Panthers out to stay aggressive in bowl

Georgia State, W. Kentucky feature attacking defenses.

The mantra for the Georgia State defense this season has sounded a lot like a political ad: attack, attack, attack.

Coach Shawn Elliott smiles the widest when the defense c has e s t he qu a r t e r back , strips the ball from ball- carriers and creates havoc. The message has really hit home over the fifinal four weeks and will be instrumental to the team’s success in Saturday’s Lendingtree Bowl. During the fifinal stretch, when Georgia State won three of four games, the Panthers had 18 sacks, 36 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles and three interceptions.

“They get after you,” Western Kentucky coach Tyson Helton said. “They play fast, they play tough, they’re physical and it looks like they enjoy playing the game.”

The Panthers will try to continue the trend when they meet Western Kentucky on Saturday.

“We haven’t been a great pass- r ushing t e am ( i n t he past),” Elliott said. “This year everyone has pushed the envelope in this area. That has been critical in our development.”

T h e P a n t h e r s h a d o n l y 13 sacks in 2018, raised the number to 21 in 2019 and set a school record this season with 32. Georgia State went 3- 1 in its fifinal four games and secured its second consecutive bowl appearance. The defense also tied a school record with seven sacks against South Alabama.

“I f you c an get pressure on the quarterback, you can change a lot of things,” Elliott said.

The Panthers will need to make things uncomfortable Saturday for Western Kentucky senior quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome. A graduate transfer from Maryland, Pigrome has thrown for 1,435 yards and nine touchdowns. He leads the nation with 264 passes without an interception, but has been sacked 25 times. Pigrome is the team’s No. 2 rusher with 328 yards.

“He doesn’t throw a lot of picks,” Elliott said. “That’s something we had to create a lot this year. We’ll try to put some pressure on him. He’s a good quarterback, and he makes that offffffffffffense go for them.”

G e o r g i a S t a t e ’ s t o p pass- rushers are Jordan Strachan, who set a single- season record and l eads t he Sun Belt with nine sacks, and Hardrick Willi s, who has 5.5 sacks — four in the past four games — and set the school’s career record with 11.5. Fourteen difffffffffffferent players have sacks, including Thomas Gore and Jeffffffffffffrey Clark with 3.5 each.

“Applying pressure allows our defense to gain more momentum,” Willi s said. “If we’re able to get those guys three- and- out, threeand- out, three- and- out and force fumbles, it puts us in a position to win games. We have to make sure we keep this guy contained.”

Western Kentucky likely will try to neutralize Georgia State quarterback Quad Brown with a defense that ranks fourth in the nation in passing yards allowed ( 170.1) among FBS teams that have played more than six games. They have allowed only 12 pas s i ng pl ays of 3 0 - pl us yards and have 66 passes defended, tied for second in the nation with Alabama.

Brown, a redshirt freshman, ranks second in the Sun Belt in passing ( 227. 3 y a rd s ) a nd t o t a l o f f e ns e ( 256.3 yards), while accounting for 21 touchdowns. He threw for 706 yards in the fifinal two weeks.

“He’s a very good player,” Helton said. “He’s a guy who c an do i t all . He’s a good thrower, can get out of trouble and does a nice job leading his team ... and they’re a good team in general.”

The teams met in the 2017 Cure Bowl, when Georgia State won its fifirst bowl game 27- 17 and set a school record by limiting the Hilltoppers to minus- 2 yards rushing.