Gregg Makes History, GSU Panthers beat Monarchs

Darren Grainger passed for 195 yards and ran for 109, but it was teammate Tucker Gregg that stole the spotlight following Georgia State’s 31-17 victory over Old Dominion Saturday evening.

Despite a middling 52 yards on 19 carries, Gregg became GSU’s all-time leading rusher. The former walk-on’s 2,165 career yards surpassed Tra Barnett, who played from 2016-19.

Head coach Shawn Elliott praised Gregg’s performance, but highlighted his perseverance over all.

“It was very evident that what brought him here was determination, a leadership mentality and work ethic,” Elliott said postgame.

Gregg, who spent most of his career as a short-distance back but was shoved into the every-down role last season, caught his first two passes since last November for 24 yards.

Despite the celebration of the running game, Old Dominion was unable to do anything on the ground, a large reason why they lost. The Monarchs totaled 26 team yards over 22 carries (although Hayden Wolff’s six sacks are counted in this total).

Despite not throwing any interceptions, Wolff’s performance was not nearly enough to surmount his team’s poor rushing performance. Ali Jennings III, the nation’s leading receiver going into the game, was limited to just three catches on eight targets. One of his receptions was a score but totaled just 24 yards, his lowest sum since week two of last season.

A loss to the Monarchs could have sent the Panthers’ season down the drain, but GSU’s third win in four games keeps it in Sun Belt Championship– and more realistically bowl game– contention. GSU (3-5 (2-2)) visits Hattiesburg, Mississippi to take on Southern Miss on November 5.

As for the Monarchs, they are now 3-5 (2-2). Although they hold a tie-breaker over current Sun Belt East leader Coastal Carolina, they face arguably the hardest four-game stretch of any team in the conference. They host James Madison and visit both App State and South Alabama, but first they host Marshall on November 5.