The Georgia State Panthers of the Sun Belt Conference wanted a statement win in Week 1 of the 2026 season against the North Carolina A&T Aggies. Georgia State had a disastrous 1-11 season last season, but with head coach Dell McGee retained for a third season, the hope was that this game would showcase growth from the Panthers. Cameran Brown ended the season well after T.J. Finley was ineffective; the sturdy offensive line was mostly back, and the defense loaded up through the transfer portal. They acquired some big names in the secondary and the trenches to raise the floor from allowing 37.8 points per game last season.
Now, the coaches and players were eager to start the season. Little did they know, it would be a historic night, as they set their school record for most points in a game with a 59-10 win over North Carolina A&T.
Georgia State Panthers vs. North Carolina A&T Recap
The first quarter started with punts on both teams’ first drives, but it didn’t take long for Georgia State to get going. After North Carolina A&T went three-and-out on their second drive, they punted, and GSU WR DJ Riles returned it all the way to the 30. One play afterward, Cameran Brown found Dennis Murray Jr. on a great underneath route to make it 7-0 and give the Panthers their first touchdown of the season.
The Aggies punted again, bringing Georgia State to their 10-yard line. This time, they would go on an 11-play, 90-yard drive, capped of with an eight-yard rushing touchdown by Lanear McCrary to make it 14-0.
Second Quarter
The second quarter was more of the same from both teams. North Carolina A&T had to punt it away after six plays, and Georgia State once again went on an 11-play drive for 70 yards, with Brown finding open receivers all around. This time, running back Qwantavius Wiggins found the end zone from two yards out to make it 21-0 with 7:00 left in the half.
North Carolina A&T finally got on the board, with backup quarterback Kevin White finding tight end Anthony Rucker for a 61-yard touchdown to make it 21-7. However, the Panthers kept their momentum going, scoring on their next two straight drives.
The first one came from a Dennis Murray Jr. run to complete a five-play, 58-yard drive, while the second one was a nice throw from Cameran Brown to sophomore Jamari Miller. It was 35-7 to end the half, which meant Georgia State had set a school record for most points in a half.
Third Quarter
Georgia State brought in backup quarterback Ayden Pereira the rest of the way, and he kept the scoring streak going. He ran it into the end zone himself on an awesome QB run, with RB Quantavius Higgins making a great block, to make it 42-7. North Carolina State A&T went three-and-out, then on fourth down, safety Tre Mittman blocked the punt, and safety Keenan Jackson recovered it.
The Aggies stopped the Panthers from the end zone this time, though, and the Panthers settled for a field goal to make it 45-7. Still, Georgia State stopped North Carolina A&T again, and on the next play, Savion Riley found the end zone from 41 yards out to give the Panthers a 52-7 lead.
Then, they achieved history. On a first and 10 from N.C. A&T’s 20, Xavier Butler ran in for the touchdown to give Georgia State a 59-7 lead. That set a new program record for most points in a game (59), breaking the previous record set in 2010 against Savannah State and ULM (55).
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter, surprisingly enough, started with the North Carolina A&T Aggies getting the first points. On a 13-play, 53-yard drive that stalled out at the Georgia State 22, kicker Asher Holland nailed a 39-yard field goal to make it 59-10 Georgia State.
Neither team scored again. The Aggies actually forced a punt from the Panthers, but they themselves went three-and-out on their next drive. On the final drive, Georgia State went 55 yards on eight plays, taking up the remaining 3:43 left of gameplay to win it 59-10.
Takeaways
Historical Domination
The Georgia State Panthers set multiple school records in this game. They set a new program record for points (59) and margin of victory (49). Their previous high for points was 55 and margin of victory was 34.
They also tied for the most touchdowns scored with their 2021 showing against ULM in 2021, allowed the fewest first downs (10, previous was 11 in 2022 vs. Old Dominion) and were just seven yards away (209) from tying the record for lowest allowed total yardage (202).
Balanced Opportunity and Offensive Gameplan
The offense was so dominant yet so balanced the entire game. That’s hard to do.
The running game was feeding every mouth it could, and it was nearly able to. Out of the 284 rushing yards and six touchdowns, nine rushers carried the ball and six of them had touchdowns. LaNear McCray led the team with 75 yards on nine carries, but Savion Hart also had 61 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Dennis Murray Jr. had the most impressive performance, though. He had 34 yards on the ground and 50 yards through the air, along with both a rushing and receiving touchdown.
The passing game was electric too. Cameran Brown had a great day, completing 15 of 20 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, the Panthers had 284 rushing yards and 279 passing yards, so it dominated in both facets of the game.
Pass Rush Came to Play
That’s not to say the defense didn’t do its part either. After all, it allowed just 10 points, and when the Aggies scored their only touchdown, they were already down 21-0.
The pass rush, in particular, was excellent. They generated nine tackles for loss and five sacks, although the pocket presence was sporadic. Senior transfer Xavier Esqillion had 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack, while Jabriel Rhodes-Nelson had two tackles for loss and two sacks.
There were occasional issues with tackling in the second level and the secondary, but penalties on the Aggies negated much of the damage. The secondary let up just 125 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions, and nearly half of those (61) came off their only touchdown.
The secondary also came to play in the special teams, with safety Tre Mittman recording a blocked punt, too.
Overall, Georgia State looks exciting and fun for the first time in a while. Last season, they lost 63-7 in the opener, so to come back and win in this dominant fashion, even against an FCS opponent, shows that this season could be different. They will play Kennesaw State on the road on Sept. 12, and that will come a long way in their ascension if they can pull off the upset.
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