Manning leads the way as Panthers beat Texas State

Sep 17, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Georgia State Panthers quarterback Conner Manning (7) during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Georgia State Panthers quarterback Conner Manning (7) during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Georgia State Panthers won their first game of the season this past weekend in impressive fashion against Texas State.

What a game! The Georgia State Panthers grabbed their first win of the season of Sun Belt conference foe Texas State Saturday, 41-21. Panthers quarterback Conner Manning had a day, throwing for a career-high 340 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers rolled to a victory.

For the first time all year, Georgia State played a complete, balanced football game and the results showed. When this team plays complete and balanced, they are very good and are capable of putting up a lot of points.

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Texas State jumped out to a early 14-0 lead, and the concerns started to creep back it in again for the Panther faithful. Georgia State ran off 34 unanswered points behind the arm of Conner Manning. Manning had a great day and the run game finally showed up as Kyler Neal contributed with 89 yards and a score. Robert Davis also had huge day with 9 receptions for 149 total yards and touchdown. Georgia stated showed what they could do when they played a complete game on the offensive side of the ball. They exploded this week for 536 total yards. The Panthers still need to take care of the football better, but they really found an identity on that side of the ball Saturday.

The defense played really well too. They once again had the bend don’t break mentality. As they gave up 420 total yards, but only conceded 21 points. They forced three turnovers and really did a good job of getting off the field. This allowed for their offense to work. Junior DE Mackendy Cheridor had a banner day. Cheridor led the way with 7 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble. The defense really played a great game and it was fun to watch these guys fly around the field.

Georgia State finally played a complete game it was great to see the result. These guys have worked hard all year and it was awesome to see that pay off. It will be interesting to see going forward how they will respond after this win.

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The Georgia State Panthers will travel down to Troy, AL to take on the Trojans next Saturday. The Trojans are having a good year with a 4-1 overall record and 2-0 in the conference. Kickoff is set for 3:30 EST and can be seen on ESPN3.