Aside from the typical bombast and vitriol that comes with the most heated rivalry among Georgia’s Group of Five football programs, Thursday’s game between Georgia State and Georgia Southern also will serve as a showcase for two of the top quarterbacks in the Sun Belt Conference.
Representing the #StatenotSouthern crowd is Darren Grainger, who needs only 15 yards to become Georgia State’s career leader in total offense. Representing the #SouthernnotState corner is Davis Brin, a graduate transfer from Tulsa who leads the conference in passing yardage.
The rivalry will play out on a large stage this time. The Thursday night game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro and will be shown on ESPN2. The game can be heard locally on WRAS-FM 88.5.
“I think it’s going to be a great matchup,” Georgia State’s Shawn Elliott said. “It will be a fun game to see. The matchup is something that everybody looks for in a ballgame.”
Georgia State (6-1, 3-1 Sun Belt) leads the series 6-3 and has won the past three meetings. But Georgia Southern (5-2, 2-1) is sparing no opportunity to stoke the fire of its fan base by honoring former coach Paul Johnson for his coming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Johnson led the Eagles to Division I-AA (now FCS) national championships in 1999 and 2000. Georgia Southern also can become bowl eligible with a victory.
“You could feel last year when we played how competitive the game was and how much emotion was in the game for both teams,” Georgia Southern coach Clay Helton said. “Now you add the fact that both teams are doing really well in the league and having great seasons, it makes it even more exciting. You get to play a heated rival, you get to do it on national TV on a Thursday night and have a packed stadium like Paulson, what more could you ask for?”
Much of the focus will be on the two quarterbacks, who bring different styles and produce the same high level of success. Grainger is a dual-threat quarterback, a good passer who can deflate a defense with his running and his ability to escape. Brin is a pocket passer who delivers the ball quickly to a myriad of receivers.
Grainger has accounted for 7,552 yards, behind only Nick Arbuckle’s 7,566 total compiled in 2014-15, and has accounted for 61 touchdowns, two better than Arbuckle’s record. Grainger needs 41 yards to pass Conner Manning (2016-17) and move into second place in career passing yards. This season he has thrown for 1,632 yards, No. 9 in the conference, with 10 touchdowns and rushed for 368 yards and five touchdowns.
Brin has thrown for 2,122 yards, the best in the Sun Belt, and 14 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He followed transfer Kyle Vantrease, who rewrote the school’s passing record book a year ago, and is producing even better numbers. Brin ranks second in FBS in completions per game (31), 11th in passing yards per game (303.1) and 17th in total offense. Dating to his time at Tulsa, Brin has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 24 of his past 27 games.
“(Recruiting him) was very similar to Kyle in the fact that you had an experienced player, so the evaluation process was really easy,” Helton said. “It was a little bit easier recruiting job because Kyle came from Buffalo.
“We had not done this offense. It was primarily a spread-option offense, dive-option offense, and all of a sudden we’re going to throw it all over the park. This time around there was proof that we could be one of the top offenses and not only in our conference, but also in the country. It’s been a smooth transition, and he’s the reason we’re sitting here 5-2.”
Elliott has watched plenty of film on Brin and has been impressed by what he’s seen.
“He’s a tremendous thrower,” Elliott said. “It’s fun to watch him play because he knows the game so well. He gets the ball out of his hands so quickly. He’s intelligent. The route concepts are there, and it doesn’t take him long to recognize who’s open and who’s not, and that’s why they’re successful.”
Both quarterbacks have a deep group of receivers. Georgia State’s group is led by Robert Lewis (34 catches, five touchdowns) and Tailique Williams (27 catches, three touchdowns), while Georgia Southern features Khaleb Hood (57 catches, three touchdowns) and Burgess Darwin Jr. (44 catches, four touchdowns).
Georgia State running back Marcus Carroll has five 100-yard performances this year and has rushed for 742 yards and 11 touchdowns. Georgia Southern’s top runners are Jalen White (504 yards, five touchdowns) and O.J. Arnold (331 yards, three touchdowns).
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