San Jose State vs. Georgia State: Cure Bowl Recap, Score, What’s Next
San Jose State vs. Georgia State Cure Bowl recap, score and what's next for the Spartans and Panthers.
San Jose State vs. Georgia State AutoNation Cure Bowl recap, score and what’s next for the Spartans and Panthers.
AutoNation Cure Bowl Recap
Score: San Jose State 27, Georgia State 16
Prediction: San Jose State 31, Georgia State 27, Line: San Jose State -3, o/u: 56
And You Care Because … Who cares about being 5-7 now? San Jose State Kenny Potter ran for a 42-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to give the Spartans the lead, and then he put it away with a one-yard touchdown pass to J Oliver in the final minutes. A Tyler Ervin 85-yard punt return for a score gave SJSU a 10-0 early lead, but Georgia State fought back with a 38-yard Donte Harden touchdown catch for Nick Arbuckle’s first touchdown pass. The second came on a 19-yard throw to T Boyd for a 16-13 lead in the fourth, but he missed on a late throw and couldn’t get the Panther offense back on the board.
What Else?
– San Jose State RB Tyler Ervin ran 30 times for 132 yards and returned three punts for 98 yards and a score.
– Georgia State QB Nick Arbuckle completed 14-of-29 passes for 208 yards and two scores with a pick.
– San Jose State QB Kenny Potter completed 10-of-19 passes for 89 yards and a score with a pick, and ran 15 times for 69 yards and a touchdown
– The Georgia State defense did a strong job in the red zone, and survived a Hail Mary at the end of the first half wiped out by a penalty.
– Time of Possession: San Jose State 38:19 – Georgia State 21:41
– Rushing Yards: San Jose State 197 – Georgia State 23
– San Jose State P Michael Carrizosa averaged 46.2 yards per punt putting three of his five inside the 20. Georgia State’s Wil Lutz averaged 47.5 yards per try with three of his eight put inside the 20.
Game Rating: B. It was an entertaining battle with San Jose State finding a way to get the job done against a Georgia State team that kept pressing. Both teams fought hard and played like they wanted to win. This game mattered to both sides, and they played like it.
What’s next for San Jose State?
Do-it-all RB Tyler Ervin is done after a phenomenal year, but QB Kenny Potter is looking more and more like a keeper. He’s back along with top target Billy Freeman at tight end along with Tyler Winston and Tim Crawley – the passing game could be phenomenal. Thomas Tucker is the best option for the ground game, but he’ll have to battle for the gig working behind a loaded O line with four starters – all about to be juniors – back on the O line. Losing top tackle Wes Schweitzer is a concern, though.
The top three tacklers are back including rising star FS Maurice McKnight and excellent outside linebacker Christian Tago. The front four should be stronger with three starters back led by end Isaiah Irving on the outside and Keenan Sykes in the interior. The linebacking corps will be the strength with all three starters back, but Tago is the main man. PK Austin Lopez is done after an interesting career, but P Bryce Carrizosa is back after an outstanding year averaging 47.7 yards per boot. Tim Crawley has to replace Ervin as the dangerous return man.
What’s next for Georgia State?
The first step is to find a replacement for one of the greatest passers in the short history of the Sun Belt. Nick Arbuckle is gone with Emiere Scaife getting the first look at the gig. Even with Donovan Harden gone, the new starting QB has a fantastic receiving corps to work with starting with super-soph-to-be Penny Hart coming off a massive first year. Robert Davis, Todd Boyd, and TE Keith Rucker are all playmakers. The running game was an afterthought, but the top four producers return led by Glenn Smith working behind a veteran line that gets four starters back.
Heart-and-soul LB Joseph Peterson has meant everything to the rise of the program. He’s done, along with second-leading tackler Tarris Batiste at strong safety, but everyone else returns. All three starters are back to man the 3-4, while Michael Shaw and Kaleb Ringer have to do more at linebacker with Peterson gone. The secondary is strong at corner with Jerome Smith and Chandon Sullivan two good starters back, while Bobby Baker will be one of the team’s playmakers at one of the safety spots. All-around kicker Will Lutz is done – he’ll be missed mostly for his punting.
