The Panthers (7-5) finished with a winning record with the first bowl win in Georgia State's eight-year football history.
Manning threw a 42-yard TD pass to Roger Carter, Demarcus Kirk scored on a 26-yard run, and Kyler Neal finished a 16-play drive consuming nine minutes of the fourth quarter with a 1-yard TD run that put Georgia State up 27-10.
Mike White tossed TD passes of 54 and 4 yards to Deon Yelder, finishing with 351 yards — the senior's eighth consecutive 300-yard game passing — for Western Kentucky (6-7). Yelder had five receptions for 112 yards for the Hilltoppers.
Georgia State star Penny Hart, the Sun Belt Conference leading receiver, did not start and played sparingly because of an ankle injury. His lone reception — for 27 yards midway through the third quarter — came on the play before Manning threw his TD pass to Carter.
