Georgia State rides fast start to 49-29 victory over ECU

ATLANTA (AP) — Cornelious Brown IV threw for three touchdowns, including two to Sam Pinckney, Destin Coates rushed for two scores and Georgia State defeated East Carolina 49-29 on Saturday.

The Panthers (1-1) rolled up 303 yards offense on their way to a 35-13 halftime lead, setting a school record for points in a half.

On the game’s first play from scrimmage, Brown had his pass intercepted in the flat and returned 28 yards for a touchdown by Warren Saba. But the Panthers scored on their next three drives in under seven minutes, including touchdown passes of 38 yards to Pinckney and 22 yards to Jamari Thrash. Brown added a 13-yard score to Pinckney, and Coates and Tucker Gregg had TD runs for a 22-point halftime lead.

The lead reached 42-16 early in the fourth quarter on Antavious Lane's 34-yard interception return.

Brown finished 18-of-28 passing with two interceptions. Pinckney, a sophomore, made seven catches for a career-high 134 yards, and Coates had 23 carries for 113 yards. The Panthers outgained the Pirates 485-292.

Holton Ahlers was 29-of-50 passing for 242 yards with no scores and three interceptions for ECU (0-2), which rushed for only 50 yards. Tyler Snead made 11 catches for 111 yards.

Because of COVID-10 concerns, capacity at Center Parc Stadium was held to 50%. Georgia State had its game versus Charlotte last week postponed after human error resulted in four Panthers being incorrectly said to have tested positive for the virus.

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