By Jim Johnson
SouthernPigskin.com

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In what was the biggest win in program history, the Panthers went to Knoxville and knocked off the Vols 38-30, this afternoon.

Tennessee started playing football in 1891. That was two years before the first car was made in the United States.

Georgia State started its program in 2010. That same year, Audi sent a self-driving, unmanned car to the top of Pikes Peak at near racing speeds.

These days, you can buy a Tesla with autopilot for about $40,000. At that rate, Georgia State could buy about 23 of those with the $950K that Tennessee just paid them to deliver that x98L.

In what was the biggest win in program history, the Panthers went to Knoxville and knocked off the Vols 38-30, this afternoon.

x9cIt was one of those signature wins that you have to get,x9d said Bill Curry, Georgia States first ever coach, who also spent time as the head man at Georgia Tech, Alabama, and Kentucky. x9cYouve got to beat one of the big boys at their place. The entire perception of the program changes after that.x9d

In some ways, the title of x98greatest win ever for a program still in its infancy doesnt carry a ton of weight. In a much more real sense, taking down a blue blood that had about a 120 year head start absolutely does.

x9cLast years record doesnt matter. The need to continue to play well, but theyll be looked at entirely differently now,x9d Curry explained.

This outcome is only more impressive given the apparent state of Georgia States program after 2018. Its one thing when Boise State beats a P5 former national champion. Its another when a team that just lost double digit games does it.

Curry went on, x9cTheyre a contender, now. Until you do it, people look down their nose at you as a little start up.

Forecasted to finish last in the Sun Belt East by the leagues coaches, and justifiably so after the aforementioned 2-10 campaign, it might be time to start rethinking the Panthers outlook.

However, for now, theres nothing wrong with enjoying the spoils that come with such a victory.

x9cIt was a huge win. They almost got Wisconsin a couple of years ago, but let them off the hook in the fourth quarter,x9d Curry recalled. x9cThis time, that didn’t happen.x9d

A few things stand out from the contest, but perhaps none as much as the physicality at the line of scrimmage. Against an SEC team, a conference known for winning in the trenches, it was the Sun Belt squad that was superior.

x9cFirst, I give credit to the coaching staff. They out-conditioned Tennessee,x9d stated the programs pioneer.

x9cEllington was fantastic, too,x9d he continued. x9cHe played a great game. He threw it where he should, when he should, executed the option well, and when he ran, they couldnt tackle him.

x9cAs impressive as anything, though, was his interview after the game. He never talked about his own greatness, only about how great his team was.x9d

Nate Fuquas defensive game plan was impeccable. In Dan Ellington, the offense has a leader. In Shawn Elliott, the team does.

And now, so too do they have a signature win.