COASTAL CAROLINA 15, PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE 8 | GAME STATS
Playing the final home game of the 2011 season, Coastal Carolina senior Jamie Childers threw a 35-yard touchdown to DeMario Bennett with 4:44 left to give the Chanticleers a 15-8 win over Presbyterian College on Senior Day at Brooks Stadium Saturday evening.  PC falls to 2-7 overall and 1-3 in the Big South, while Coastal Carolina improves to 5-4 and 2-3 in the League.

Childers played a key role in a game where he was only set to see spot duty at tight end coming off a four-week knee injury.  Childers would end up starting at tight end on Senior Day, but would be called into action as the quarterback midway through the second quarter when CCU starter Aramis Hillary was sidelined for the game with an ankle injury.

Childers would only complete two passes, on 14 attempts, for 49 yards and a score.  Hillary was 7-of-8 for 76 yards before leaving with his injury.

Fellow senior Josh Norman also had a big game in his final time at Brooks Stadium, getting an interception (the 13th of his career), forcing a fumble, blocking a field goal attempt (his fourth career blocked kick) and getting a quarterback hurry on the second-to-last play of the game.

The Chants took the opening kickoff and drove 64 yards to take an early 7-0 lead.  The drive nearly stalled on the PC 39, but Hillary picked up three yards on fourth-and-one to move the chains.  Hillary then hit Chris Presley for a 21-yard gain and, two plays later, found Dushawn Davis for a 17-yard gain to the two.  Hillary capped the drive with a two-yard plunge into the endzone and Grant Clayton added the extra point for the 7-0 lead.

The Blue Hose threatened on their first possession but Norman picked off a pass.  However, Coastal would fumble the ball the ball back when Derren Evans sacked Hillary with Xavier Boatwright recovering the ball.  PC started its drive on the 14, but Coastal's defense would only allow four yards and the Blue Hose would settle for a 27-yard Aaron Mayes field goal, making the score 7-3.

Midway through the second half, Presbyterian cut its deficit to one, 7-6, when Mayes split the uprights from 37 yards outs.  The 13-play drive took 5:28 off the clock.  The Chanticleers would later attempt a 41-yard field goal with :18 seconds left in the first half, but it was blocked by Brian Davis, the fourth of his career, and the Blue Hose were able to preserve the one-point deficit heading into the locker room.

After a quiet beginning to the third quarter, Presbyterian punter Patrick Morgano had a 46-yard punt which rolled out of bounds at the CCU one.  On the next play, Donelle Williams, who had a game-high eight tackles with two TFL, dropped Coastal's Travis Small in the endzone for a safety and an 8-7 PC lead.

After a Coastal punt, PC was in scoring range before quarterback Ryan Singer fumbled the ball and recovered it for a seven-yard loss on the 25 yards line.  Mayes came on to attempt a 42-yard field goal, but Norman blocked the kick and Philip George returned the loose ball to the PC 49 on the final play of the third quarter.  Ultimately, Coastal could not take advantage as its 42-yard field goal sailed wide left.

Neither offense would move the ball over the next three possessions.  Then, with under five minutes to play and Coastal facing third-and-six, Childers hit Bennett down the right sideline for a 35-yard touchdown.  Cody Craig came on at quarterback and ran in the two-point try to give Coastal a 15-8 lead.

PC returned the ensuing kickoff eight yards to its own 25 with 4:44 remaining in the game.  After an incomplete pass and a six-yard sack by Derrick Frasier, PC was faced with a third-and-16.  Singer completed a 20-yard pass to the PC 39 to keep the drive alive.  The Blue Hose would go on to convert two fourth downs in the drive, including a fourth-and-five (getting six yards) and a fourth-and-eight (getting 19 yards).  On the Coastal 16, with under a minute left, PC gained two yards, had a false start penalty and gained five yards.  Then, with 23 ticks left, Singer was forced to throw the ball away on third down before throwing an incompletion on fourth to turn the ball over on downs and seal the win for the Chants.

Singer completed 18-of-32 passes for 137 yards with an interception.  Lance Byrd added 94 yards on the ground for PC.  The Blue Hose rushed for 109 yards, compared to Coastal Carolina's 71 on the night.  PC also led in the air 137-123 and ended eth game with 246 total yards, compared to 196 for the Chanticleers.  The Blue Hose also controlled time of possession, 31:00 - 21:58, and had five more first downs, 17-12.

Leading Coastal Carolina on the ground was Small, who rushed for 64 yards on 13 carries, while Bennett paced team in receptions with two for 41 yards, including the 35-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.  Andre Jacobs led defensively with seven tackles.

Coastal will hit the road for its final two games of 2011.  The Chanticleers will conclude Big South play next Saturday (Nov. 12) at Charleston Southern.  Kickoff is set for 1:30 pm.  The Blue Hose return home for the final two games of the season, the first against VMI, Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.

#22/22 LIBERTY 37, VMI 31 | GAME STATS | HIGHLIGHTS
For the second week in a row, the Flames were pushed the entire length of the game and for the second-straight game, the home team responded.  A 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown put No. 22/22 Liberty ahead for good, allowing the Flames to secure a hard-fought 37-31 Big South victory over VMI, Saturday afternoon, in Liberty's final regular-season home contest.

With the victory today, Liberty moves to 7-3 on the season and gives the Flames their sixth-straight win.  The Flames also move to 5-0 in Big South play and will be playing for an opportunity for its fifth-straight Big South title in two weeks against Stony Brook.

The Keydets were the first team to crack the Williams Stadium scoreboard, finding the end zone on their second possession of the game.  After forcing the Flames to punt following a three-and-out series on Liberty's first possession, VMI took over near midfield.  On the third play of the drive, Kevin Fogg nearly made up for fumbling the ball on the opening kickoff, as the junior almost created the game's second turnover.

However, his missed interception left Tracy Hairston open for a 55-yard touchdown reception, as the senior took the pass from Eric Kordenbrock and scored to give VMI a 7-0 lead with 9:41 left to play in the first quarter. 

Trailing for the first time during the first half this year in a Big South game, Liberty quickly responded with a nine-play, 74-yard scoring drive to pull within one point.  Mike Brown rapidly moved the Flames downfield, completing 5-of-6 pass attempts, with all but one of his completions going for 10 or more yards.  The fifth was a 16-yard completion to B.J. Hayes, getting the Flames down to the one-yard line.  Brown then handed the ball off to Aldreakis Allen, who muscled his way into the end zone for his seventh rushing touchdown of the year at the 5:53 mark.  Alex Kacere pulled the point-after attempt wide, allowing VMI to cling to a 7-6 edge.

However, the lead did not last long, as Liberty jumped in front less than a minute later.  The Flames got their first turnover of the day, when Nick Sigmon intercepted a Kordenbrock pass over the middle on the first play of the next drive, giving Liberty the ball at the visitor's 24-yard line.

The Keydets defense was able to hold Liberty's offense in check, allowing them to only gain six yards.  Kacere was able to make up for his earlier kicking mishap, knocking down a 35-yard field goal at 4:45 to give the Flames a 9-7 lead.

The game's see-saw battle continued, as the Keydets responded, thanks to the accurate throwing arm of Kordenbrock.  The sophomore completed all six of his pass attempts, including a three-yard slant to Hairston to allow VMI to reclaim the lead.  The three-yard pass play completed a 12-play, 61-yard effort for the Keydets, giving VMI a 14-9 lead with 12:50 left to play in the first half.

A second Liberty miscue on special teams allowed VMI to quickly regain possession and widen its lead to eight points.  James Devens' kickoff following the Keydets second touchdown was a short one that was misplayed by Liberty's Chase Griffiths.  The ball bounced off the sophomore's chest and into VMI's charging defenders.  The Flames defense managed to contain VMI's offensive attack after the turnover, forcing the visitors to settle for a 37-yard Devens' field goal to push the Keydets lead to 17-9.

Liberty responded with its own 12-play push, pulling back within a point for the second time during the opening half of play.  The 78-yard drive, which featured a solid mixture of Liberty's rush and pass attack, was capped off by a three-yard pass from Brown to Brandon Apon in the far corner of the end zone to trim VMI's lead to 17-16 with 6:16 left before halftime.

Both teams had one last chance to score in the first half, but neither would, allowing VMI to take the one-point edge into the locker room at the break.  The first half stat sheet looked about as even as the halftime score, with Liberty outgaining VMI by 10 yards (203 yards to 193 yards).  The passing attack was the weapon of choice for both programs, with the two teams throwing for a combined 288 first half yards.

Brown completed 13-of-19 passing attempts for 122 yards, while Kordenbrock threw for 166 yards by completing 13-of-20 attempts.  Brown threw for one touchdown with Kordenbrock doubling up Brown's first half touchdown total.  Chris Summers was Liberty's leading receiver with five catches for 48 yards, while Trent White led all wide outs with seven receptions for 65 yards.  Hairston was close behind with three receptions for 64 yards and both VMI's touchdown receptions.

Brown was Liberty's largest ground gainer, rushing eight times for 53 yards.  T.J. Talley led the Keydets limited rushing attack with 12 carries for 25 yards. 

Liberty's defense forced its second three-and-out series of the game on the opening drive of the second half, allowing the Flames to take it second lead of the game.  The Flames took advantage of the opportunity, piecing together a 15-play, 90-yard drive to reclaim the lead, 23-17.

Third and fourth down plays were key for the Flames on the scoring effort.  Liberty twice converted on third-down plays, with 27 and 18 yards pass plays to Pat Kelly, while scoring on a one-yard quarterback keeper by Brown on a fourth-and-goal play from the one-yard line.

The back-and-forth scoring continued, with VMI matching Liberty's effort to regain the lead. A six-play, 65-yard scoring drive was keyed by a sweeping outside run by Talley on a fourth-and-one play from the VMI 44-yard line.  Following a 20-yard completion to Hairston, Talley capped off the drive with a 12-yard burst up the middle for a score and give the Keydets a short lived 24-23 lead.

The advantage lasted exactly 15 seconds, which was exactly the time Fogg needed to return his third kickoff for a touchdown in 2011.  The 90-yard return gave Liberty a 30-24 lead at the 3:53 mark, an advantage they never relinquish.

After the two teams traded three-and-out series, the visitors had a chance to cut into Liberty's lead midway through the fourth quarter.  The Flames defense once again responded, holding the Keydets out of the end zone and forcing VMI to try a 38-yard field goal.  Devens attempt sailed wide right, leaving Liberty with a six-point edge.  The Flames then put the game out of reach, when Summers capped off a nine-play, 79-yard drive with his seventh touchdown reception of the year.

The senior, who earlier in the drive became Liberty's all-time career leader in receptions, gave Liberty a 37-24 lead with 6:43 left in the ball game on a 22-yard pass play from Brown in the corner of the end zone.

The score put the game out of reach for the visitors.  VMI did manage to score a late touchdown, when Kordenbrock capped off a career day with a 22-yard pass to Dexter Bridge with 14 seconds left in the game.  The Flames recovered the ensuing on-side kick to lock down the six-point home victory.

For the third week in a row, Liberty's defense surrendered 400 yards of total offensive, with the Keydets finishing the afternoon with 403 yards.  Liberty just outgained the in-state opponent, finishing the game with 420 yards.

Both coaching staffs put the game on the arms of their starting quarterback.  Brown finished the day 24-of-34 for 286 yards and two touchdown passes, while Kordenbrock outdueled Brown by completing a school-record 31-of-47 pass attempts for 320 yards and three touchdowns.

Summers led the Flames with eight catches for 84 yards and the late scoring reception. With his eight receptions on the day, Summers (178) surpassed previous program record holder Pat Nelson, who finished his four-year career with 176 catches.  Talley led the Keydets with nine receptions (64 yards), while Hairston led the team with 94 receiving yards (six receptions).

Allen led the Flames rushing attack, finishing the game with 15 rushing attempts for 75 yards.  Talley led the visitors with 19 carries for 73 yards.  Both starting running backs managed to record a rushing touchdown during the game.

A.J. Gross was VMI's top tackler, finishing the game with nine stops, followed by seven tackles for Johnny Wimbish.  Liberty's top defenders on the game were Chris Mayo (eight tackles) and Jacob Hagen (seven tackles).

The Flames will have the next two weeks to prepare for their final regular-season game of the year.  Liberty will next take to the gridiron on Nov. 19 in Stony Brook, N.Y., where the Flames will face Stony Brook in the game that will decide the 2011 Big South Conference championship and the League's automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs.  Kickoff inside of LaValle Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on the Flames Sports Network, MASN and ESPN3.

VMI will wrap up its three-game road stretch next Saturday at Presbyterian College at 1 p.m.

STONY BROOK 50, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 31 | GAME STATS | HIGHLIGHTS
Junior Miguel Maysonet set the Stony Brook record for career rushing touchdowns as the Seawolves rushed for seven scores in a 50-31 win over Charleston Southern on Saturday at CSU Stadium.  Maysonet, who entered the game with 21 career touchdowns, rushed for four touchdowns, breaking Bobby Kane's record of 23 touchdowns set in 1996.  He finished with 182 rushing yards on just 17 carries.

Not to be outdone, senior Brock Jackolski rushed for 174 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns, including a 55-yarder in the fourth quarter.  Both running backs went over 1,000 yards for the season as Maysonet has 1,178 yards and 13 touchdowns and Jackolski has 1,001 yards and eight touchdowns.  Stony Brook has 29 rushing touchdowns this season.

Stony Brook rushed for 355 yards on 43 carries.  It was the third game this season that the Seawolves have rushed for at least 300 yards.

The win is the sixth straight for Stony Brook (6-3, 4-0 Big South), which is a school record.  The win also is the fifth straight game with at least 42 points scored.  Junior Kyle Essington also rushed for a touchdown, his fifth of the season.  Essington completed 6 of 12 passes for 109 yards, including 77 to junior Jordan Gush.

Charleston Southern quarterback Richard Mounce, making his second consecutive start in place of the injured Malcolm Dixon, completed 19 of 41 passes for a career-high 342 yards and three touchdowns.  Nathan Perera caught 10 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, just nine yards shy of the school's single-game record.

Maysonet gave Stony Brook an early 6-0 lead on a 59-yard run on the Seawolves' second offensive play.  CSU answered with a nine-play, 45-yard drive that ended with Andy Brown's 40-yard field goal with 10:55 remaining in the opening stanza.

The Buccaneers took their only lead of the game two possessions later.  A seven-yard punt gave CSU a first down at the Stony Brook 40 and Keelyan Bryant capped an eight-play drive with a one-yard run to give the Bucs a 10-6 lead with 2:26 left in the first period.

Stony Brook took control in the second quarter, scoring three times.  Jackolski had a five-yard run and Maysonet had run of three and 12 yards to give the Seawolves a 27-10 halftime lead.  The third quarter saw offense on both sides.  Mounce and Perera combined on a four-yard pass with 11:23 left in the third quarter, cutting the margin to 27-17.

Stony Brook answered five plays and 80 yards later on Maysonet's 43-yard run but Mounce again got the Bucs on the board, this time with an 18-yard pass to Carson Leshin with 7:24 to play in the third.  Back in the game and down by 10, disaster struck when a punt snap snailed over Brown's head into the endzone.  Brown recovered the ball but was tackled for a safety.  On the ensuing possession, Essington scored on a six-yard run with 2:03 left in the third, upping the lead to 43-24.

Mounce and Perara combined on a 44-yard scoring pass with 13:02 left in the game but Jackolski sealed the win with a 55-yard run with 2:47 in the game for the final margin.

Stony Brook's rushing defense was outstanding, allowing -7 rushing yards on 32 carries.  SBU junior Dan Mulrooney made nine tackles to lead the defense.  Senior Andrew Nelson had a fumble recovery and sophomore Reginald Francklin tackled Brown in the end zone for a safety.

Stony Brook is on the road next week, traveling to take on Gardner-Webb on November 12 at 1:30.  Charleston Southern hosts Coastal Carolina next Saturday at 1:30pm.