Georgia State Answers a Tie with a 100-yard Return
Thirteen seconds. That is how long Northern Illinois got to enjoy a 14-14 tie in the second quarter. DeAree Rogers' 22-yard touchdown catch from Taron Dickens made it even at 12:21, and at 12:08 Isaiah Stone took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Georgia State never looked back and won 35-14.
The Panthers got the first score of the day, a five-yard throw from Cameran Brown to Avion McBride in the first minute. Northern Illinois tied it 7-7 on a 14-yard Telly Johnson Jr. run late in the first, Brown found Rodshaun Dorsey from 18 yards early in the second, and Dickens and Rogers evened it again before Stone's return changed the math. After that it was all Georgia State: Lanear McCrary Jr. scored from a yard out at 6:25 of the third, and Dorsey caught a 50-yard touchdown from DJ Riles at 1:25 to make it 35-14. Nobody scored in the fourth quarter.
The yardage is the part that should sting. Northern Illinois outgained Georgia State 432 yards to 344, with Dickens going 28 of 42 for 320 yards. But Northern Illinois lost two fumbles, and Georgia State's defense had six sacks. Georgia State threw one interception and lost one fumble of its own and still came out 21 points ahead.
Georgia State goes to 3-1. Northern Illinois falls to 0-4, with the offense moving the ball and the scoreboard not noticing. For fantasy, Dorsey's two touchdowns made him the top scorer, and Rogers and Johnson, both on the losing side, finished second and third.