Dome.
Georgia State scored on its first possession of
the second half, getting a 25-yard field goal from
Matt Ehasz to get to within 14-6, but the hosts
never got closer.
On the ensuing drive, Cue, who a year ago
threw for just 900 yards in nine games, completed
all three of his pass attempts, including a 13-yard
touchdown toss to Tyler McDonald that put the
Bulldogs up 21-6.
In between two Georgia State drives–one
that ended on a punt and the other when Ehasz’s
36-yard field goal attempt was wide right–Nick
Belcher kicked a pair of field goals from 20 and 27
yards, the last of which capped a 17-play drive and
made it 27-6 with just under six minutes to play.
“Obviously a huge disappointment,” Georgia
State coach Bill Curry said.“We have a good football
team and we’ll continue to work very hard. We
will not concede anything. (South Carolina State)
played well, did a lot of things well, better than we
did. We’ll learn from it, go back to work and we’ll be
a good football team this year..”
A late touchdown pass helped South Carolina
State build a 14-3 halftime lead. With 40 seconds
left in the second quarter, Cue led the visiting
Bulldogs on a two-play drive, culminating in a
22-yard touchdown toss to McDonald. The junior
wide receiver made a great catch, then tight-roped
the sideline and reached the end zone.
Georgia State, kicking off its third season
and final one under coach Bill Curry, had cut the
deficit to 7-3 on a 36-yard field goal by Matt Ehasz.
But the Panthers couldn’t capitalize after Cue was
intercepted for the second time in the half, this
time by Brent McClendon with 5:40 to play in
the second. Ehasz’s 24-yard attempt hit the right
upright to keep it a four-point game.
“We had plenty of chances. We had a good
chance coming out during the second half,” said
Curry. “When we get in the red zone, we have to
score. And we just didn’t do that.”
South Carolina State struck first. On a third-
and-seven deep in their own territory, the Bulldogs
got a 73-yard touchdown connection from Cue to
Lennel Elmore to make it 7-0 just 54 seconds into
the game.
Georgia State had a pair of record-breaking
plays in the opening half. Senior running back
Donald Russell (120 yards on 12 carries) tied
teammate Kelton Hill for the fourth-longest run
from scrimmage in the Panthers’ three-year history
with a 52-yard scamper midway through the first
quarter. That gave the Panthers the ball at the
South Carolina State 32-yard line, but the drive
stalled after three short runs and an incompletion
on fourth-and-two.
Punter Matt Hubbard bested his own school
record with an 80-yard punt that pinned South
Carolina State to its 2-yard line. Hubbard’s previous
best was a 64-yarder against Texas-San Antonio in
October, 2011.
That set up the Panthers’ defense, which came
up with a big stop on third-and-2 to force a punt.
Redshirt freshman Ben McLane, making his first
collegiate start at quarterback, came through with
his first big play, hooking up with Danny Williams
for a 20-yard completion. It allowed Ehasz to boot
his field goal with 6:33 left until halftime.
McLane struggled in his debut but was under
heavy pressure the entire night. He completed just
7 of 15 passes for 54 yards and was sacked five
times.
“We’d told him that this would be faster than
anything he’d seen. But he will adjust in time,”Curry
said of McLane. “I’m not sure he really got a fair
chance to show what he can do”.
Hill relieved McLane on a number of
possessions, and the redshirt-junior was 7 of 13 for
76 yards.
Late in the game, Georgia State was driving
when Parris Lee fumbled, Dominique Mitchell
recovered and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown
and a 33-6 cushion.
SC STATE....................... 7 7 7
12
— 33
GEORGIA STATE........... 0 3 3
0
—
6
SCORING SUMMARY
SCS–Elmore 72 Pass from Cue (Belcher Kick)
SCSU 7-0
14:06-1st, (3-75, 0:54)
GSU–Ehasz 36 FG, 6:33, 2nd (6-21, 2:49)
SCSU 7-3
SCS–McDonald 22 Pass from Cue (Belcher Kick),
SCSU 14-3
0:14-2nd, (2-23, 0:26)
GSU–Ehasz 25 FG, 10:56, 3rd (12-64, 3:59)
SCSU 14-6
SCS–McDonald 13 Pass from Cue (Belcher Kick),
SCSU 21-6
6:32-3rd, (9-73, 4:18)
SCS–Belcher 21 FG, 14:17, 4th (11-76, 5:23)
SCSU 24-6
SCS–Belcher 26 FG, 5:40, 4th (17-70, 7:23)
SCSU 27-6
SCS–Mitchell 68 Fumble Return (Belcher Kick Failed) SCSU 33-6
1:14, 4th
Attendance–18,921
TEAM STATISTICS ......................................SCS
GSU
First Downs (R-P-Pen)....................... 25 (12-12-1)
12 (7-4-1)
Rushing (Att-Yards-TD)........................... 49-188-0
30-99-0
Passing Yards........................................................300
130
Passes (Cmp-Att-Int)..................................19-29-2
14-28-1
TOTAL OFFENSE (Plays-Yds)...................... 78-488
58-229
Punts (No.-Avg-Net)............................5-42.8-33.8
5-62.2-53.2
Fumbles-Lost ........................................................0-0
2-2
Penalties......................................................... 12-101
3-20
Sacks By...............................................................6-47
0-0
3rd Down Conversions ...................................9-17
2-13
4th Down Conversions ......................................0-0
0-1
Time of Possession.........................................35:40
24:20
RUSHING LEADERS
SCS–Pendergrass 11-50; Cue 9-47; Simmons 18-37; Elmore
3-26
GSU–Russell 12-120; Hill 7-9; Lee 2-4; Evans 1-2; McLane
7-(-34)
PASSING LEADERS
SCS–Cue 19-29-2, 300, 3 TD
GSU–McLane 7-15-0, 54; Hill 7-13-1, 76
RECEIVING LEADERS
SCS–Davis 10-110; Elmore 3-117, 1 TD; McDonald 3-52, 2 TD
GSU–Wilson 3-44; DWilliams 3-43; Lee 2-5; Carter 1-17; Minor
1-9; Blair 1-4; Russell 1-4; Hill 1-2; Evans 1-2
TENNESSEE 51, GEORGIA STATE 13
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Playing just its third game ever against a
Football Bowl Subdivision opponent, Georgia
State (0-2) fell 51-13 at Tennessee (2-0) at Neyland
Stadium.
“We fought and scratched every step of the
way,” GSU head coach Bill Curry said. “Are we
playing the error-free football we need to? No. But
PUNTER MATT HUBBARD
enjoyed a record-setting day against South Carolina State as he punted
five times for a 62.2-yard average. His third punt of the night travelled a school-record 80 yards, and
he also had boots of 58, 59, 55 and 59 yards. Hubbard was named National Special Teams Player of
the Week by the Sports Network.
