Five things we learned in East Carolina’s nonconference loss to Georgia State

It all started so well.

On the first play of the game, East Carolina safety Warren Saba picked off a Georgia State pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown.

Just six seconds into Saturday’s game, the visiting Pirates led 7-0.

But Georgia State scored the next 28 points and stymied East Carolina’s offense, handing the Pirates a 49-29 nonconference setback in Atlanta.

East Carolina (0-2) never scored an offensive touchdown and settled for field goals on three of the possessions in which it drove into Georgia State territory. Meanwhile, the Pirates’ defense was torched for more than 300 yards of offense by Georgia State in the first half.

The East Carolina defense stiffened in the second half, but the Pirates never could get close enough.

Their ground game was shut down by a strong Georgia State defense. East Carolina totaled only 50 rushing yards, and 31 of those came on a fake punt.

Quarterback Cornelious Brown IV, making his second career start for Georgia State (1-1), got most of his 238 passing yards in the first half, throwing three touchdowns in the game. The Panthers ran the ball most of the second half, after building a 35-10 halftime lead and setting a school record for most points in the first half.

Here are five things we learned from ECU’s loss to Georgia State:

The Pirates’ offensive line struggled

In addition to the rushing-game problems, quarterback Holton Ahlers was forced to scramble much of the day. He was sacked four times, had to hurry seven passes and was picked off three times.

If you take away Tyler Snead’s 31-yard run on the fake punt, East Carolina totaled 19 rushing yards on 25 carries.

Then again, Georgia State’s defense held a powerful Louisiana ground game to 14 points in regulation time in a loss last month.

The ECU defense recovered

Clearly, the Pirates’ defense was stunned in the first half. After the opening pick-six, Georgia State scored touchdowns on four of its next five possessions. Brown had three big-yardage completions, and the Pirates’ secondary was called for pass interference on another key play.

But the Pirates improved defensively after intermission. Georgia State had 389 total yards in the first half but only 96 yards in the second half. The Panthers’ Destin Coates, who ran for 150 yards against Louisiana, rushed for 110 yards Saturday and was held in check for chunks of the game.

The offense wasn’t a big factor

East Carolina scored its touchdowns on an interception, a fake field goal and a blocked punt. Pirates wide receiver Blake Proehl, of Providence High in Charlotte, ran the blocked kick back 29 yards for the final ECU touchdown.

The Pirates’ passing game was hurt by the pressure that Ahlers felt, and the ground attack obviously never got going.

On three drives when Ahlers got time to throw the ball, and the Pirates moved into Georgia State territory, they were forced to settle for Jack Verity field goals. It wasn’t enough in a game when East Carolina was trying to dig out of a big hole.

Still … the Pirates had a chance

When Proehl returned the blocked punt for a touchdown, East Carolina closed the gap to 42-29, with 8:07 remaining. But the Pirates’ next two possessions ended with an unsuccessful attempt to convert on fourth down, and a pick-six by Georgia State.

Next week offers a chance

East Carolina plays next Saturday at South Florida (7 p.m.). The Pirates were picked in preseason to finish 10th of the 11 American Athletic Conference teams. South Florida was picked for 11th place.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle