Troy, Ala. (WBTW) – Coastal Carolina fell behind to the Troy Trojans from the opening kickoff and couldn’t overcome the early deficit in what proved to be a scoring slugfest in a 45-21 loss on the road at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Ala. on Saturday afternoon.
The loss snaps CCU’s winning streak at three-straight games and drops the Chants to 3-2 on the season and 1-1 in Sun Belt play. The Trojans improve to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in league play with the home win.
The Chants dominated the time of possession, holding the ball over 40 minutes (40:09) for the game, yet Troy was able to use special teams play, averaging 47.7 yards per kickoff return, and a big play offense that averaged 9.3 yards per play to outscore the visitors in white in the win.
Troy totaled 467 offensive yards for the game, including 282 yards on the ground, while CCU posted 317 yards of total offense, 172 yards through the air and 145 on the ground.
Getting the start for the injured Kilton Anderson, freshman quarterback Bryce Carpenter had a career-day, as he was 18-for-22 for 172 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed 18 times for 24 yards, as he was sacked nine times for the game.
On Saturday, Carpenter became just the second-ever true freshman to start at quarterback in CCU’s history, joining Ren McKinnon who started the final three games of the 2004 season as a true freshman.
Senior wideout Malcolm Williams did not take long to make history on Saturday afternoon, as he hauled in a 13-yard reception on the second play of the game to surpass the 1,000 career receiving yards mark at CCU. He is only the 10th player in Coastal history to reach the career milestone. With his team-high six catches for 64 yards, he has also recorded least one reception in nine-straight games.
Including Williams, seven different Chants caught at least one pass for the game, highlighted by tight end Shadell Bell’s two catches for 36 yards and his first career touchdown reception.
On the ground, senior running back Marcus Outlow toted the ball 19 times for a team-high 71 yards and a score, while fellow back Torrance Marable rushed 11 times for 46 yards and a touchdown.
Punter Charles Ouverson boomed a 64-yard punt in the fourth quarter, his career-long and just one yard shy of the school record set by Evan Rabon with a 65-yard punt last season at Appalachian State.
The defense which forced a fumbled and picked up an interception near their own end zone, was led by linebacker Silas Kelly’s team-high eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Corner backPreston Carey totaled six tackles and an interception, which came on CCU’s on six-yard line, while defensive end Jeffrey Gunter totaled five tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack.
The Trojans were led by the duo of Jabir Daughtry-Frye, who rushed for 140 yards on five carries, totaled 211 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns, and B.J. Smith who ran for 103 yards and two scores on just 10 carries for the game.
Troy quarterback Kaleb Barker was 12-for-15 for 143 yards and a touchdown, connecting with six different receivers for the contest.
The Trojans’ defense had eight different players register at least 0.5 a sack for the day, headlined by Jarvis Hayes (eight tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks) and Carlton Martial (eight tackles, 2.0 sacks).
For the second-straight season, Troy’s Marcus Jones ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, this time opening the game up with a 96-yard kickoff return to put the Trojans on top early at 7-0.
The Trojans continued to control the first quarter of play, as the home team used a wide receiver pass to score on a 35-yard pass from Luke Whittemore to Daughtry-Frye to double its lead at 14-0 with 8:30 to go in the opening quarter.
Less than five minutes later after another CCU punt, the Trojans used a 47-yard run from Smith on a third-and-13 to keep the drive alive, before punching the ball into the end zone from one-yard out to cap off a six-play, 80-yard drive and push the home team’s lead out to 21-0 in the first quarter.
With the quarter break came a shift in momentum, as the Chants got on the scoreboard in the second quarter on a Marable one-yard touchdown dive up the middle to highlight a 10-play, 71-yard drive by the offense and cut into the Trojans’ lead at 21-7.
Following a defensive stop that forced the Trojans into a three-and-out, the CCU offense methodically drove down the field, going 72-yards on 13 plays highlighted by eight rushes from Outlow, to close the gap to within one score at 21-14 on an Outlow one-yard touchdown plunge with 5:23 to go before the halftime break.
Coastal would get the ball back minutes later on a Troy fumble forced by Carey and recovered by linebacker Kelly, and looked to tie the game up, but turned the ball over on downs to give the ball back to the Trojans with 1:58 left in the second quarter.
The Trojans took advantage, as Tyler Sumpter booted a 46-yard field goal through the uprights to push the home team’s lead back to double digits at 24-14 heading into the halftime break.
Looking to get back to within one score out of the halftime break, the Chants’ Carpenter had his long pass attempt down the right sideline picked off by a leaping Troy defender at the Troy 24-yard line and returned 46 yards to the CCU 30-yard line.
Five plays later, the Trojans used a shovel pass from Barker to Deondre Douglas on a fourth-and-goal from two yards out to increase its lead to 17 at 31-14 with 10:47 to go in the third quarter.
On the ensuing CCU offensive possession, the Chanticleers picked up a first down on a third-and-three on an eight-yard pass from Carpenter to Williams and converted on a fourth-and-seven on a 19-yard pass and catch from Carpenter to Jeremiah Miller to set up a first and goal. Two plays later, Carpenter hit Bell across the middle for a 10-yard touchdown pass to put the visitors down 10 at 31-21 with 4:59 left to play in the third quarter.
The back-and-forth scoring affair continued, as the Trojans took just three plays to push its lead back out to 38-21 on a 17-yard touchdown scamper from Smith, taking just 1:05 off the game clock.
Troy added a 74-yard touchdown run from Daughtry-Frye in the fourth quarter to add to its lead in the 45-21 conference win.
The loss drops Coastal Carolina to 0-2 all-time versus the Trojans.
After three-straight road games, including two-consecutive in Sun Belt Conference play, the Chanticleers will have an open week next week before returning home to host ULM on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Brooks Stadium for Family Weekend.
