Atlanta, Ga.(WBTW) – Coastal Carolina football scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and 17 of the last 24 points in the game, as freshman place kicker Massimo Biscardi kicked a 23-yard field goal with 2:54 left in the contest to lead the Chanticleers to a 37-34 come from behind win over the Georgia State Panthers in Sun Belt Conference East Divisional play on Saturday at Petit Field at Georgia State Stadium.
The Chants got a three-yard touchdown run by sophomore back Alex James with 9:46 to go in the fourth quarter to tie the game up at 34-34. After a diving pass breakup by senior corner back Mallory Claybourne on a third-and-12 forced the Panthers to punt the football back to the Chants, the Coastal offense drove 76 yards and took 3:56 off the clock to set up Biscardi’s game-winning field goal.
The Panthers had a chance to tie or take the lead over the last 2:54 of the game, however, the CCU defense came up big with a 10-yard sack from linebacker Teddy Gallagher and a pass breakup by corner back Preston Carey on a third-and-six to force the home team to go for it on fourth down.
On the fourth-and-six on the CCU 36-yard line, the Panthers went for it as Dan Ellington’s pass was just off the fingertips and out of reach of wide receiver Penny Hart and fell to the ground to turn the ball over on downs and seal the three-point win for the Chants.
The win pushes Coastal Carolina to 5-3 overall on the season, 4-2 in road contests and 2-2 in Sun Belt play. Saturday’s victory was the second-straight for the Chants, the seventh win over their last 10 games and puts CCU just one game away from becoming bowl eligible in its first year of eligibility.
The loss drops Georgia State to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in conference pay.
The Coastal offense again just missed 500 total yards for the game, as the Chants totaled 476 yards, including 251 yards on the ground. However, Georgia State put up 521 yards of total offense on just 59 plays, including 290 yards in the rushing game.
Sophomore running back CJ Marable led the Chants with 128 rushing yards and a score on just 12 carries, his first-career 100-yard rushing game as a member of the CCU football team. Marable, who had 103 yards on the ground in the first half, also added a 48-yard reception in the fourth quarter to help set up the game-winning field goal.
Getting his first career start and becoming just the third true freshman quarterback to make a start in the shotgun in CCU history, Fred Payton was 12-for-17 for 222 yards, a touchdown, and also rushed a career-high 17 times for 71 yards.
Six different receivers hauled in at least one catch for the Chanticleers for the game, headlined by Malcolm Williams’ four catches for 90 yards and a touchdown and Ky’Jon Tyler with three catches for 30 yards and two rushes for 28 yards and a rushing score, the first of his career.
Defensively, playing in place of an injured Silas Kelly, Gallagher led the Chants with a team-high eight tackles, all solo stops, 3.0 tackles for loss and a 10-yard sack on the last Panthers’ drive.
Safety Fitz Wattley also added eight stops for the game, while defensive end Jeffrey Guntertotaled six tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss.
Punter Charles Ouverson recorded punts of 55 and 46 yards for the game in helping switch the field for the Chanticleers, an average of 50.5 yards per punt, while Biscardi was a perfect 3-for-3 in field goals with makes of 32, 22 and 23 yards in the win.
For the Panthers offensively, Ellington threw for 231 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-25 pass attempts and rushed for 70 yards and a scored. Running backs Tra Barnett (11 carries, 161 yards, two touchdowns) and Seth Paige (12 carries on 59 yards and a touchdown) combined to run for 220 yards, while preseason all-American Perry Hart caught six passes for 118 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
Uncharacteristic of the starts this season for the Chanticleers, CCU got on the scoreboard first as the visitors in white went 60 yards on nine plays on the opening drive of the game to take a 3-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal by Biscardi with 10:07 to go in the first quarter.
The defense responded with a stop on the Panthers’ first offensive possession, as defensive tackle Sterling Johnson broke through the offensive line on a third-and-10 and forced Ellington to throw the ball away and pick up an intentional grounding call. The penalty moved GSU out of field goal range and forced the Panthers to punt.
On the second offensive series of the game, Marable took the hand off on a third-and-1 on the CCU 20-yard line and found a hole on the right side which he burst through and sprinted down the right side line for an 80-yard touchdown to put the Chants up double digits at 10-0 with 5:57 to go in the opening quarter of play.
The 80-yard touchdown run by Marable is tied for the 18th-longest scoring play in CCU history and is also tied for the second-longest touchdown rush in Chants’ history behind Mike Tolbert’s 86-yard rushing score at VMI in 2007.
After the defense forced a three-and-out, a 26-yard punt return by Tyler and a 15-yard personal foul penalty by the Panthers, the Chant offense just needed two plays to add to its lead as Payton found an open Williams in the end zone with an over the shoulder 25-yard touchdown grab to push the Coastal lead to 17-0 after the extra point.
Following a 36-yard touchdown pass and catch from Ellington to Hart to put the Panthers on the scoreboard with 2:10 to go in the first quarter, the Chants took their time moving down the field on their next offensive possession, going 61 yards on 13 plays over 6:41 on the game clock. The drive was halted at the Panthers’ four-yard line, where Biscardi hit a 22-yard field goal to put the score at 20-7 in favor of the guys in teal.
Georgia State returned the favor, as the Panthers took the ball from the GSU 25-yard line, off a fair catch on the kickoff, and went down the field in 15 plays and 7:10 to score on a Paige one-yard touchdown plunge up the middle.
A bad snap and hold caused the home team in blue to fail on the point-after attempt to put the score at 20-13 in favor of the Chants with 3:08 to go before the halftime break.
The Panthers, who won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, took just one play out of the halftime intermission, a 75-yard touchdown run by Barnett off the left side of the offensive line, to tie the game up at 20-20 just 12-seconds into the second half.
On its next offensive possession, the Panthers took the lead on a 42-yard run by Ellington to cap off a four-play, 75-yard drive to take their first lead of the game at 27-20 with 11:45 left in the third quarter.
Behind for the first time all game, the Coastal offense refused to go down without a fight, as the visitors quickly answered on its ensuing possession. CCU used a 28-yard pass from Payton toJaivon Heiligh to get into Panthers’ territory where they then rushed it four times for 47 yards, highlighted by an end-around option play that freed up Tyler for the 28-yard rushing score. The 28-yard rush, the first of Tyler’s career, tied the game up at 27-27 midway through the third period.
After the two teams traded fumbles, the Panthers jumped back out in front late in the quarter as Barnett capped off an 85-yard drive, started by a CCU fumble on the GSU 15-yard line, with a 42-yard scramble and score to retake the lead at 34-27.
With a third-and-1 on the GSU 45-yard line to start the fourth quarter, the Chants went back to the legs of Marable who ran off the left side for a five-yard gain and a first down at the Panthers’ 40-yard line.
After a 22-yard pass to Williams on a second-and-10 and a 14-yard pass across the middle to Tyler, the Chants moved inside the GSU 10-yard line. A six-yard rush by Payton set up a three-yard dive up the middle by James to knot the game back up at 34-34 with just under 10 minutes in the game.
A defensive stop and a 10-play 76 yard drive set up Biscardi for what proved to be a 23-yard game-winning field goal with 2:54 to go in the game.
The Chants return home to host Appalachian State as part of Homecoming Week on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m. ET in Brooks Stadium.
