DALLAS (FWAA) The Georgia State Panthers scored 17 straight points in the fourth quarter to shock Tennessee, 38-30, in Knoxville for their first win over a Power 5 opponent in the program's 10-year history. The upset win earned Georgia State the Reveal Suits National Team of the Week honor for the 2019 season's opening weekend.
The announcement came on "Playbook" on ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM Radio (Ch. 84) with Jason Horowitz and Andy Staples. Each Monday during the season the Reveal Suits National Team of the Week will be unveiled during the show, which airs weekdays from 1-4 p.m. ET. The FWAA's All-America Committee selects the weekly winner and all Division I FBS and FCS schools are eligible to be selected.
This is the first time for Georgia State (1-0) to win the FWAA's National Team of the Week honor. But of note is Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott, who has been an assistant coach with two past honored teams in Appalachian State·s historic 2007 upset win at Michigan, and a South Carolina win over No. 1 Alabama in 2010.
The Panthers are the fourth current Sun Belt team in conference history to be named National Team of the Week by the FWAA. The conference's previous winners: the aforementioned Appalachian State (2007, Week of Sept. 1), ULM (2012, Week of Sept. 8) and Troy (2017, Week of Sept. 30).
Georgia State scored its first win over an SEC school in four tries behind Dan Ellington, who threw for 139 yards and two touchdowns and added 78 rushing yards. His 22-yard touchdown run with 4:45 remaining gave GSU a 35-23 lead. Cornerback Evan Jones forced a fumble on a sack after that touchdown, and Jhi'Shawn Taylor recovered at the Tennessee 39 to set up Ellington's scoring run came five plays later. Tra Barnett led the Panthers on the ground with 98 yards on 21 carries.
"First of all, I will go ahead and say how proud I am of our university and our football program to come in here and do something probably only 108 or 109 players we have on our roster believed we could do," Elliott said. "I don't know if anyone else in the country believed that a program just a mere 10 years old could come in here to Neyland Stadium and beat them. We believed. We notched a signature win for our university and our football program. It has been an unbelievable day."
The other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Aug. 31 were:
Auburn (1-0): Bo Nix found Seth Williams with nine seconds remaining for a 26-yard touchdown pass to cap a dramatic come-from-behind 27-21 win over Oregon in Arlington, Texas. Minutes earlier, Zakoby McClain and Tyrone Truesdell had stopped the Ducks on a 4th-and-1 at the Auburn 42 with 4:31 left.
Boise State (1-0): The Broncos rallied from an 18-point deficit in the first half to knock off Florida State, 36-31, in Tallahassee after Hurricane Dorian forced the game to relocate from Jacksonville. Hank Bachmeier, a true freshman, threw for 407 yards, the most ever by a Boise State first-time starting quarterback in handing FSU its third straight season-opening loss.
North Carolina (1-0): The Tar Heels had head coach Mack Brown dancing in the locker room following a come-from-behind 24-20 win over South Carolina. True freshman quarterback Sam Howell threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns, and Myles Wolfork contributed two interceptions late in a game that marked Brown's return to the Carolina sideline.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. In addition to the members of the FWAA All-America Committee, one fan vote from Twitter decides the weekly honor.
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Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.
For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
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