Clayton Coppock Jr. Scores Twice as Coastal Carolina Beats Georgia State 31-20

Coastal Carolina built a 31-6 lead on the road on Saturday, then held on through a nervy fourth quarter to beat Georgia State 31-20 in Atlanta. Deuce Bailey threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns, and Clayton Coppock Jr. caught six passes for 100 yards and two scores.

The win moved Coastal Carolina to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in the Sun Belt, coming off an open week that followed a 35-32 loss to App State. Georgia State fell to 4-4 and 1-3 in conference play and has now lost three straight games, following a 49-22 loss at James Madison and a 38-32 loss at Arkansas State.

It was not a clean afternoon for the Chanticleers. Bailey threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, and Coastal Carolina ran for only 73 yards on 35 carries. But the Coastal defense kept Georgia State out of the end zone for three quarters, and Bailey made enough big throws to build a lead the Panthers could not erase.

Coppock and Courtney make the big plays

Coastal Carolina's passing game lived on chunk plays. Coppock caught touchdowns of 21 and 31 yards, and Zach Courtney added four catches for 89 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown and a 39-yard catch that set up another score. Karmello English caught five passes for 52 yards.

Bailey finished 22 of 32 for 297 yards. Coastal Carolina outgained Georgia State 375 to 360, picked up 22 first downs to 19, and held the ball for 32:27.

How the game unfolded

The opening quarter was a pair of long, grinding drives. Coastal Carolina went 15 plays and 50 yards on its first possession, chewing up 5:55, but Nico Cavanillas Alti missed a 42-yard field goal. Georgia State answered with a 15-play, 61-yard drive of its own that took 6:53. Ayden Pereira found Rodshaun Dorsey three times on the march, and Samer Layous hit a 32-yard field goal with 2:12 left in the quarter for a 3-0 Georgia State lead.

Coastal Carolina took control in the second quarter. After a pair of punts, the Chanticleers went 30 yards in six plays, and Bailey hit Coppock for a 21-yard touchdown at 10:29. Georgia State went three-and-out, and Cavanillas Alti drilled a 53-yard field goal at 7:08 for a 10-3 lead.

Georgia State had a quick answer in mind. Qwantavius Wiggins broke a 58-yard run on the next drive, but the possession stalled and Layous missed a 31-yard field goal. Coastal Carolina made the Panthers pay with a seven-play, 80-yard drive. A pass interference penalty on Georgia State helped keep it moving, and Bailey found Courtney for a 25-yard touchdown with 1:51 left in the half.

Georgia State salvaged three points before the break. Pereira ran for 19 yards and hit Grant Hollier for 25 on an 11-play drive, and Layous made another 32-yard field goal as the half ended. Coastal Carolina led 17-6.

Turnovers that did not cost Coastal

The third quarter could have flipped the game. On Coastal Carolina's first possession of the half, Jaden Kelly intercepted Bailey at the Coastal 41. Georgia State appeared to score on a 36-yard touchdown pass, but an offensive pass interference penalty on Hollier wiped it out, and the Panthers ended up punting.

Two possessions later, Alex Mullings picked off Bailey at the Coastal 26. Mullings fumbled on the return, Bailey forced it, and the ball went out of the end zone for a touchback. Coastal Carolina kept the ball after throwing an interception.

The Chanticleers took full advantage. Starting at their own 20, they went 80 yards in five plays, and Bailey found Coppock for a 31-yard touchdown at 5:15 of the third quarter. It was 24-6.

Coastal Carolina caught another break on Georgia State's next punt. Robby Washington fumbled the return, but Tristian Gardner recovered for the Chanticleers, and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Georgia State tacked on more yardage. Coastal took over in Georgia State territory with a chance to put the game away. Bailey hit Courtney for 39 yards, and Jaden Allen-Hendrix scored on a 2-yard run with 1:14 left in the quarter. Coastal Carolina led 31-6.

Georgia State rallies late

Georgia State did not go away. The Panthers opened the fourth quarter by finishing a nine-play, 79-yard drive. Pereira hit Hollier for 18 yards and then for a 9-yard touchdown at 11:59, and Wiggins threw the two-point conversion to make it 31-14.

The Georgia State defense then produced its biggest play. Bailey was sacked for a 22-yard loss and fumbled, and Antonio Wesley recovered at the Coastal 18. Three plays later, Pereira threw an 18-yard touchdown to DJ Riles at 7:38. The two-point try failed, but Georgia State was within 31-20 with plenty of time left.

That was as close as it got. Coastal Carolina went three-and-out, but the Chanticleers' defense dropped Pereira for a 9-yard loss on a sack shared by Donovan Grayson, then forced a turnover on downs when Pereira's fourth-and-18 pass fell incomplete at the Coastal 45 with 3:12 left. After another Coastal punt, Georgia State took over with 1:01 to go and moved 40 yards, but the game ended with Jesse Powell II and Grayson sacking Pereira at the Coastal 35.

The defensive standouts

Ja'Marion Wayne led Coastal Carolina with 11 tackles and two pass breakups. Marcellius Pulliam added seven tackles and Brandon Rose had six. Grayson was credited with a sack and was in on the final one, and Reggie Jean added a first-quarter sack. Coastal Carolina sacked Pereira three times and held Georgia State to 5 of 15 on third down.

For Georgia State, Coby Owens made nine tackles with two tackles for loss, Tyson McCrary had eight tackles and Tre Mittman had seven. Kelly and Mullings each intercepted Bailey, and Wesley's fumble recovery led to the Panthers' second touchdown.

The Georgia State numbers

Pereira completed 20 of 37 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, and ran for 33 yards on 13 carries. Wiggins led the ground game with 96 yards on 11 carries, most of it on the 58-yard burst in the second quarter, and Georgia State ran for 160 yards as a team. Riles caught six passes for 44 yards and a touchdown, Hollier had three for 52 and a score, and Dorsey caught four for 41.

Penalties hurt the Panthers all afternoon. Georgia State was flagged nine times for 96 yards, including the pass interference that wiped out a touchdown and the unsportsmanlike conduct foul that set up Coastal's last scoring drive.

The take

Coastal Carolina did not play a clean game, and three turnovers will be a talking point this week. But Bailey's arm covered for a running game that averaged barely 2 yards a carry, the Chanticleers made the big plays when it mattered, and the defense kept a dangerous Georgia State rushing attack from taking over. At 2-2 in the Sun Belt, Coastal is back in the middle of the conference picture.

Georgia State, which opened 4-1 with wins over Kennesaw State, covered in our Kennesaw State recap, and Old Dominion, has now dropped three straight. The Panthers moved the ball well enough to win, but a missed field goal, a touchdown lost to a penalty and a slow start put them in a hole they could not climb out of. A week ago, Georgia State lost a shootout at Arkansas State, covered in our Arkansas State recap.

What's next

Coastal Carolina hosts Old Dominion on Saturday, Nov. 7. Georgia State plays at App State on Saturday, Nov. 7.

For the full numbers, see the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab).

Sources: ESPN box score, play-by-play and team schedules. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Lyndon Terrell/Georgia State Athletics (file photo).