GEORGIA STATE vs. ULM

Georgia State hosts its second straight home game as Sun Belt Conference foe ULM visits Center Parc Stadium.

The Panthers’ (2-3, 1-3 Sun Belt) redshirt freshman quarterback Cornelious Brown IV is averaging 189.4 yards passing and 37.8 yards rushing per game. He has accounted for 13 touchdowns, including nine through the air and four on the ground.

Junior running back Destin Coates is the Sun Belt’s leading rusher, averaging 108.5 yards per game (No. 13 in FBS). He has topped the 100-yard mark in three straight games. As a team, the Panthers are No. 20 in FBS in rushing (205.0 ypg).

Coates, who reached the 1,000-yard mark for his career vs. Troy, now ranks sixth in GSU history with 1,117 rushing yards and tied for fourth with 11 rushing touchdowns.

The Panthers’ top receiver is Sam Pinckney with 24 catches for 369 yards and five touchdowns. Over a two-game span vs. East Carolina and Arkansas State, Pinckney totaled 13 receptions, 280 yards and five TD.

Outside linebacker Jordan Strachan leads the Sun Belt with five sacks, which has already tied the GSU season sack record. He is also third in the conference with 6.5 tackles for loss.

Strachan was the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week after collecting three tackles for loss, including 2.5 sacks, and recovering two fumbles, one of which he also caused, in the win over Troy. In the third quarter, he sacked and stripped the quarterback and recovered at the Troy 8-yard line, setting up a touchdown for a 33-21 lead. Strachan’s first fumble recovery came in the second quarter as he scooped up a loose ball and returned it 63 yards to the Troy 20 for the fourth-longest fumble return in GSU history.

Strachan is one of two Panthers to earn the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honor, along with redshirt freshman safety Antavious Lane following the East Carolina win. Lane leads the GSU defense with 35 tackles and two interceptions.

Quarterback Cornelious Brown IV and safety Antavious Lane, both redshirt freshmen, were named to the FWAA Freshman All-American Watch List. Junior center Malik Sumter has been tabbed to the Rimington Award Watch List.

Placekicker Noel Ruiz, the grad transfer (North Carolina A&T), ranks fifth among all active FBS kickers with 286 points. He is third with 160 PAT and T-13th with 42 career field goals.

ULM (0-7, 0-4 Sun Belt) leads the series 3-2 after a 45-31 win last year at Monroe, La. The Panthers rushed for a school-record 414 yards, but starting QB Dan Ellington suffered a knee injury on the final play of the first half and could not finish the game.

Georgia State won the only previous meeting with ULM at Centre Parc Stadium, 46-14 in 2018.