Parris Lee scored the first touchdown in Georgia State history, Drew Little threw a pair of scoring passes and the Panthers won their inaugural game Thursday night, beating visiting Shorter 41-7 before a surprisingly large crowd of 30,237 at the Georgia Dome.
The game marked the return to coaching for 67-year-old Bill Curry, who had not been on the sideline since being forced out by Kentucky in 1996.
Even playing their first game as an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision independent, the Panthers had no trouble against Shorter (0-2), a tiny NAIA school from northwest Georgia that had lost its opener to Division II West Alabama 37-7.
EKU game delayed
Persistent storms forced Eastern Kentucky's opener at Missouri State to be pushed back to 2 p.m. Friday. Lightning in the Springfield, Mo., area initially caused a one-hour delay, but officials decided to delay the game a day the longer the storms lasted.
Thursday's highlights
No. 2 Ohio State 42, Marshall 7: Terrelle Pryor tossed three touchdown passes, Brandon Saine rushed for 103 yards and two scores and host Ohio State rolled in a tuneup for a big date with Miami.
The Buckeyes, who haven't lost a home opener since 1978, next play on Sept. 11 against No. 13 Miami, which coasted past Florida A&M 45-0.
It was a bleak debut for new Marshall coach Doc Holliday. The Thundering Herd fumbled the opening kickoff and were down 14-0 before running their first play in Ohio State territory.
South Carolina 41, Southern Miss 13: Quarterback Stephen Garcia and freshman tailback Marcus Lattimore each ran for two touchdowns, and South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier won his 18th straight college opener in a surprisingly easy victory over visiting Southern Miss.
Indiana 51, Towson 17: Darius Willis ran for two touchdowns and Ben Chappell threw for two more — all in the first half — as host Indiana (1-0) routed Towson. Bill Lynch improved to 4-0 in home openers as the Indiana coach.
Kent State 41, Murray State 10: Spencer Keith threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns to lead host Kent State. Two of Keith's scoring passes went to Jacquise Terry, including a 49-yarder that gave the Golden Flashes a 24-10 lead 1:13 before halftime.
The loss spoiled Chris Hatcher's Murray State coaching debut. Hatcher compiled a 94-27 record in previous jobs at Valdosta State and Georgia Southern.
Alabama player ineligible
Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus has been declared ineligible for two games for accepting nearly $2,000 in improper benefits during two trips to Miami.
An NCAA ruling Thursday also ordered Dareus, defensive MVP of the national championship game, to pay $1,787 dollars to a charity of his choice before regaining eligibility. The top-ranked Crimson Tide opens Saturday night against San Jose State and then hosts No. 19 Penn State. Alabama will already be without Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram (knee injury) for at least the opener.
Around the nation
Mississippi: Senior defensive end and captain Kentrell Lockett will miss the season opener because he's undergoing tests for an irregular heartbeat discovered last week. Mississippi plays Jacksonville State on Saturday.
Iowa: Coach Kirk Ferentz agreed to a five-year contract extension through 2020. The new deal bumps Ferentz's salary from roughly $3 million per season to nearly $3.7 million.
