Kennesaw, GA—Georgia State used a balanced offensive attack and a dominant first half to defeat Kennesaw State 31-17 on Saturday.
Lanear McCrary Jr. provided the Panthers with a strong performance on the ground, rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown as Georgia State improved to 2-0.
Quarterback Cameran Brown also played a key role in the victory, throwing for 253 yards while adding a rushing touchdown. Brown completed 16 of 23 attempts and spread the ball around to eight different receivers.
He also proved dangerous as a runner, finishing with 62 rushing yards.
Brown put Georgia State on the board with an 18-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. McCrary then capped a late first-half drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 40 seconds remaining, sending the Panthers into halftime with a commanding 21-3 advantage.
Georgia State continued to add to its lead after halftime.
Dennis Murray Jr. broke through for a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, extending the Panthers’ advantage to 28-3.
The Panthers finished with 483 total yards, including 230 on the ground, consistently keeping Kennesaw State’s defense under pressure.
Samer Layous also contributed three field goals, connecting from 41, 27 and 43 yards.
Kennesaw State struggled to generate much offense early but found some rhythm late in the game.
Rickie Collins finally got the Owls into the end zone with a 12-yard touchdown run with 53 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Collins continued to keep Kennesaw State alive in the fourth, throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Harrold with 1:56 remaining.
Collins finished with 260 passing yards and a touchdown while adding 46 yards rushing.
The late surge, however, came too late to erase Georgia State’s early advantage.
The Panthers’ victory moved them to 2-0, while Kennesaw State dropped to 1-1.
Up Next:
Georgia State travels to UCF next Saturday.
Kennesaw State faces its biggest challenge of the young season when it travels to take on No. 18 Tennessee next Saturday.
