Georgia State Football: 3 takeaways from dominant Lending Tree Bowl win
By Dante Pryor
Behind a dominant rushing attack and stingy defense, the Georgia State Panthers roll over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 39-21 in the Lending Tree Bowl.
The Georgia State football team usually has a more balanced attack. Today the Panthers took advantage of a poor Western Kentucky rush defense and dominated the line of scrimmage, running for nearly 240 yards in their victory over the Hilltoppers. Led by running back Destin Coates, 117 rushing yards, the Panthers gradually pulled away from the Panthers.
This was a close game early. Tied 7-7 after the first quarter, the Panthers systematically pulled away the next three quarters, scoring 20 unanswered points. Not to be outdone by the running game, quarterback Cornelius Brown IV threw 232 yards and three touchdowns. The defense was the story for the Panthers, limiting the Hilltoppers to under 300 total yards with three turnovers.
Western Kentucky quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome struggled most of the game. The graduate transfer from Maryland spent most of the game under pressure from a relentless Georgia State pass rush. The Hilltoppers did not get the run game going after getting behind in the game. Defensively, Western could not stop the Panthers’ offense.
Here are three more takeaways from today’s game.
3. The Defense was the story:
The Hilltoppers, not known as an offensive juggernaut, were stifled by the Panthers’ defense today. Quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome was under pressure most of the game and picked off twice by the Georgia State defense. In addition to throwing two interceptions, Pigrome was sacked four times by the Panthers’ defensive line.
Both defenses seemed not to bend in the first quarter. Georgia State football made some key adjustments offensively and began to get whatever they wanted against Western Kentucky’s defense. On the other hand, the Hilltoppers had no counterpunch for the Panthers’ offense. Georgia State had success both running and throwing against the Hilltoppers’ defense.