Georgia State Bowl Coverage Presented by Georgia Power

TaxAct Camellia Bowl: GEORGIA STATE (7-5, 6-2 SBC) vs. BALL STATE (6-6, 4-4 MAC)
Saturday, Dec. 25  |  2:30 p.m. ET  |  Cramton Bowl  |  Montgomery, Ala.

TV: ESPN
RADIO: Georgia State Radio Network on WRAS-FM 88.5 & the GSU Athletics App

THE KICKOFF: Georgia State’s third straight bowl game is a matchup with Ball State in the TaxAct Camellia Bowl, Dec. 25 in Montgomery, Ala. The only bowl game on Christmas Day will be nationally televised on ESPN.

> The Panthers have won six of their last seven games, with the only loss in that stretch a 21-17 defeat at No. 24 Louisiana in which GSU led until the final three minutes. Three of those wins have been on the road.

“One of the things I really love about this football team is that from our first game to our last game, we got better each and every week,” head coach Shawn Elliott said. “We really stayed the course and improved, offensively, defensively and in our special teams. Each week we took a step forward, and here we are, trying to finish it the right way.”

> Georgia State is the ONLY FBS team in the nation to play four road games against ranked opponents this season.

> Georgia State’s six Sun Belt wins are the program record, and the Panthers’ seven overall victories are tied for the school record.

> The Panthers rank No. 8 in FBS in rushing, averaging 224.5 ypg, the second highest figure in program history.  

> The running back tandem of Tucker Gregg (899 yds, 9 TD) and Jamyest Williams (810 yds, 9 TD) has the topped the 1,000-yard mark for the season, combing for 1,709 yards and 18 TDs. Darren Grainger leads all Sun Belt quarterbacks with 501 yards rushing.

> The GSU defense held five opponents (Charlotte, Auburn, Texas State, Arkansas State, Troy) to one offensive touchdown and set a school-record with 84 tackles for loss.

> Ball State is 6-6 overall, 4-4 in the MAC. Georgia State is 1-1 against the Cardinals, including a 31-19 victory at Ball State in 2015. Ball State won 31-21 in 2016 in Atlanta.

BOWLING ‘EM OVER: Georgia State is playing in a third straight bowl game for the first time in program history.

> The Panthers have earned bowl berths four times in five seasons under head coach Shawn Elliott.

> Playing just its 12th season of football, Georgia State is going bowling for the fifth time in the last seven years.

> Georgia State earned its first bowl victory in the 2017 AutoNation Cure Bowl and is 2-2 in bowl games.

ON GUARD: Super senior left guard Shamarious Gilmore is a FIVE-TIME All-Sun Belt Conference selection, including first-team honors the last two years.

> Gilmore, the Panthers’ career-leader in games played and starts, played in his 59th straight game against Troy, including 58 starts. 

> He had his streak of 51 consecutive starts snapped against Appalachian State due to an injury.

> Gilmore and Coastal Carolina offensive lineman Trey Carter are the first two five-time all-conference players in Sun Belt history.

ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE:
Shamarious Gilmore, LG (1st)
Antavious Lane, S (1st)
Roger Carter, TE (2nd)
Malik Sumter, C (2nd)
Pat Bartlett, G (3rd)
Tucker Gregg, RB (3rd)
Dontae Wilson, NG (3rd)
Blake Carroll, ILB (3rd)
Quavian White, CB (3rd)
Thomas Gore, DL (HM)
Aubry Payne, TE (HM)
Jordan Veneziale, ILB (HM)
Jamyest Williams, RB (HM)

DOMINATING DEFENSIVE EFFORTS: Georgia State finished the regular season with two strong defensive efforts in wins over Arkansas State and Troy, with each team scoring only one offensive touchdown.

> The Panthers held Arkansas State to just 270 total yards, the sixth-lowest figure in program history and the fourth game in the last two seasons in which GSU has held a team under 300 yards.

> Georgia State allowed a total of just 54 yards rushing in the two games.

> GSU set a school record by holding the Red Wolves to minus-3 yards rushing. The previous record was minus-2 yards by WKU in the 2017 Cure Bowl.

> The Panthers forced six turnovers and collected 11 sacks and 23 tackles for loss in the two games, including a school-record 15 TFL vs. Arkansas State. 

TUCKER THE TRUCKER: Senior running back Tucker Gregg, known for his hard-nosed style, has trucked his way to 1,506 career rushing yards to rank No. 3 in GSU history. 

> The former walk-on and Burlsworth Trophy nominee is third in the Sun Belt with 899 yards this season and fourth with nine rushing touchdowns. His 899 yards represent the No. 2 season total in GSU history.

> Gregg has seven fourth-down conversion runs on the season.

> He tied the GSU record with three rushing touchdowns, along with 67 yards, in the win at No. 22/21 Coastal Carolina.

> Gregg rushed for 99 yards at No. 24 Louisiana, including a 1-yard touchdown that gave GSU a 17-14 lead with five minutes left. He gained 48 yards on that drive alone. 

> He rushed for 87 yards and two TDs in the Panthers’ 21-14 win over Georgia Southern, and 98 yards and one score in win over Arkansas State.

> Gregg rushed for a career-high 150 yards on 12 carries at No. 23 Auburn. He had a career-long 57-yard run to set up a score in the first quarter, and then a 50-yard TD run to put GSU ahead 24-10 late in the second quarter. He is the first Panther to have two runs of 50 or more yards in the same game.

JAM-MING: Jamyest Williams is the Panthers’ second-leading rusher with 810 yards and nine touchdowns.

> Williams is No. 1 in the Sun Belt and No. 4 in FBS with 6.75 yards per carry.

> Over the last five games, Williams is averaging 98.8 yards per game and 7.2 yards per carry with five touchdowns. He finished the regular season with back-to-back 100-yard games.

> The former cornerback has rushed for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns in 20 games since moving to offense midway through the 2020 season.

PICK ‘EM: With interceptions in each of the last two games, sophomore safety Antavious Lane has become Georgia State’s career leader with eight picks.  He broke the mark originally set by current Green Bay Packer CB Chandon Sullivan. 

> Lane, a first-team All-Sun Belt selection, also shares the GSU season record with four interceptions in each of his two seasons.

> Teammate Quavian White briefly shared the GSU career record when he got his No. 7 in the Panthers’ win at No. 22/21 Coastal Carolina. He returned his interception 36 yards to the 1-yard line to set up a touchdown that gave the Panthers their first lead in the game. He also had two pass breakups in the win.

> White is also GSU’s career leader with 32 passes defended (interceptions plus pass breakups and 120 interception return yards.

ROGER THAT: Super senior tight end Roger Carter is Georgia State’s career leader in receptions (96), receiving yards (1,224) and touchdown receptions (12) by a tight end.

> Among all players, the three-time All-Sun Belt tight end is eighth in receiving yards, ninth in receptions and tied for fourth in touchdown receptions.

> Carter and fellow tight end Aubry Payne, a two-time All-Sun Belt selection with 11 touchdowns, have combined for 22 career touchdowns.

 COURTESY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS