Arkansas State 27 – Georgia Southern 26
Wednesday’s matchup between the Red Wolves and Eagles was decided by the left cleat of Red Wolves receiver Omar Bayless.
Arkansas State trailed 26-20. Bayless beat his defender to the outside on a fade route, with 14 seconds on the clock, and hauled in a tight spiral from sophomore quarterback Justice Hansen in the corner of the end zone. Officials reviewed the play, but multiple replays confirmed Bayless dragged his foot inbounds for the touchdown. The extra point sealed the 27-26 tight win for Arkansas, its first of the season.
The reception was Bayless’ second catch of the season.
Hansen went 16-of-27 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Red Wolves. Sophomore tailback Warren Wand led all rushers with 140 yards on 19 carries.
Freshman quarterback Kevin Ellison provided the bulk of the Georgia Southern offense with 203 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-22 passing. Freshman receiver Myles Campbell had six catches for 98 yards.
Arkansas State hosts South Alabama 5 p.m. Saturday. Georgia Southern travels to Georgia Tech for a 10:30 a.m. kickoff.
Georgia State 41 – Texas State 21
Junior quarterback Conner Manning recorded a career-high 340 passing yards in the Georgia Dome to lead the Panthers to the team’s first win of the season.
Texas State had difficulty containing the Georgia State offense in the second quarter, as the Bobcats surrendered 34 unanswered points to cruise to the conference win.
Manning completed 27-of-40 passes and had two touchdowns to lead the Panther offense, while senior receiver Robert Davis collected 149 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions.
Texas State senior quarterback Tyler Jones tallied 300 yards through the air on 27-of-47 passing. Jones was picked off twice by the Georgia State defense.
Sophomore tailback Stedmen Mayberry provided a silver lining for the Bobcat offense with 87 rushing yards on 26 attempts.
Georgia State travels to take on Troy at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, while Texas State also hits the road for a 5 p.m. matchup with Louisiana-Lafayette.
Standings:
Troy (4-1, 2-0 Sun Belt)
Appalachian State (3-2, 1-0 Sun Belt)
Arkansas State (1-4, 1-0 Sun Belt)
Georgia Southern (3-2, 2-1 Sun Belt)
Idaho (3-3, 1-1 Sun Belt)
New Mexico State (2-3, 1-1 Sun Belt)
Louisiana-Lafayette (2-3, 1-1 Sun Belt)
Georgia State (1-4, 1-1 Sun Belt)
Texas State (2-3, 0-1 Sun Belt)
South Alabama (3-2, 0-2 Sun Belt)
Louisiana-Monroe (1-4, 0-2 Sun Belt)
Bowl Projections:
Appalachian State – New Orleans Bowl
Troy – Dollar General Bowl
Arkansas State – Camellia Bowl
Georgia Southern – Cure Bowl
Idaho – Arizona Bowl