Box Score CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Georgia State fell at No. 22 North Carolina 59-17 Saturday night at Kenan Stadium.
 
Trailing 14-0 in the first quarter, Georgia State got some momentum when Dontae Wilson recovered a fumble at the UNC 19-yard line, setting up a 37-yard field goal by Noel Ruiz. Playing in his home state, the Wilson, N.C. native connected for the 10th straight time to put the Panthers on the board at 14-3 with 3:28 to play in the first quarter.
 
The Panthers put together a 17-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 7:30 on the clock in the second quarter. Tucker Gregg kept the drive alive with a fourth-down conversion on a 6-yard run to the UNC 21. Three plays later, quarterback Cornelius Brown rushed for a 4-yard touchdown to make the score 21-10 with six minutes left in the half.
 
Georgia State went into the half trailing 24-10, but the Tar Heels came out quick in the second half, scoring four-straight touchdowns, including three over a 5:24 stretch in the third quarter.
 
"There were times in that football game when we looked really sharp," head coach Shawn Elliott said. "In that second quarter, I was really pleased. We were playing with momentum and with effort and enthusiasm, and it's 24-10 at the half. Then we come out there in the third quarter and within the blink of an eye, it's out of hand. It's really disappointing."
 
Brown finished the game going 12-for-26 for 68 yards as the Panthers pounded the ball on the ground, finishing with 181 yards to hold the edge in the time of possession 30:17 to 29:43.
 
"At times we controlled the line of scrimmage and ran the ball well, getting four or five yards a clip. But when you're playing a team that's scoring as quickly as they did, it's hard to keep doing that," Elliott said. "We've got to have a combination of run and pass to be successful. We've got to improve.
 
"We didn't throw the ball and we didn't catch very well," he continued. "There were some great opportunities to make some big plays down the field, but we missed some throws and had some drops. Throwing and catching is something we do every single day, and for whatever reason, we missed it tonight.
  
Back-up quarterback Darren Grainger played the fourth quarter and rushed for 53 yards on four attempts, including a 36-yard scamper down to the 2-yard line. Tucker Gregg ran seven times for 31 yards, including two fourth-down conversions, while Marcus Carroll rushed six times and scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
 
Sam Howell, a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate, led North Carolina going 21-of-29 for 352 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, he rushed 11 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
 
"There's a reason why he has the talk of being the top quarterback in college football and the top pick in the NFL Draft," Elliott said.
 
Georgia State will return to the field next Saturday hosting Charlotte at 7 p.m. at Center Parc Stadium. Tickets are available by visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com/Tix or by calling 404-413-4020 during normal business hours.