Quarterback Haynes King threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score to lead Georgia Tech to a 35-12 win over Georgia State on Saturday in Atlanta.
King completed 24 of 29 passes with one interception for the Yellow Jackets (2-0). Malik Rutherford caught seven passes for 131 yards and one touchdown. Jamal Haynes rushed 17 times for 84 yards and one touchdown.
Georgia State (0-1) was led by quarterback Christian Veilleux, who completed 19 of 34 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown.
The loss ruined the debut of Georgia State coach Dell McGee, who was hired in February when head coach Shawn Elliott resigned days into spring practice to become the run game coordinator at South Carolina. McGee had spent the previous eight seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Georgia.
Georgia State took its opening drive to the 1-yard line but was stuffed by a Georgia Tech goal line stand.
Georgia Tech scored two possessions later after Zeek Biggers recovered a fumble at the Georgia State 20. The Yellow Jackets cashed in on a 1-yard run by Haynes.
Georgia State threatened again, reaching the 1, but opted for a 21-yard field goal from Liam Rickman rather than risk coming away with no points.
Georgia Tech scored with four seconds left in the half when King followed the left tackle for a 2-yard touchdown and a 14-3 lead at halftime.
The Yellow Jackets scored on their first possession of the second half. After a timeout, Eric Singleton Jr. took a reverse for a 35-yard touchdown run, giving Tech a 21-3 lead. The Yellow Jackets stretched it to 28-3 when King threw a 52-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Rutherford.
Georgia State hung close with a 47-yard Rickman field goal and a 24-yard touchdown pass from Veilleux to Dorian Fleming. The two-point pass failed and Georgia Tech led 28-12.
Tech responded with a 22-yard touchdown pass from King to Avery Boyd for a 35-12 lead.
It was the first time the two schools had played. Georgia State began its program in 2010 and has only played at the FBS level for 15 seasons.
