2020 GEORGIA STATE FOOTBALL @GeorgiaStateFB | @CoachSElliott | @GSUPanthers | @CenterParcATL 22nd Annual LendingTree Bowl GEORGIA STATE (5-4, 4-4 SBC) vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY (5-6, 4-3 CUSA) Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020 | 3:30 p.m. ET | ESPN Ladd-Peebles Stadium | Mobile, Ala. THE KICKOFF: Earning its fourth bowl ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE game in the last six years, Georgia State faces Western Kentucky in the 22nd annual Shamarious Gilmore, LG (1st) GAME 10 LendingTree Bowl, Dec. 26 in Mobile, Ala. Noel Ruiz, PK (1st) GEORGIA STATE PANTHERS vs. Sam Pinckney, WR (2nd) > The Panthers are playing in a bowl game Hardrick Willis, DE (2nd) WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS for the third time in four seasons under head coach Shawn Elliott. Antavious Lane, S (2nd) TV: ESPN. Announcers are Mike Couzens, Quavian White, CB (2nd) Jay Walker and Dawn Davenport. > Georgia State is seeking its second Destin Coates, RB (3rd) RADIO: Georgia State Radio Network bowl victory against the same opponent Roger Carter, TE (3rd) the Panthers defeated for their first bowl coverage will air on WRAS 88.5 FM. Dave Dontae Wilson, NG (3rd) Cohen is in his 38th season as the play-by- win. GSU downed WKU 27-17 in the 2017 AutoNation Cure Bowl in Elliott’s first season. Jordan Strachan, OLB (3rd) play voice of Panther athletics. He is joined Blake Carroll, ILB (HM) by Harper LeBel and Sam Crenshaw. > The Panthers won three of their last four games with wins over ULM, South Alabama Cornelius McCoy, WR (HM) 2020 RECORDS: and Georgia Southern sandwiched around a Trajan Stephens-McQueen, ILB (HM) Georgia State: 5-4, 4-4 Sun Belt (3rd-East) three-point loss at Appalachian State. Malik Sumer, C (HM) WKU: 5-6, 4-3 C-USA > Two of GSU’s four losses came to nationally- SERIES: Tied 1-1 ranked opponents, and the Panthers suffered GSU vs. WKU: These two schools are three losses by a total of 14 points, each meeting in a bowl game for the second time LAST MEETING: GSU 27, WKU 17, 2017 in four years, following Georgia State’s 27-17 AutoNation Cure Bowl coming down to the final possession. win in the 2017 AutoNation Cure Bowl in GSU HEAD COACH SHAWN ELLIOTT > The Panthers average 32.7 points, currently Orlando, Fla. (See page 6 for full recap). the highest figure in school history, and have Alma Mater: Appalachian State, 1996 scored 52 points, the program high against > Senior QB Conner Manning completed 20 Record at GSU: 21-25 (4th year) an FBS opponent, twice this season and four of 28 passes for 276 yards and one touch- Career Record: 22-30 (5th year) times in the last two years. down while directing a GSU offense that WKU HEAD COACH TYSON HELTON also rushed for 143 yards. The Georgia State > Over the last three games, the GSU defense defense limited WKU’s high-powered offense Record at WKU: 14-10 (2nd year) allowed an average of 18.3 points and 334.7 Career Record: 14-10 (2nd year) to 349 total yards. Aided by six sacks, the yards in wins over South Alabama (14 points, Panthers set a school record by holding WKU 324 yards) and Georgia Southern (24 points, to a net of minus-two yards rushing. 2020 SCHEDULE AND RESULTS 370 yards) and a three-point loss at App State S. 3 MURRAY STATE ........................... CANCELED (17 points, 310 yards). > TE Roger Carter, then a freshman, made perhaps the play of the game as he caught a S. 12 at Alabama .................................... CANCELED > Georgia State leads the Sun Belt and ranks 19/21 42-yard touchdown pass from Manning on a S. 19 LOUISIANA ....... (ESPN2) (ot) hL 31-34 No. 7 in FBS with 32 sacks, shattering the GSU reverse flea flicker to give GSU a 20-10 lead S. 26 at Charlotte ................................... CANCELED season record of 24, set in 2017. with six minutes left in the third quarter. O. 3 EAST CAROLINA .............(ESPNU) hW 49-29 > The Panthers collected 18 sacks over the > Carter is one of four current Panthers who O. 15 at Arkansas State .....(Thu.-ESPN) aL 52-59 last four games, including a school-record started that game, along with LG Shamarious O. 24 at Troy .............................. (ESPNU) aW 36-34 tying seven vs. South Alabama. Gilmore, WR Jonathan Ifedi and OLB Victor 20/21 O. 31 COASTAL CAROLINA (ESPNU) hL 0-51 > Georgia State ranks No. 17 in FBS with 18 Heyward. LB Trajan Stephens-McQueen and N. 7 ULM.....................................(ESPN3) hW 52-34 turnovers caused (10 interceptions, 8 fumble DL Hardrick Willis and Dontae Wilson also N. 14 at Appalachian State ...... (ESPN+) aL 13-17 recoveries), including two touchdowns. played in the game, and 11 other current N. 21 at South Alabama ......... (ESPNU) aW 31-14 players were on the roster but did not play in > GSU placed a school-record 14 individuals the game. N. 28 GEORGIA SOUTHERN .. (ESPN3) hW 30-24 on the All-Sun Belt Conference team, led by D. 26 WESTERN KENTUCKY .....(ESPN) 3:30 p.m. first-team selection Shamarious Gilmore. The > The teams first met in 2013 when WKU LendingTree Bowl, Mobile, Ala. senior left guard is the first GSU player to was a member of the Sun Belt, and the All Times Eastern earn four straight all-conference honors. Hilltoppers won 44-28 at the Georgia Dome. BOWL HISTORY (1-2) GEORGIA STATE BY THE NUMBERS 2015 San Jose State .................................... L 16-27 AutoNation Cure Bowl, Orlando, Fla. 2017 Western Kentucky .............................W 27-17 In just its4 11th season Sacks9.0 by OLB Jordan Passing706 yards by Cornelious AutoNation Cure Bowl, Orlando, Fla. of football (7th in FBS), Strachan, who ranks No. 4 Brown IV in last two games, 2019 Wyoming ...............................................L 17-38 Georgia State is playing in FBS and has set the GSU wins vs. South Alabama & NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl it its fourth bowl game. season record. Georgia Southern. 2020 GEORGIA STATE FOOTBALL NOTES LendingTree Bowl: GEORGIA STATE vs. WKU GENERAL INFORMATION Full Name Georgia State University Location Atlanta, Ga. Founded 1913 Enrollment 53,000 Nickname Panthers Colors Blue & White Affiliation NCAA Division I FBS Conference Sun Belt Conference President Mark P. Becker Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb COACHING STAFF Head Coach Shawn Elliott Offensive Coordinator/QBs Brad Glenn “Pete” Petit Field at Defensive Coordinator/OLBs Nate Fuqua CENTER PARC STADIUM Offensive Line Thomas Austin Safeties/Recruiting Coord. Chris Collins INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES: Offensive Assistant Dan Ellington CENTER PARC CREDIT UNION STADIUM > Redshirt freshman quarterback Cornelious is the home of Georgia State football. The Inside Linebackers Brian Landis Panthers took over this iconic property, Receivers Trent McKnight Brown IV, a native of Birmingham, Ala., is second in the Sun Belt in passing (227.3 ypg) formerly Centennial Olympic Stadium and Defensive Line Travian Robertson and total offense 256.3 ypg) while accounting then Turner Field, for the 2017 season. Cornerbacks Cory Peoples for 21 TDs (14 passing, 7 rushing). The facility was renamed Center Parc Tight Ends/Running Backs Josh Stepp Credit Union Stadium as part of a 15-year, > Brown passed for a total of 706 yards in the $21 million agreement between Center Parc Strength & Conditioning John Sisk season-ending wins over South Alabama and Credit Union, a division of Atlanta Postal Athletic Trainer Bob Murphy Georgia Southern. He threw for a career-best Credit Union (APCU), and Georgia State Equipment Manager Nate Simon 334 yards at South Alabama, then topped Athletics, announced on Aug. 11, 2020. Asst AD-FB Operations Steve Wojcikowski that with 372 yards vs. the Eagles. Center Parc Stadium features 25,000 Director of Player Personnel Ginny Thompson > In both games, Brown led second-half seats for football, a FieldTurf playing surface Dir. of High School Relations Mark LeGree rallies. At South Alabama, he directed four on “Pete” Petit Field and dramatic views of straight scoring drives for 24 straight points the Atlanta skyline. The conversion process Graduate Assts Bryson Allen-Williams, Tyler incorporated the existing seating areas Gilliam, Will Hunter, Jerry Prutos, Dan Sutton and completed his last 10 passes for 207 yards. Against Georgia Southern, he rallied on the north, west and south sides of the stadium with a new grandstand constructed FACILITY INFORMATION the Panthers from a 24-13 deficit with 17 straight fourth-quarter points and scored on the east side, formerly the outfield. Home Field “Pete” Petit (puh-TEET) Field the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run The Panthers are in their fourth season at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium with 2:54 left. In the two fourth quarters in this impressive venue, which also houses Capacity 25,000 combined, Brown was 13-for-14 for 202 yards. the Football Operations Suite, completed Surface FieldTurf in 2019. All of the program’s day-to-day > Junior outside linebacker Jordan Strachan operations are at Center Parc Stadium, First Year as Home to GSU Football 2017 is enjoying one of the top seasons in the Sun Originally Built 1996 including practice, weight room, meetings Belt. He leads the league and is tied for fourth rooms, coaches’ offices, athletic training in FBS with 9.0 sacks, a new GSU season PROGRAM INFORMATION room and equipment room. record. He also has 12.5 tackles for loss, three Center Parc Stadium was originally First Season of Football 2010 forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. constructed as the 85,000-seat Centennial Joined Sun Belt Conference 2013 > Strachan, a third-team All-Sun Belt selec- Olympic Stadium and used for the 1996 Full FBS Eligibility 2014 tion, came to GSU as a walk-on safety and Centennial Olympic Games.