Georgia State Blows Past N.C. A&T 59-10 in Season Opener

Georgia State opened the 2026 season in dominant fashion, routing N.C. A&T 59-10 at Center Parc Stadium on Friday night. The Panthers scored on eight of their first 11 possessions and never trailed, putting up 563 yards of total offense while holding the Aggies to just 209.

Georgia State needed just one play to find the end zone the first time it touched the ball in Aggie territory. Quarterback Cameran Brown hit Dennis Murray Jr. for a 30-yard touchdown to cap a nine-play opening drive, and the rout was on from there. Lanear McCrary Jr. punched in an 8-yard score on the final play of the first quarter, and Georgia State led 14-0 before N.C. A&T ran its first play of the second half.

The Panthers tacked on three more touchdowns before halftime — a Qwantavius Wiggins 2-yard run, a 14-yard Murray Jr. rush, and an 8-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Jamari Miller — to take a commanding 35-7 lead into the break. N.C. A&T’s only points in the first half came on a 61-yard touchdown strike from Kevin White to Anthony Rucker, a rare explosive play for an Aggies offense that managed just 97 yards through the air in the opening 30 minutes.

Georgia State didn’t let up after halftime. Backup quarterback Ayden Pereira, who entered for the third quarter, immediately extended the lead with a 17-yard scramble for a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. The Panthers defense pitched in as well, blocking an N.C. A&T punt that set up a short field and, eventually, a Samer Layous 26-yard field goal.

Savion Hart broke off a 41-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and Xavier Butler capped the scoring outburst with a 20-yard touchdown run with 1:42 left in the third, pushing the margin to 52 points. N.C. A&T’s Asher Holland connected on a 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the Aggies’ final points of the night.

Georgia State finished with 284 rushing yards on 38 carries (7.5 yards per carry) and six rushing touchdowns, spreading the workload across seven different ball-carriers. Brown completed 15 of 20 passes for 190 yards and two scores before giving way to Pereira, who added 50 yards passing and two more touchdowns on the ground. Rodshaun Dorsey led all Georgia State receivers with three catches for 46 yards, while Derrick Avery Jr. added five catches for 47.

Defensively, the Panthers piled up five sacks for 28 yards lost and nine tackles for loss, with Jabriel Rhodes-Nelson and Ayden Moore among the standouts up front. Georgia State also won the special teams and field-position battle decisively, out-gaining N.C. A&T 636-193 on kickoff yardage and forcing four three-and-outs.

For N.C. A&T, Kevin White threw for 122 yards and a touchdown but was sacked four times, and the Aggies managed just 2.8 yards per carry on 30 rushing attempts. J.T. Smith led the ground game with 44 net yards on 11 carries. Anthony Rucker was the offensive bright spot, hauling in four catches for 80 yards and the long touchdown.

Georgia State improves to 1-0 on the season after the lopsided win, while N.C. A&T falls to 0-2. Both programs will look ahead to next week’s slate as Georgia State aims to carry its offensive and defensive balance into conference play.