ATLANTA — Coastal Carolina secured its spot in the postseason by dominating Georgia State with a final score of 48-27, achieving their sixth victory of the season in the regular season finale on Saturday.

With this win, the Chanticleers concluded their season with a record of 6-6 and a 3-5 mark in the Sun Belt East division. Conversely, Georgia State finished the season at 3-9, managing just one victory across eight conference matchups.

The game kicked off with Ethan Vasko connecting with Senika McKie for a 10-yard touchdown pass, giving Coastal Carolina an early lead in the first quarter. However, Georgia State responded with a 28-yard field goal from Liam Rickman, followed by a 19-yard touchdown run from Freddie Brock, putting the Panthers ahead 10-7 in the second quarter.

Vasko then threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Zach Courtney, reclaiming the lead for Coastal Carolina, with Kade Hensley adding a 43-yard field goal before halftime, giving the Chanticleers a 17-10 advantage.

The second half began with Christian Washington scoring on an 18-yard run, extending Coastal Carolina’s lead to 24-10 early in the third quarter. Vasko and McKie linked up again for a 31-yard touchdown pass, followed by Vasko’s own 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, pushing the score to 38-10 with just under ten minutes remaining.

For the game, Vasko achieved 13 completions on 17 attempts for a total of 200 passing yards. He also rushed 13 times for 68 additional yards. Washington was a standout on the ground, recording 124 yards on 20 carries, while McKie secured five receptions totaling 81 yards.

Despite racking up 428 total yards of offense, Georgia State struggled with ball security, turning the ball over six times. Quarterback Christian Veilleux completed 15 of 26 passes for 205 yards but faced adversity with four interceptions and a fumble throughout the game.