ATLANTA — Chase Brice threw three touchdown passes and Appalachian State dominated the second half in a 45-16 win over Georgia State in the Sun Belt Conference opener on Saturday.
Brice was 20-for-28 passing for 326 yards, two big chunks when he hit Corey Sutton for 79 yards in the third quarter and Christian Wells for 80 in the fourth.
Those one-play drives highlighted a string of five-straight scoring possessions that turned a 14-6 halftime lead into 45-9 after 31-straight points.
The Mountaineers (4-1) improved to 50-9 since joining the Sun Belt Conference and are 8-0 all-time against the Panthers (1-4).
Appalachian State had 304 of its total 502 yards after the break, even with leading rusher Nate Noel not playing in the second half. Noel had 74 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown in the first half. Sutton caught four balls for 106 yards.
Georgia State freshman Tailique Williams scored his first career touchdown on a 66-yard catch-and-run to close the scoring. The Panthers had 380 yards of offense but had three turnovers and lost two defenders on targeting calls in the second half.
