BOISE, Idaho — Darren Grainger threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more, Freddie Brock rushed for a school-record 276 yards and a score, and Georgia State rolled past Utah State 45-22 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Saturday.
Georgia State (7-6), which had lost five of six entering the game, scored 31 straight points to break it open.
The Panthers were missing six starters, and coach Shawn Elliott wasn’t sure what to expect.
“To get this bowl win and see how we prepared and got this bowl win,” Elliott said, shaking his head. “We had three new offensive linemen. … We had a new running back starting for us and new wide receivers. But there wasn’t a single person who blinked an eye. They went out there and executed and got the job done.”
Utah State (6-7) fell apart after rolling up 161 yards of offense in the first quarter, tallying just 186 yards in the final three periods.
“I’m frustrated with how we played in all three phrases of the game,” Aggies coach Blake Anderson said. “They manhandled us from beginning to end. It’s not how you want to finish. But there are a lot of things that need to be fixed and things that can be fixed.”
Grainger, a senior who transferred from Furman in 2021, was 19-of-22 passing and rushed for 111 yards, accounting for 368 yards of total offense to earn MVP honors.
Georgia State quarterback Darren Grainger (3) scrambles against the Utah State defense in the first half of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023, in Boise, Idaho. Credit: AP/Steve Conner
Brock, who assumed the starting role at running back after leading rusher Marcus Carroll transferred to Missouri following the regular season, ripped off runs of 31, 43, 58 and 60 yards. He broke the previous school record of 242 yards set by Trae Barnett against Troy on Oct. 26, 2019.
“I wasn’t worried about the record,” said Brock, a transfer from Maine who hadn’t carried the ball more than three…
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