The matchup between Sun Belt foes Coastal Carolina and Georgia State usually delivers on entertainment. It also shows the rewards of being the guest at your conference mate's house. The visiting team has won every single matchup where both of these teams were FBS members.
That happened again on Thursday when the Panthers won the matchup 30-17. It was also the first game for GSU Defensive Coordinator Chad Staggs since leaving Coastal in the offseason.
These were the biggest takeaways from the first FBS game of the weekend.
Welcome Home, Darren Grainger
It's not often that a player gets to return to where they grew up as a member of the visiting team. That was the case for Conway native and Georgia State quarterback Darren Grainger on Thursday.
Grainger finished the game 15 of 26 for 191 yards and a touchdown through the air, plus 47 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
What Happened, Coastal?
It wasn't a great night for the Chanticleers on multiple fronts. In a loss that was a ten-point game until about three minutes remaining, it boiled down to a few key stats.
The Chants were 6-13 on third down. They really couldn't find any sort of offensive groove until about halfway through the fourth quarter. By then, you could argue it was already too late.
Coastal also ended two drives with missed field goals. The second was at the end of a nine-play, 53-yard drive that would have cut the lead to one score. That 34-yard miss left the Chants visibly discouraged. This gave Georgia State just enough room to pull away, despite having a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown.
Talk To Your Kids About Panther Football
With the Panthers now 4-0 to start the year, they have matched their win total from last year. It's their best ever start to a season as a program, A return to postseason football is well within reach. More than that, Georgia State's potential as a Sun Belt Conference contender is starting to come into focus. The Panthers do still have some of their toughest league matchups still to play, but it's not unreasonable to think they're in the conversation for the East Division crown until they prove otherwise.
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