ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Georgia State Panthers defeated the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 27-17 in the AutoNation Cure Bowl for the program's first bowl victory.
The Panthers football program was formed just eight years ago, and head coach Shawn Elliott is in his first season as a head coach after the team hired him in the last offseason.
After the game, Elliott expressed his excitement about the win to CBS Sports.
"We're a bunch of misfit players, a bunch of misfit coaches that love to work hard," Elliott said. "And what a great game it was. It was amazing."
Saturday's game was the Panthers' second bowl appearance. They played in the Cure Bowl in 2015 but came up short to the San Jose State Spartans.
This time, they dominated on both sides of the ball.
Senior quarterback Conner Manning threw for 276 yards and one touchdown. His lone touchdown pass was on a reverse flea-flicker and Manning found freshman tight end Roger Carter for the 42-yard touchdown.
Running back Demarcus Kirby scored the Panthers' first touchdown of the game after trailing 7-3, and the Panthers never trailed again after that point.
Jerome Smith picked off Nacarius Fant at the start of the fourth quarter, and the Panthers put together a 16-play 74-yard touchdown drive that took more than nine minutes off the clock. Kyler Neal's 1-yard touchdown pass put the Panthers up 27-10, leaving no time for a comeback by Western Kentucky.
Mike White was able to find Deon Yelder from 4 yards out for a touchdown on the next drive, but the Panthers recovered the ensuing onside kick. The Hilltoppers got the ball back down by 10, but Chase Middleton intercepted a pass from White to secure the victory.
White completed 23 passes on 35 attempts for 296 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers defense had six sacks in the game, and the Hilltoppers struggled with penalties. They had 10 penalties for 89 yards.
The Panthers finish 7-5. That is the best record in Georgia State history. The Hilltoppers finish 6-7.
