GEORGIA STATE (2-2, 0-1 SBC) vs OLD DOMINION (1-4, 0-1 SBC)
Saturday, Oct. 12 | 3:30 p.m. ET | Center Parc Credit Union Stadium
TV: ESPN+
RADIO: Georgia State Radio Network on WRAS-FM 88.5, WGTJ-FM 97.5, GSU Athletics mobile app
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ATLANTA-- After coming off its second bye week of the season, Georgia State looks to secure its first Sun Belt win against Old Dominion on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 3:30 p.m. at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium.
SERIES NOTES: Georgia State and Old Dominion are meeting for the sixth time in program history. The Panthers are 1-4 in the series after falling 24-25 to the Monarchs during the 2023 season.
> The Panthers' only win over Old Dominion occurred at home in 2022, when Georgia State defeated the monarchs 31-17.
PANTHERS VS. THE SUN BELT: Despite a slow start to conference play, the Panthers continue to stand in the Sun Belt rankings on both sides of the ball.
> Georgia State currently ranks fifth in the Sun Belt East after starting the season 2-2. A Panthers' win over Old Dominion could potentially bump GSU to tie for the No. 3 in the SBC east division.
> The Panthers lead the Sun Belt and rank fourth in the nation for fewest penalties with 19.
> Offensively, the Panthers rank top 10 in the Sun Belt in completion percentage (7th with 0.595) team passing efficiency (9th with 128.18) and winning percentage (9th at 0.500).
> The Panthers' passing offense ranks third in the conference and 23rd nationally with 268.3 yards per game.
> Defensively, GSU ranks third in the conference and 24th in the nation for fumbles recovered with four. Senior Kevin Swint leads the Panthers with two forced fumbles, and KD McDaniel, Izaiah Guy, Henry Bryant and Rykem Laney have all recorded a fumble recovery.
NEW STARTING QB: After a GSU-record 36 consecutive games with Darren Grainger as the starting quarterback, Christian Veilleux takes over the starting quarterback position for the 2024 season.
> Only three games into the season, Veilleux matched his single-season record for touchdowns with seven (six passing, one rushing). He previously set the record with seven passing touchdowns at Pitt during the 2023 season.
> In his first season with the Panthers, Veilleux has made a name for himself in the Sun Belt, ranking second in the conference and 13th in the nation for completions per game, averaging 23.50. He is also third in the conference and 25th in the nation in passing yards per game with 268.3.
> The senior transfer also ranks top 10 in the Sun Belt for passing touchdowns (5th with 8) and passing yards per completion (7th with 11.41 per completion).
> Veilleux threw a season high 26 pass completions in two of the three games played so far (Chattanooga and Vanderbilt). His 59.5 completion percentage ranks sixth in the conference and 83rd nationally.
> After setting a career high 269 passing yards in the Panthers' upset over Vanderbilt, Veilleux set a new career-high 356 passing yards against Georgia Southern (Sept. 28).
>Leading the Panthers through an upset over Vanderbilt, the transfer quarterback posted a career-high three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in the Panthers' 36-32 victory. Veilleux's 18-yard rushing touchdown also marked a career-high for longest rush. His rushing touchdown was the first of his career.
> Previously, the starting quarterback went 12-for-34 and recorded a season-long 238 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers' home opener against Chattanooga to record his first GSU career win (Sept. 7).
> Despite joining the Panthers late in the off-season, after McGee's hire, Veilluex quickly became the leading contender for the starting quarterback.
> The junior transfer from Pitt joins the GSU program for the 2024 season after spending one season at Pittsburgh and two at Penn State. Last season, Veilleux appeared in seven games (five starts) for Pitt, and completed 94-of-184 passes for 1,179 yards and seven touchdowns.
TRACKING THE RECORD:
> Senior linebacker Kevin Swint currently has two sacks on the season, which is four away from tying the second place spot for single-season sacks (6), and nine away from breaking the record (10.5).
> Ted Hurst's four touchdowns put him on track to beat the single-season receiving touchdowns (8).
> Liam Rickman stands with five field goals made, which is on track to break the single-season FG-made record of 15.
KEY RETURNERS: Despite the large influx of newcomers to the 2024 squad, head coach McGee retained multiple key returners, including veterans Tailique Williams, Freddie Brock, Dorian Fleming, Kevin Swint, Gavin Pringle and Justin Abraham.
> Veterans Gavin Pringle and Kevin Swint were named to the 2024 Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team after leading the Panthers on defense through the 2023 season.
> Senior linebacker Kevin Swint has become a key defender on the Panthers' defense, leading the defense with four sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles on the season. His four sacks rank second in the Sun Belt and 9th in FBS.
> Swint leads the conference and ranks third nationally for forced fumbles (0.50).
> After an impact performance against SEC competitors Vanderbilt, Swint earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors after leading the Panthers with eight tackles.
> Swint opened the contest with a forced fumble in the first drive of the game to set the pace for the Panthers upset over Vanderbilt. His forced fumble for 7 yards set Georgia State up on the Vanderbilt 20-yard line and allow the Panthers to put the first points on the board. He recorded his second sack of the game (8 yards) in the first drive of the fourth quarter to set the defensive momentum for the final minutes of the game. In addition to his two sacks and forced fumble, Swint recorded eight tackles (five solo) and two pass breakups. One of his pass breakups happened on a 4th-and-3 in the forth quarter to ultimately set the Panthers to up for a 29-17 advantage over Vanderbilt.
> Running back Freddie Brock is the Panthers' leading rusher, totaling 266 yards on 49 attempts. Brock's 5.43 yards-per-carry ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and 57th nationally.
> The junior running back is the only non-quarterback to record a rushing touchdown this season.
> Brock recorded his first touchdown of the season (second of his GSU career) to secure the win against Chattanooga (Sept. 7).
> Brock matched his season-long 23 yard rush against Chattanooga (Sept. 7), which he previously set at Georgia Tech (Aug. 31).
> Senior linebacker Justin Abraham has become a pivotal leader on the Panthers defense, leading the team in solo tackles with 21, which leads the Sun Belt and ranks 16th nationally. He is second on the team with 27 total tackles, including two tackles for a loss of seven yards.
> The Hartsville, S.C., native recorded team single-game high 11 tackles against Georgia Tech (Aug. 31). This also marked a career-high for the senior linebacker.
> Redshirt senior Gavin Pringle leads the conference and ranks fifth in the nation for passes defended (1.5). He is tied for the lead on the team or pass breakups with five.
> Pringle is one of three Panthers to record an interception this season, after snagging his first of the season (fourth at GSU) in the home opener against Chattanooga (Sept. 7).
> The Baltimore, Md. native is fourth on the team in tackles with 12.
> After redshirting his freshman year in 2023, D-Icey Hopkins started his sophomore campaign with the first forced fumble for the Panthers this season in the home opener against Chattanooga (Sept. 7).
> After starting in only four games in 2023, Sophomore Tight End Dorian Fleming had a breakout game against Georgia Tech, scoring the first touchdown of the season for the Panthers.
> The Henrico, Va., native is second on the team in receiving yards with 203. his 4.0 receptions-per-game ranks top ten in the Sun Belt.
> Fleming set a new career-high six receptions against Vanderbilt (Sept. 14), which he previously set in the 2023 season.
NEWCOMERS LEADING THE PACK: With the leadership change for the Panthers during the off season, Georgia State retained 65 returners and added 54 newcomers to the 2024 roster.
> Georgia State saw its largest influx of transfers in the offseason, with 48 transfer additions to the roster.
> Junior wide receiver Ted Hurst is the Panthers' leading receiver with 349 total receiving yards on the season, which ranks sixth in the conference and top 100 in the nation.
> Hurst totals four receiving touchdowns on the season, which ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and 30th in FBS.
> Hurst Ted was an instrumental factor in the Panthers 36-32 win over Vanderbilt, totaling two of the Panthers' four touchdowns against the Commodores. One of Hurst's touchdown catches included the game-winning catch with 0:15 on the clock to secure the win. Hurst totaled 128 yards on 7 receptions, including a game-long 33 yarder.
> The Valdosta State transfer led the team with 83 yards and one touchdown on 7 receptions against Chattanooga (Sept. 7).
> Senior transfer Xavier Robinson is the Panthers leading defender, totaling 29 tackles (16 solo) over four games. Robinson put up a season-high eight tackles and one sack against Chattanooga (Sept. 7).
> Tulsa transfer Jordan Ford is the Panthers' starting kick returner, averaging 20.8 yards-per-carry on kickoffs, which ranks fourth in the conference and 29th nationally. Ford opened the season with a 30-yard kick return to start the game against Georgia Tech (Aug. 31).
> The senior running back totals 53 yards on 12 attempts this season.
> Ford recorded the first touchdown of his GSU career in the Panthers' home opener against Chattanooga (Sept. 7).
> Senior transfer Sy'veon Wilkerson is second on the team in rushing yards with 101 on 23 carries. The Colorado transfer tallied a team-long 41-yard rush in the first drive of the season against Georgia Tech (Aug. 31).
Following hosting ODU, the Panthers hit the road for a four-game, month-long road series, including matchups against Marshall (Oct. 17), App State (Oct. 26), UConn (Nov. 11) and James Madison (Nov. 9). Georgia State will return to Center Parc Credit Union Stadium on Nov. 11 to host Arkansas State.
