Liberty & Gardner-Webb Highlight Gameday with FBS Wins
Gardner-Webb Tops Akron, 38-37, in Overtime Saturday Afternoon
AKRON, Ohio - Juanne Blount scored from four yards out in overtime to tie the game, and Ryan Gates booted home the extra point to lift Gardner-Webb to a 38-37 win at Akron Saturday afternoon.
Senior cornerback Bryce Nixon gave Gardner-Webb (2-0) a chance to win in overtime on the previous possession, blocking a PAT attempt after Akron scored to start the extra period.
The win for Gardner-Webb was its first ever over a team from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Redshirt freshman quarterback Chandler Browning led the comeback charge, tossing two touchdowns in the second half to James Perry III. The Raleigh, N.C., native's first scoring pass came with 18 seconds left in the third quarter to cut the Akron lead to 31-24. That score capped a seven-play, 82-yard drive that included a key, 51-yard strike to tight end Josh Miller early in the drive.
The GWU defense stepped through with a stop on Akron's next drive, and Browning marched the Runnin' Bulldogs 86 yards in 14 plays to tie the game. He hit Perry from 13 yards out with 5:05 left in the game - and Gates booted home the PAT for a 31-31 score.
Akron (0-2) responded by driving all the way to the Gardner-Webb five-yard line, before running back Nate Burney was stripped by Dami Teniola and the loose ball was recovered by Nixon to thwart a go-ahead score by the Zips.
Gardner-Webb wasn't able to move the football after the turnover, and Akron took advantage of a roughing the passer penalty at the GWU 35-yard line to move well within field goal range with less than a minute to play.
Kicker Igot Ivelijic had to sweat out a pair of timeouts by Gardner-Webb with five seconds left, and missed a 34-yard kick that would have won the game as time expired in regulation.
Akron scored first in the overtime period, with Alex Allen diving across the goal line to cap a nine-yard run, but Nixon broke through with a dive off the left corner to block Ivelijic's PAT attempt and keep the Zips' lead at 37-31.
Gardner-Webb used a five-yard run by Blount, a seven-yard end around by Perry and a nine-yard completion from John Rock to Perry to set up Blount's scoring romp up the middle.
Browning finished the game 17-of-27 for 196 yards and two scores, and Rock finished 8-of-16 for 92 yards and one touchdown - a 14-yard strike to Jamal Patmon in the first half.
The 'Dogs were led again on the ground by Blount, who carried 18 times for 69 yards and the game winner - filling in again nicely for injured starter Patrick Hall, who missed his second game in a row.
Gardner-Webb outgained the Zips 391 yards to 389, managed 24 first downs and held the football for 45:26, controlling the football for large stretches in the final three quarters.
Nixon led the defense with nine tackles (eight solo), a fumble recovery, broken up pass and blocked extra point - all key plays for the 'Dogs. His pass break up in the end zone prevented a score on Akron's final drive in regulation and forced a field goal attempt with the game tied.
Courtney Roundtree added seven hits, and Cedric McGowan, Lyndrez Leslie and Dami Teniola each pitched in with six hits. McGowan had a 17-yard interception return in the second quarter that set up a GWU score - starting what would wind up a tremendous day for Gardner-Webb's two senior cornerbacks.
Akron was led by a pair of 100-yard efforts on the ground, with Allen (110 yards, 3 TD) and Burney (119 yards) leading the way.
The Zips led 21-17 at halftime, and pushed that lead to 31-17 before Gardner-Webb seized control of the game.
Brown and Defense Push Flames Past Ball State
MUNCIE, Ind. - Completing a day of upsets for Football Championship Subdivision programs, Liberty became the fourth FCS program to down a FBS team on Saturday. The Flames used a late touchdown by Mike Brown and numerous key defensive stands to upend Ball State, 27-23, inside Scheumann Stadium.
The win upped Liberty's record to 2-0 on the year and marked the program's second victory over a FBS team. The first came in a 25-24 stunner on Oct. 14, 1989, against another Mid-American Conference opponent, Eastern Michigan, in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Liberty missed becoming the first Big South Conference program in league history to post a FCS win over an FBS program by mere hours. Earlier today, Gardner-Webb upset Ball State's MAC conference foe Akron, 38-37, in Akron, Ohio.
A defensive shift for the Flames on the opening drive to a "4-3" scheme gave Liberty a quick edge and forced the home squad to punt the ball away following a three-and-out series.
Liberty then took to the air on its first drive of the contest to take a quick 7-0 lead at the 8:59 mark of the first quarter.
Eight of the plays on the 11-play, 79-yard scoring push were of the passing variety, spotlighted by two lengthy passes. The first was a 34-yard strike from Mike Brown to Ervin Garner on a third-and-10 play and the second was the 21-yard scoring pass to Summers after Brown avoided two would-be tacklers.
Ball State tried to answer right back on the next drive and managed to penetrate the Flames' 20-yard line on a 26-yard rush by MiQuale Lewis to the Liberty nine. However, Liberty's defense once again was able to stop the Cardinals and the home squad was forced to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Ian McGarvey with 5:25 left in the opening period.
Liberty responded and widened its lead on the next drive, as the Flames started to keep the ball on the ground a bit more on the ensuing drive. Four different players carried the ball on the 10-play, 69-yard drive.
The final player with a rushing attempt was SirChauncey Holloway. He used a block by offensive lineman Malcolm Boyd on the nearside of the field, allowing him to easily scamper in for a four-yard touchdown run with 11 seconds left in the quarter. The four-yard burst was the ninth of Holloway's career in 10 career games, giving Liberty a 14-3 advantage after 15 minutes of play.
The Cardinals appeared to trim the margin back to four points, when wide receiver Daniel Ifft scored on a 26-yard reverse play. But the scoring effort was called back after Ball State was whistled for an illegal block.
Ball State managed to get the ball to 14-yard line and elected to go for it on a fourth-and-two play, but linebacker Kyle O'Donnell was able to get behind the line of scrimmage and halt Lewis for a four-yard loss to keep the score at 14-3.
Both teams tried to tack on additional points during the final minutes of the second quarter, but both squads missed lengthy field goals that could have added three points to the scoreboard.
Liberty's miss, a 41-yard attempt by Matt Bevins, sailed just to the right of the goalpost, ending a seven-play, 27-yard Liberty drive with 57 seconds left before intermission.
Ball State's Keith Wenning was able to quickly move the Cardinals downfield, as the quarterback completed all four of his passing attempts for a total of 40 yards. Wenning's success got the ball to the 26-yard line, but McGarvey missed his 44-yard attempt to the left to leave the halftime score at 14-3.
Both teams used their passing games to move the ball during the opening 30 minutes of action. Liberty finished the first half with 204 total offensive yards, with 142 of those coming via the passing game. Ball State finished just behind Liberty with 197 total offensive yards, including 114 passing yards.
Brown was almost single handedly responsible for Liberty's yardage. He carried the ball eight times for 36 yards and completed 12-of-19 passing attempts for 142 yards. Summers was Brown's No. 1 target, as he caught six passes for 61 yards.
Wenning (5-of-6/50 yards) and Kelly Page (5-of-10/64 yards) shared quarterbacking duties for the Cardinals during the first half, with Cory Sykes was the home team's No. 1 rushing option with six carries for 32 yards.
Liberty took over possession of the ball to start the second half, but it only took three plays before Ball State got its hands of the ball.
Following two short-yardage receptions by Summers, Brown's attempt pass to Pat Kelly was picked off by Charlie Todd. Liberty's first turnover of the 2010 season was returned 36 yards by the cornerback for a touchdown, trimming Liberty's lead to four points, 14-10, 54 seconds into the third period.
Liberty managed to get to the Ball State 33-yard line on the next drive. Following two incomplete pass attempts, the visitors were forced to settle for another field goal attempt. However, Bevins' 50-yard attempt was blocked by Sean Baker and returned 10 yards.
Four plays later, Ball State took its first lead of the day, when Wenning tossed up a ball to Aaron Mershman and the freshman was able to corral in the 15-yard reception and get one foot in the end zone, giving the Cardinals a 17-14 edge with 9:54 left in the third quarter.
But the lead was short lived for the home team, as Brown found Summers open for a career-long reception by the junior. Following two plays that resulted in a loss of two yards, Brown found Summers over the middle of the field the wide receiver was able to outrun the defense. The 65-yard scoring reception gave Liberty a 21-17 lead with 8:47 left in the period.
A 43-yard kickoff return and a personal foul by Liberty on the coverage gave Ball State prime field position on the next play. But a defensive stand by the Flames kept the Cardinals from finding the end zone, as Ball State had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by McGarvey to pull Ball State with one, 21-20.
On the third play of the next drive, Brown threw his second interception of the day and of his career and the junior's attempted pass was returned by Baker 31 yards to the 14-yard line.
Ball State did manage to pick up a first down on a play that got to the two-yard line, but once again Liberty's defense was able to keep the Cardinals out of the end zone. McGarvey was called upon for a 21-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth, giving Ball State a 23-21 lead with 14:57 left in the game.
Following a third interception by Brown and a three-and-out series Ball State, Liberty took over possession of the football with just over nine minutes of play at their own 26-yard line.
Brown completed three-straight pass attempts to get to midfield and then used his legs to move the ball the rest of the way. Three-straight rushing plays by the Big South Preseason Offensive Player of the Year set up the eventual game-winning run.
Brown called his own number again on a second-and-goal play from the one yardline and the junior bowled his way into the end zone, taking Ball State linebacker Tony Martin along with him. Following a failed two-point attempt, Liberty held a 27-23 lead with 4:47 left to play.
Ball State used the tandem of Wenning and Eric Williams to move the ball quickly downfield into Liberty territory to try and respond.
However, the Flames battle-tested defense came up with one last defensive stand, as nose guard Asa Chapman was able to sack Wenning on a fourth-and-two play and Mike Connolly pounced on the loose ball to secure the victory with 38 seconds left in the game.
Liberty finished the game with 395 total offensive yards, with 276 of those yards coming via the passing game. Ball State tried to use a more balanced offensive attack, finishing with 145 rushing yards and 193 passing yards (for a total of 338 yards).
Brown finished the game by completing 24-of-38 passing attempts for 276 yards and two touchdowns. The junior also added 87 rushing yards on 18 attempts, including the game-winning one-yard run.
Summers posted his second-straight 100-yard game, as the junior hauled in 11 receptions for 146 yards and two scores. B.J. Hayes finished as Liberty's No. 2 receiver, recording six catches for 62 yards.
Larry Claiborne led the strong defensive effort for the Flames, as the defensive back finished the game with eight tackles and his first career fumble recovery.
O'Donnell followed behind with six stops, while Connolly, Bannon and Chapman were close behind with five stops apiece.
The Flames will continue their three-game road swing next weekend, when Liberty travels to Moon Township, Pa., to take on Robert Morris. Kickoff is slated for Noon inside Joe Walton Stadium.
The contest will be the home opener for the Colonials, who are coming off a 35-31 road victory over Sacred Heart, earlier today. Robert Morris (1-1) had to rally in the game, scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the winner with 17 seconds to secure its first win of the season.
Jackolski, Maysonet Push Football Past American International, 31-14
Stony Brook, N.Y. (Sept. 11, 2010) - Junior Brock Jackolski (Shirley, N.Y.) (167 yards) and sophomore Miguel Maysonet (Riverhead, N.Y.) combined for 325 rushing yards to lead the Stony Brook University football team to a 31-14 win over American International in the Seawolves' 2010 home opener. Jackolski and Maysonet scored three of the four Seawolves' touchdowns. Junior Matt Brevi (Tampa, Fla.) tallied the other.
On its second possession of the game, Stony Brook (1-1) got a break when American International (0-2) drew a penalty after running into sophomore punter Drew Evangelista (Cedar Grove, N.J.). SBU capitalized, driving 75 yards in just eight plays, capped by a 35-yard touchdown pass from junior Michael Coulter (Yorba Linda, Calif.) to Brevi. Maysonet, making his LaValle Stadium debut, also keyed the drive, running four times for 22 yards.
On their next drive from their own 33-yard line, the Seawolves promptly picked up two first downs on a 12-yard run by Jackolski and a 13-yard pass from Coulter to Brevi. Maysonet rushed for 22 more yards during the drive as the Seawolves reached the AIC 7. Stony Brook was unable to score a touchdown, but sophomore Wesley Skiffington (Brandon, Fla.) connected on a 20-yard field goal to put the Seawolves up by 10.
On the ensuing drive by AIC, Rob Parent connected on a 61-yard bomb to Davon LeGrier. Two plays later, Parent hit Stephen Benjamin for an eight-yard score.
But on Stony Brook's next possession, Jackolski, also making his LaValle Stadium debut, capped a nine-play, 60-yard drive with an 11-yard rush over right guard for the touchdown.
Stony Brook gained 194 first-half yards, with Coulter passing for 97 yards and the rushing game accounting for 97 as well.
The Seawolves held the Yellow Jackets to just 17 yards on the opening possession of the half. Following a downed punt on the 16, Jackolski spurred the SBU offense all by himself, accounting for 79 yards, including a 69-yard run to the Yellow Jackets' five. But the drive ended when Coulter's pass was intercepted by Terrence Holley and returned to the AIC 39.
After the Seawolves' defense halted American International, the duo of Maysonet and Jackolski continued to buoy the offense, as the former All-Long Island standouts accounted for 63 yards in a 70-yard drive. Jackolski ended the drive with a 17-yard touchdown to put SBU up by three scores.
Just minutes into the fourth quarter, Maysonet broke off a 48-yard touchdown run, his first as a Seawolf. Sophomore Wesley Skiffington (Brandon, Fla.) added the PAT, his fourth of the game.
Parent, who was 17-of-33 for 196 yards and two touchdowns, hit Andre Samuels for a 36-yard score with 3:30 left in the game.
Coulter was an efficient 9-of-13 for 128 yards and the one touchdown.
Senior captain Arin West (Toms River, N.J.) led the Seawolves' defense for the second straight week, totaling nine tackles. Junior Cedrick Moore (Lakewood, Calif.) and freshman Jawara Dudley (Roosevelt, N.Y.) each making their first start, accounted for five tackles apiece.
Stony Brook will be back on the road next weekend, traveling to take on Brown on Saturday afternoon at 12:30 pm. It will be the Bears' first game of the season.
Bucs Surrender Late Lead in 34-23 Loss to Wofford
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern did what they've failed to do in the past, which was lead Wofford in the fourth quarter, but the Bucs could not hold on to it as the Terriers scored twice in the last six minutes to take a 34-23 victory over CSU on Saturday.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Charleston Southern (1-1) and moved the all-time result to 13-0 in favor of Wofford (1-1).
Charleston Southern had 376 yards of offense, the third game in a row and fourth time in five games that CSU has posted more than 375 yards of offense, dating back to November 7, 2009 against Presbyterian.
A.J. Toscano completed 25 of his 41 passes, just the second time in his career that he has completed more than 20 passes. His favorite target on the day was Anthony Chalmers, who caught six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, although the TD strike actually came from the arm of Gerald Stevenson in the third quarter. The touchdown gave CSU a 16-13 lead with 4:43 left in the quarter. Stevenson also caught five passes for 56 yards, while James Nunley had a career-best four catches on 55 yards.
Chris Patrick led the defense with a career-best 14 tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage. Chris Kuzdale had nine tackles for the second game in a row.
As usual, it was the rushing attack of Wofford that proved too much for CSU, with three running backs with 50 yards or more, led by Eric Breitenstein's 97-yard, two-touchdown day.
The Bucs held a number of leads throughout the game, beginning on the first possession of the game as CSU moved down the field going 80 yards in 12 plays to score on a six-yard pass from Toscano to Deon Lee.
A Christian Reed 30-yard field goal and a Mike Rucker 76-yard run put the Terriers up 10-7, but John Paglia split the upright from 45 yards out to tie the game 10-10 just after halftime.
Just before the break, CSU tried to execute a fake field goal to take a lead into halftime, and although they got the look they wanted, the holder couldn't keep a handle on the ball and a fumbled snap thwarted the attempt before it began.
Reed hit again from 39 yards out, but the halfback pass from Stevenson to Chalmers gave CSU a 16-13 lead after the extra point was missed.
The two teams traded touchdowns as the game went into the fourth quarter, with DeMarcus Moon scampering in from a yard out to put CSU up 23-20 with 10:58 to go in the game.
It was Wofford two put together two drives of 58 and 65 yards in the game's final six minutes to take the 34-23 victory in Charleston.
Charleston Southern will remain at home next weekend as the entertain Mars Hill for a 1:30 p.m. kick off. Wofford will open their home schedule with a contest against Union (Ky.) in Spartanburg.
PC's Second-Half Surge Not Enough In 58-21 Loss
CLEMSON, S.C. - Playing in Death Valley for the first time since 1957, the Presbyterian College football team scored the most points it ever had against Clemson, but was unable to win, falling 58-21.
The Blue Hose now stand at 0-2 on the year while the Tigers improve to 2-0.
In the opening half, Clemson jumped out to a 7-0 lead after forcing PC to a three-and-out on its first possession of the game. The Tigers blocked the kick and scored three plays later.
The Blue Hose tried to respond on the ensuing possession. On first-and-10 from the 25, Michael Ruff carried the ball on a reverse for four yards. Trandon Dendy then bounced around the right side for a 16-yard gainer and a first down. However, PC was unable to get another first down, stopping the drive.
Trailing 14-0, LJ Perry came unblocked from the right side, drilling Kyle Parker for a sack. Perry also forced a fumble on the play, which was recovered by Clemson 22 yards behind the original line of scrimmage. The Blue Hose forced a punt on the play, but could not gain anything from it on their next possession.
Late in the second quarter, Myron Gary came in for Brandon Miley at the quarterback spot. Gary connected on his first two passes to Jeremy Cole for 14 yards after opening the drive with a three-yard run of his own. With the ball near midfield, PC's third-and-one could not be converted, giving the ball back to Clemson.
Punter Patrick Morgano pinned the ball to the four-yard line after recording a 53-yard punt.
After Clemson scored the first 10 points of the second half, the Blue Hose offense came to life. Miley started the drive by hitting Patrick McKoy for a six-yard gain. After a rush for three, Clemson was called for a 15-yard penalty, giving the Blue Hose the ball on the 43.
Miley drilled a pass to Shawn Armstrong for eight yards and Lance Byrd hit the hole for seven. On second and 10, Miley scrambled for a 19-yard gain, putting the ball at the 23. After a rush for nine by Byrd, Ruff caught a 10-yard pass, putting PC at the four. On second and goal, Miley rolled left, turned and fired the ball across the end-zone to Ruff for the touchdown.
Gary came in on the second possession of the fourth quarter and found that his scrambling ability kept the Tigers off-guard. He hit Ruff for nine and followed it up with a 19-yard run. After two straight holding penalties, Gary ran for four. Then, on third-and-goal from the 20, Gary zipped a pass to Ruff for the 20-yard touchdown.
Clemson answered with a touchdown with 6:18 to play, but missed the extra point.
Using solid clock management, Gary led the team on a nine-play, 73-yard touchdown drive. Gary kept the ball for 17 yards before hitting Ruff for 14. A pass interference call gave PC the ball on the two. On third-and-goal, Byrd ran off the right tackle for the score with just 21 ticks remaining.
For the game, the Blue Hose posted 140 yards rushing on 36 attempts and hit for 139 yards passing. For the first time in his career at PC, Dendy did not lead the team in rushing as Gary totaled 53 yards on seven carries. Dendy totaled 41 yards on 10 carries.
Miley hit 11-22 for 61 yards while Gary tossed 6-11 for 78 yards. Both had a touchdown pass.
Ruff led the way with a career-high eight catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Morgano had eight punts and averaged 43.9 yards. He also put two inside the 20, including one inside the five.
Justin Bethel led the defense with seven solo stops and one assist. He also had two highlight-reel stops. Matt Roper picked off a pass while Perry had a tackle for loss.
Tribe Blanks Keydets, 45-0
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William & Mary Tribe intercepted five passes and handed VMI a 45-0 setback Saturday night at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg.
VMI suffered its first loss of the season and fell to 1-1. The Tribe victory in its home opener evened the host's season mark to 1-1.
William & Mary quarterback Mike Callahan keyed the Tribe attack by completing 12 of 17 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Ryan Moody, who hauled in four passes for 110 yards.
VMI senior half back Gabe Itoka led all ground gainers with 85 yards on 21 carries. William & Mary tailback Jonathan Grimes rushed for 71 yards and three touchdowns.
The Keydets were shutout for the first time in 61 games - a scoring streak that dated back to the 2004 season.
VMI took the opening drive and moved into William & Mary territory at the 43, but on a third-and-10 situation, starting quarterback Cam Jones had his pass picked off over the middle by Tribe strong safety Brian Thompson who raced 22 yards up the right sideline to the VMI 43. The Keydet defense forced the Tribe to punt on a three-and-out and the Keydets were able to escape further damage.
VMI was forced to punt on its ensuing drive and the Tribe special teams produced the game's first points. Return man B.W. Webb took a Marc Ray punt back 64 yards down the right boundary for a touchdown. David Miller's extra point was good and William & Mary took a 7-0 lead with 9:55 remaining in the first quarter.
The Keydets bounced back with a 13-yard run by Itoka to the William & Mary 50, followed by a Jones 12-yard pass to wideout T.J. Talley to the Tribe 38. After a four-yard rush by Itoka, the drive stalled with a false start penalty and a two-yard rushing loss. The Keydets saw their best first half penetration into Tribe territory end when a fourth-and-two rush was thwarted at the 30.
William & Mary then moved 58 yards on nine plays but had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Miller to put the home team up, 10-0. A 33-yard pass from Callahan to Cameron Doshe was the big play of the possession which gave the Tribe a 10-0 lead with 2:56 left in the quarter.
The Tribe tallied its first offensive touchdown of the night in the opening seconds of the second quarter when it moved 66 yards in six plays on a drive capped by tailback Jonathan Grimes one-yard TD run. Another Callahan long pass play - this one to Moody covering 47 yards - keyed the drive. William & Mary led, 17-0, with 14:24 left in the second quarter.
Callahan teamed with Moody again for a 29-yard pass to spark William & Mary's next scoring drive that covered eight plays and 70 yards. Callahan tossed his lone touchdown of the evening to senior wide receiver Chase Hill on a 23-yard strike and following the extra point, William & Mary led 24-0 with 5:18 left in the half.
An interception by William & Mary free safety Terrell Wells set up the Tribe's last score of the half as it moved 52 yards in six plays to set-up a four yard TD run by Grimes with 1:30 left in the second quarter. A Callahan to Moody pass again led the way, this one covering 24 yards to the VMI 4. The Tribe took a 31-0 lead into the locker room.
Grimes' third touchdown of the evening, a one-yard dive at the 3:54 mark of the third quarter, capped a four-play, 48-yard drive that was set up by an interception.
William & Mary completed its scoring when redshirt freshman Jerome Couplin snatched a deflected pass from quarterback Eric Kordenbrock intended to tight end Josh Favaro and raced 22 yards for a touchdown with 6:50 left in the game.
VMI's bid to avoid a shutout fell short when Jeff Sexton's 47-yard field goal missed with 13:31 left in the game. The Keydets had moved to the William & Mary 17 during the drive.
The Tribe outgained VMI, 391-239, but limited the Keydet ground game to just 18 yards in the second half. William & Mary converted four-of-five scoring chances in the red zone.
VMI has an open date before facing Virginia on Saturday, September 25 in Charlottesville.
Coastal Carolina Falls in Five Overtimes at Towson
TOWSON, Md, - The game between Coastal Carolina and Towson was tied at the end of regulation, as well as the first through fourth overtimes, However, the Tigers were able to convert its two-point conversion and the Chanticleers could not in the fifth overtime to give Towson the 47-45 victory Saturday evening at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
Late in the fourth, Towson (1-1) took advantage of a pass interference call to continue its drive, which ended with a fourth down, four-yard touchdown pass from Chris Hart to Alex Blake with 25 seconds left in the game. Nick Wallace added the point after to force overtime.
In the first OT, both team made field goals. Wallace hit from 34 yards and Justin Durham made a 42 yarder. In the second overtime, both team scored touchdowns, but Coastal's PAT went wide left and the Towson PAT hit the left upright. The team each scored touchdowns in the third extra frame. By rule, teams must go for two starting with the third OT and both teams failed to convert. In the fourth overtime, Durham nailed a 43-yard field goal, while Towson's Wallace answered from 27 yards out.
In the fifth, and ultimately final overtime, Hakeem Moore scored on the first play, a 25=yard TD strike from Hart. On the two-point conversion, Johnny Hartsfield knocked the ball loose from Hart, but the Tiger QB was able to recover and get into the endzone. Coastal used six plays, but did score on a five-yard Zach MacDowall to Eric O'Neal pass. On the two-point try, MacDowall tried to hit Jamie Childers in the endzone, but the pass fell incomplete to end the battle.
The Chants (0-2) took the opening kickoff and scored on their first drive to take an early 7-0 lead. Key to the drive was a 24-yard MacDowall to Childers completion on third and seven and a 12-yard MacDowall to Brandon Whitley completion. O'Neal reeled off a 15-yard run to the one, then capped the drive with a one-yard dive into the endzone.
There was a lot of excitement in the latter part of the first half, which led to nothing essentially. While Coastal lost the ball on a fumble on its third drive, CCU junior Marcus Lott came up with an impressive interception, corralling a tipped pass on the sideline. While the Chants appeared to have lost the ball again on an interception, an offsides and unsportsmanlike penalties against Towson gave Coastal first and 10 on the 35. The drive stalled and CCU ultimately had to punt.
Towson got on track as the first half drew to a close, despite avoiding a near interception by Dominique Davenport, successfully converting a fourth and short from the 11. After Tiger quarterback Chris Hart picked up four yards to the five on first down, Hart looked to have a clear path to the endzone but senior Chris Walls made a shoe-string tackle at the two. Hart then tried to leap into the endzone on third down, but was stopped by E.J. Brown and Dexter Holman. One fourth and goal from the one, Hart could not find an open receiver and his pass fell incomplete out of the back of the endzone with 1:36 left before the break. Coastal was able to run out the clock to preserve the 7-0 lead at the break.
To start the second half, Coastal looked to have stopped Towson, but a ruffing the quarterback call gave the Tigers new life, eventually leading to a 24-yard Hart to Moore touchdown pass to tie the contest at 7-7.
Coastal Carolina answered right back with a 10-play, 65-yard drive, capped by a one-yard MacDowall run, to regain a seven-point advantage (14-7). The drive was kept alive by an 11-yard Racheed Gause run and a 16-yard MacDowall completion to Childers and a 17-yard completion to O'Neal. Once to the Towson 14, MacDowall took over with a run to the four, a run to the one and his one-yard score.
Coastal's defense forced a three and out and rode that momentum to pad its lead. After a dropped pass, MacDowall went right back to Willis, who had a 16-yard gain and first down. As the fourth quarter began Duran picked up a first down on third-and-three on a seven-yard completion from MacDowall. Two plays later, Gause scored on a quick hitter up the middle for an 10-yard touchdown and a 21-7 CCU lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers changed the momentum on the first play after the CCU kickoff to go up 14. Hart hit Moore on a 57-yard pass to the Coastal four. On third and goal, Hart found Oboh for a two-yard TD pass and making the score 21-14.
O'Neal and MacDowall each scored two rushing TDs for the Chants, while Gause had one to go with his 56 yards on 13 carrries. MacDowall finished 19-of-33 for 185 yards and a TD. Defensively, Andrae Jacobs once again paced the Chants with 11 stops, while Holman, Walls, Desmond Steward and Lott each added seven.
Coastal Carolina will play its 2010 home opener this coming Saturday (Sept. 18), hosting Georgia Southern at 6 pm at Brooks Stadium for Armed Forces/Public Servants Day.