2014 GEORGIA STATE FOOTBALL Game 2 GEORGIA STATE (1-0) vs. NEW MEXICO STATE (1-0) Saturday, Sept. 6 • 2 p.m. ET • ESPN3 Georgia Dome • Atlanta, Ga. GAME COVERAGE: Television coverage is on ESPN3. Announcers FACTS NEW MEXICO STATE GEORGIA STATE are Charlie Neal and Wayne Gandy. Every Georgia State game this season Nickname Aggies Panthers will be televised, including every Sun Belt Conference game on one of the Location Las Cruces, N.M. Atlanta, Ga. ESPN platforms. Radio coverage is available on the Grady Health System Georgia State Enrollment 16,428 32,000 Radio Network, including Atlanta flagship 1340 The Fan 3. Dave Cohen Affiliation FBS FBS is in his 32nd season as the play-by-play voice of Georgia State athletics, Conference Sun Belt Sun Belt while Harper LeBel and Brandon Leak join him from the booth, and Sam Head Coach Doug Martin Trent Miles Crenshaw adds sideline coverage. Alma Mater Kentucky, 1985 Indiana State, 1987 Record at School 3-10 (2nd year) 1-12 (2nd year) SUN BELT OPENER: After opening the season with a dramatic victory over Abilene Christian, Georgia State turns its attention to Sun Belt Career Record 32-63 (8th year) 21-48 (7th year) Conference play as the Panthers host New Mexico State Saturday at 2 p.m. Series Record First meeting at the Georgia Dome. Christian. The junior college transfer from Pierce (Calif.) College completed Last week, Georgia State (1-0) defeated Abilene Christian 38-37 in the 31 of 47 passes for 413 yards and four touchdowns and rallied the Panthers first FBS game in the nation. Now the Panthers play in the first Sun Belt from a nine-point deficit in the final five minutes. After hitting Joel Ruiz game of 2014 against the Aggies (1-0), a 28-10 winner over Cal Poly. with a 12-yard TD pass with 4:31 left. Arbuckle drove the Panthers 72 yards Quarterback Nick Arbuckle rallied the Panthers from a nine-point on 13 plays in the final 2:41, setting up Wil Lutz’s winning field goal with 4 deficit in the final five minutes. He hit tight end Joel Ruiz for a 12-yard seconds left. touchdown pass to pull the Panthers within two points with 4:31 to play. More on Arbuckle’s debut: He then drove the Panthers 72 yards on 13 plays in the final 2:41, setting up • Tied the school record with four touchdown passes, joining Ronnie Wil Lutz’s winning field goal with 4 seconds left. Bell, Kelton Hill and Drew Little (twice); The Panthers rushed for 153 yards and passed for 413 for a school- record 566 yards of total offense. • Passed for 413 yards, one shy of the school record of 414 yards by Drew Arbuckle’s top targets include Ruiz, who caught seven passes for 111 Little vs. Old Dominion in 2010. yards and two touchdowns, and wide receivers Robert Davis (8 receptions • Set the Georgia State record with 438 yards of total offense; for 90 yards) and LynQuez Blair (eight receptions for 118 yards, 1 TD). True • Converted two fourth downs on the game-winning drive, connecting freshman Krysten Hammon rushed for a game-high 74 yards on 13 carries. with Joel Ruiz for 12 yards on 4th-and-5 from the GSU 24 and with Linebackers Joseph Peterson and Jarrell Robinson lead the Georgia LynQuez Blair for 24 yards on 4th-and-19 from the GSU 27. State defense. Peterson collected 11 tackles against ACU and a • Covered the final 30 yards of the game-winning drive with his legs, momentum-changing interception in the fourth quarter, while Robinson rushing 13 yards to the ACU 26 and then 17 yards down to the ACU had four tackles for loss, including two sacks. He leads the nation in tackles 9-yard line. for loss. Senior punter Matt Hubbard is an all-star candidate with a career NATIONAL AWARD FOR RUIZ: Senior Junior tight end Joel Ruiz average of 42.2 yards per kick. was named John Mackey Tight End of the Week by the John Mackey Award. For New Mexico State, quarterback Tyler Rogers passed for 118 yards The junior from Kingsland, Ga., had a career-best game with seven recep- and two touchdowns and freshman Larry Rose III rushed for 149 yards and tions for 111 yards and two touchdowns as Georgia State beat Abilene a score. Christian 38-37. The two teams are meeting for the first time in football. NMSU head Playing his first game for Georgia State after transferring from Pres- coach Doug Martin worked on the same East Carolina staff as GSU byterian, Ruiz scored the Panthers’ first touchdown of 2014 on a 34-yard offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski from 1992-96. reception from quarterback Nick Arbuckle. Then he set up Georgia State’s next touchdown with a 19-yard catch down to the 2-yard line. In the fourth WHAT A DEBUT FOR ARBUCKLE: Quarterback Nick Arbuckle quarter, he caught a 9-yard touchdown to pull the Panthers within two made an impressive debut in his first game in a Georgia State uniform, points with 4:31 to play, and then on the game-winning drive, he hauled in leading the Panthers to a 38-37, come-from-behind win over Abilene 2014 SCHEDULE & RESULTS (All times Eastern) Date Opponent Time TV Site Series Result Aug. 27 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 7 p.m. ESPNU GEORGIA DOME 1-0 hW 38-37 Sept. 6 NEW MEXICO STATE 2 p.m. ESPN3 GEORGIA DOME 0-0 Sept. 13 AIR FORCE 2 p.m. ESPN3 GEORGIA DOME 0-0 Sept. 20 at Washington (25/25) TBA TBA Seattle, Wash. 0-0 Oct. 4 at UL Lafayette 7 p.m. TBA Lafayette, La. 0-1 Oct. 11 ARKANSAS STATE (Homecoming) 2 p.m. TBA GEORGIA DOME 0-1 Oct. 18 at South Alabama TBA TBA Mobile, Ala. 0-1 Oct. 25 GEORGIA SOUTHERN TBA TBA GEORGIA DOME 0-0 Nov. 1 at Appalachian State TBA TBA Boone, N.C. 0-0 Nov. 8 at Troy 3 p.m. TBA Troy, Ala. 0-1 Nov. 22 at Clemson (16/16) TBA TBA Clemson, S.C. 0-0 Nov. 29 TEXAS STATE 2 p.m. TBA GEORGIA DOME 0-1 2014 GEORGIA STATE FOOTBALL NOTES, PAGE 2 GAME 2: GSU VS. NEW MEXICO STATE GENERAL INFORMATION a 12-yard completion on 4th-and-9 from the GSU FRESHMEN MAKE IMPACT: Seven true Full Name Georgia State University 24. freshmen saw action in Georgia State’s season Ruiz’s blocking helped Georgia State rush for opener, including two in the starting lineup. Location Atlanta, GA 153 yards and compile a school-record 566 yards Running back Krysten Hammon and guard Alex Founded 1913 of total offense. Stoehr started for the GSU offense. Cornerbacks Enrollment 32,000 Antreal Allen, B.J. Clay and Chandon Sullivan and Nickname Panthers HERE’S TO YOU, MR. ROBINSON: Senior wide receivers Glenn Smith and Todd Boyd also Colors Blue & White linebacker Jarrell Robinson enjoyed the best played. game of his career in the Panthers’ season- Georgia State played 15 true freshmen in Affiliation NCAA Division I FBS opening victory over Abilene Christian. After 2013, including 13 who started at least one Conference Sun Belt Conference moving from inside linebacker to the outside, game. President Mark P. Becker Robinson collected four tackles for loss against Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb ACU, including two sacks, and a pass breakup. FIRST-TIME STARTERS: Ten Panthers Robinson tied the school for tackles for loss made their first start in Georgia State’s season- and leads the nation in that category after one opener, including seven players on offense. COACHING STAFF game. He now has 16 career tackles for loss, just Nick Arbuckle was the Panthers’ fifth different Head Coach Trent Miles 0.5 behind Jake Muasau’s Georgia State record opening-day starting quarterback in five Assistant Head Coach/ Harold Etheridge (16.5). seasons. Offensive Line The situation was reversed on defense, Offensive Coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski FIRST GAME-WINNER FOR LUTZ: where eight of the 11 starters had previously Place-kicker Wil Lutz booted a 26-yard field goal started at least one game. The three first-time Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter with just 4 second left to lift Georgia State to the starters were all in the secondary in cornerbacks Wide Receivers Tim Lappano 38-37 victory over Abilene Christian. That was Bruce Dukes and Marcus Caffey and safety Nate Running Backs Brock Lough the first game-winning field goal for the junior Simon. Quarterbacks Luke Huard from Newnan, Ga., who has hit 13-of-20 career Placekicker Wil Lutz and punter Matt field goals and 48-of-49 extra points. Defensive Line Shannon Jackson Hubbard are returning starters, but long-snapper Lutz’s kick is the third last-second, game- Daniel Zeigler is a first-time starter. Linebackers/Recruiting Coord. P.J. Volker winning field in GSU history. Both others came Secondary/Special Teams J.D. Williams in the inaugural season of 2010 by FCS All-Amer- JOE PETE: Georgia State’s top returnee on Graduate Assistants Ronnie Fouch (off.), ican Iain Vance. Vance kicked a 30-yard field with defense is junior linebacker Joseph Peterson, aka Koby Kraemer (rec.) Tom Moak (off.), one second left for a 24-21 victory at Campbell Joe Pete. Liam Smith (def.), Jay Volker (def.) and then hit a 33-yard field goal in overtime for a The 6-0, 225-pounder has led the Panthers Strength & Conditioning Ben Pollard 20-17 win over North Carolina Central.