Atlanta (AP) — Haynes King threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and Georgia Tech never trailed in a comfortable 35-12 win over Georgia State on Saturday night.
It was a balanced offensive effort for Tech, which accumulated 499 yards of offense (274 in the air, 225 on the ground). Georgia State tallied 360 yards with 210 in the air and 150 on the ground in its season opener.
Georgia State threatened to land the first blow after Tech won the toss and deferred to the second half. On their first possession, the Panthers marched 64 yards to the Tech 1 and had a first-and-goal.
Tech's defense denied Georgia State running back Sy'veon Wilkerson three times before quarterback Christian Veilleux threw an incompletion on fourth down.
The Yellow Jackets played strong defense as Georgia State was 1 for 3 in red zone tries. Tech was 3 for 3 in the red zone.
Tech took a 14-3 lead at halftime behind Jamal Haynes' 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and King's 2-yard scoring run that capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive with four seconds left before intermission.
The Yellow Jackets pulled away in early in the third quarter with two big touchdown plays. Eric Singleton Jr.’s 25-yard touchdown scamper extended the Tech lead to 21-3, and on Tech’s next drive King found a wide-open Malik Rutherford for a 52-yard touchdown connection.
Georgia State's most-productive quarter was the third when the Panthers scored nine points on a field goal and 24-yard touchdown pass from Veilleux to Dorian Fleming.
Tech responded with a touchdown on its next possession when King found Avery Boyd for a 22-yard touchdown.
King was completed 24 of 29 passes for 275 yards with an interception. Haynes led the rushing attack with 84 yards on 17 carries.
THE TAKEAWAY
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets are 2-0 for the first time since 2016 after beating the Panthers in the first matchup between the programs.
Georgia State: The Panthers kept it close for a half against the Yellow Jackets and will look for its first win with coach Dell McGee, a Columbus, Georgia native with 22 years of experience that includes back-to-back national titles as the run game coordinator and running backs coach for the Georgia Bulldogs. McGee was named the program's fourth head coach on Feb. 23.
UP NEXT
Georgia Tech: Opens its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule on Saturday at Syracuse, which won its opener 38-22 at home against Ohio.
Georgia State: Hosts Chattanooga on Saturday.
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
