ATLANTA, Ga. – Georgia State quarterback Darren Grainger ran for 142 yards and a score and threw for 144 and a touchdown to lead the Panthers to a 35-14 win over the visiting UConn Huskies Saturday night at Center Pac Stadium in front of 15,186 fans.
The Huskies drop to 0-2 to start the season and will head home for three-straight at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Georgia State improves to 2-0 on the year with the win.
The Panthers ran for 250 yards on the night led by Grainger and running back Marcus Carroll who had 107 rushing with three touchdowns.
After trading punts on the game's first two possessions, the Panthers struck for the game's first points as Grainger took the snap in shotgun and burst right through the middle of the Husky defense, going 65 yards untouched for a 7-0 lead at 8:40.
UConn's first chance at points came McFadden missed 48-yard field goal, wide left, with five seconds left in the first after the Huskies got a GSU turnover on the Panther's 47-yard line.
Georgia State got on the board twice in the second quarter, their first being set up by a muffed punt return on the UConn 46-yard line. Grainger need six plays to put his team up 14-0, hitting Robert Lewis at the right front pylon for a nine-yard score at 5:22. The Panthers closed out the half with a nine-play drive that covered 63 yards with Marcus Carroll scoring from two-yards out for a 21-0 lead into the locker room.
UConn starting quarterback Joe Fagnano (Williamsport, Pa.) was forced out of the game late in the second quarter with an injury and the Huskies would go to r-junior back-up Ta'Quan Roberson (Orange, NJ) the rest of the way. The Huskies struggled on offense in the first half and were outgained 247 to 88 in total yards. UConn ran it 22 times in the first 30 minutes but managed just 25 yards.
Out of the half, the Panthers forced a UConn punt on the opening possession, then Grainger engineered a 15-play drive that covered 92 yards and was capped by Carroll who scored his second of the night on a three-yard plunge to make it 28-0.
The Huskies put an end to their scoring drought with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter as Roberson hit Kevens Clercius (Montreal, Quebec) in the back of the endzone from 11-yards out for his first TD pass at UConn.
Carroll scored his third on the night with 6:26 to play, bursting through the middle for a 39-yard score, pushing him over the 100-yard mark for the night.
Roberson led a second UConn scoring drive, covering 80-yards in eight plays capped by a diving catch in the endzone by Brett Buckman (Park Ridge, NJ) for a 32-yard scored, cutting it to 35-14 with 3:57 left.
UConn finished with just 50 yards on the ground on 31 rushes on the night. Roberson finished 19-of-30 for 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns with an interception in the loss. Buckman caught nine balls for 93 yards and his first TD as a Husky.
Defensively, Noah Plack (Bridgeville, PA) posted 13 tackles, two for a loss. Linebacker Jackson Mitchell (Ridgefield, CT) made seven stops and had a half a sack.
Up Next: The Huskies are back home for three-straight starting next Saturday, September 16 when they host the FIU Panthers at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm on CBS Sports Network.
