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College Football National Cup - Day 2/Game 1 - (NCAA 14) 
Posted on July 12, 2013 at 07:38 PM.
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GROUP B - Day Two
Nebraska - 28 vs. Georgia State - 21
LaVell Edwards Stadium - Provo, UT


Provo, UT - Widely considered to be a "group of death" in the College Football National Cup, Group B contained one team that many thought had little shot of even scoring a touchdown: Georgia State.

Despite Nebraska (1-0-0/3PTs) winning 28-21, the Panthers (0-1-0/0PTs) put on a show Thursday afternoon that will no-doubt catch the attention of the rest of Group B.

"Whichever analyst said they wouldn't score a touchdown should be fired," said Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini. "That offense is lethal and quick. Had their running back not gone down so early, we may've been mercy ruled by halftime."

That running back, Gerald Howse, was indeed tearing up the Nebraska defense before he went down with a possible season-ending abdominal tear in the first quarter. Before being knocked out of the game, and the National Cup, Howse had racked up 75 yards on 13 carries. Unable for comment after the game, the team said Howse could return from the injury, but the Panthers would have to likely make the second round of the knockout stage for that to happen.

Georgia State was able to use Gerald Howse's strong start to propel themselves to a 14-7 lead, before relinquishing it to the Cornhuskers late in the game. After a touchdown with 30-seconds remaining to pull within 7, Panthers quarterback Ronnie Bell threw a game ending interception following a successful onside kick.

"It was the definition of panicking. I should've been more aware of the time and how many timeouts we had," said Bell of his final interception. "I knew Jim (Ruiz) could make the cut towards the middle of the field, I just underestimated their cornerbacks ability to stick with him."

Overshadowed by Georgia State's near-heroic performance and the injury to Gerald Howse, quarterback Taylor Martinez and running back Ameer Abdullah put on a show of their own.

Martinez and Abdullah combined for 21-unanswered points in the second half that came from three touchdown runs of 60-yards or more. The two combined for a total of 270 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground, with 150 yards coming from Abdullah and 120 yards coming from Martinez.

The big play won the day for Nebraska, who will now travel to Chestnut Hill, MA to take on a Washington team with a stingy defense and knack for stopping big plays. Meanwhile, Georgia State will head closer to home as they take on Clemson on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While they may sit on the bottom of the group, Georgia State expects to compete and fight for a shot to advance to the knockout stage.

"Win it for Gerald. Plain and simple. We want to honor our friend, teammate and brother," preached running back Travis Evans, as he walked out off the field in tears.

Copyright by STATS CFNCA and The National Cup Media Bureau

TOP PLAYS:

PLAY OF THE DAY - Presented by Leinenkugel

Taylor Martinez go-ahead 76-yard touchdown run




BONUS PLAY:

Michael Rose's interception of Ronnie Bell with 10 seconds remaining



CLICK SPOILER TO VIEW BOX SCORE

Spoiler


GROUP B STANDINGS
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