Coastal Carolina Delivers Second Straight Loss to Arkansas State with Impressive Performance
Coastal Carolina’s football team secured their second consecutive victory as they defeated Arkansas State with an outstanding performance on Saturday night. Led by quarterback Grayson McCall, who threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns, Coastal Carolina dominated the game with a final score of 27-17. The match, held at Centennial Bank Stadium, drew an announced crowd of 18,228.
Arkansas State Coach Butch Jones expressed disappointment in his team’s performance, stating that they played quality football in spurts but failed to maintain consistency throughout the entire game. He particularly highlighted the impact of turnovers, as Arkansas State had gone three straight games without one but suffered two in this match. These turnovers ultimately led to 10 points for Coastal Carolina.
The scoring began late in the first quarter when Coastal Carolina’s Kade Hensley kicked a 38-yard field goal. This came after linebacker Shane Bruce intercepted a deflected pass from Arkansas State’s quarterback, Jaylen Raynor, giving Coastal Carolina excellent field position.
Despite Raynor’s strong performance, completing 19 of 35 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns, his two interceptions proved costly for Arkansas State. Raynor also led the team in rushing, accumulating 64 yards on 11 carries.
Early in the second quarter, an illegal formation penalty nullified a touchdown run by ASU’s Ja’Quez Cross, hampering Arkansas State’s progress. The team faced additional setbacks from untimely penalties, being flagged nine times for a total of 103 yards.
Coastal Carolina took advantage of Arkansas State’s mistakes, capitalizing on a penalty-ridden possession to score an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. McCall connected with Sam Pinckney for an 8-yard touchdown pass, extending Coastal Carolina’s lead to 10-0 with 6:16 left in the second quarter.
Despite Raynor’s impressive 68-yard catch and run with Corey Rucker, another penalty against Arkansas State erased a 1-yard touchdown run by Raynor. However, the team managed to salvage three points when Dominic Zvada kicked a 34-yard field goal, making the score 10-3 with 4:46 left in the first half.
Coastal Carolina continued their offensive dominance towards the end of the second quarter, with McCall throwing a 7-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Karr. This widened their lead to 17-3 at halftime.
The third quarter saw Arkansas State finally reach the end zone when Raynor connected with Emmanuel Stevenson for a 10-yard touchdown pass. The score narrowed the gap to 17-10, providing some hope for a comeback.
Arkansas State’s defense stepped up their game in the second half, putting pressure on McCall and disrupting Coastal Carolina’s offensive rhythm. Melique Straker led the Red Wolves’ defense with 11 tackles, while Charles Willekes made 10 stops, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
With 11:40 left in the game, McCall was forced out of the match after receiving a hit from Trevian Thomas while attempting to slide. Ethan Vasko replaced McCall at quarterback for Coastal Carolina. Despite the setback, Coastal Carolina’s Kade Hensley kicked a 22-yard field goal, extending their lead to 20-10 with 9:54 remaining.
Raynor was intercepted by Coastal Carolina’s Tobias Fletcher, providing the Chanticleers with excellent field position at the Red Wolves’ 37-yard line. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jarrett Guest rushed for a 3-yard touchdown to stretch Coastal Carolina’s lead to 27-10 with 3:54 left.
Arkansas State managed to score one final touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Raynor to Courtney Jackson, reducing the deficit to 27-17 with 2:49 remaining. However, Coastal Carolina effectively ran out the clock to secure the victory.
Reflecting on the game, Coach Butch Jones commended his team’s competitiveness and acknowledged their disappointment in the loss. He emphasized the importance of learning from mistakes and improving in future games.
Overall, Coastal Carolina’s impressive performance and ability to capitalize on turnovers proved to be the deciding factor in their victory over Arkansas State. With back-to-back wins, they continue to establish themselves as a formidable team in the college football arena.
