COASTAL CAROLINA 26, GARDNER-WEBB 21
The Coastal Carolina University football team locked up in another classic battle with Big South Conference rival Gardner-Webb and came away with a thrilling 26-21 Homecoming victory over the visiting Bulldogs, Nov. 7.  With their fourth home win of the year and sixth straight win in the series, the Chanticleers moved to 4-5 on the year and 2-2 in the Big South, while the Bulldogs fell to 5-4 and 2-2 in the league.

The Chanticleers struck first on their opening drive, marching 61 yards in nine plays over 3:25.  Coastal made it count as quarterback Zach MacDowall connected on a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Akeem Wesley for the touchdown.  Kicker Justin Durham hit the extra point to put the Chants up 7-0 with 12 minutes left in the first quarter.  Coastal held the Bulldogs on their opening drive, but a Coastal Carolina fumble gave GWU the ball on Coastal's 9.  From there, it took Gardner-Webb three plays to punch it in the end zone, with running pack Patrick Hall going the final four for the touchdown.  Ryan Gates made the point after to knot the game at seven with just over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.

The Chants again put together a lengthy drive, going 13 plays and 63 yards.  However, the drive stalled and forced a field goal attempt by Coastal.  Durham was up to the task, splitting the uprights from 42 yards out to make it a 10-7 Chant lead with 11 minutes to go in the half.  Gardner-Webb took its first lead after getting a short field off the ensuing kickoff, starting at the Coastal 48.  On the fifth play of the drive, quarterback Stan Doolittle hit running back David Montgomery on an inside route a 9-yard touchdown.  The point after was good, making it 14-10 Bulldogs with 8:41 remaining in the half.  The Chanticleers were deep in Gardner-Webb territory late in the half when Marty Patterson intercepted MacDowall's pass at the GWU 1 and ran out the clock to make it a four-point halftime advantage for the visitors.

To start the third quarter, the Bulldogs pushed it into the Coastal territory until cornerback Josh Norman intercepted Doolittle's pass on the Coastal 17 and returned it 20 yards to the 37 to put the Chants back in business.  From there, the hosts put together a quick six-play drive that ended on a 39-yard catch-and-run from MacDowall to running back Marcus Whitener for his first collegiate touchdown.  Durham converted the PAT to put Coastal Carolina back in the lead at 17-14 with 9:45 to go in the third.  Coastal moved the ball again into scoring range, but Durham's field goal attempt was blocked and returned by linebacker Mario Brown 53 yards to put the Bulldogs in scoring position at the Coastal 11-yard line.  On the fifth play, Hall got into end zone from one and the extra point put Gardner-Webb up 21-17 with one minute left in the third quarter.

The Chanticleers immediately put more points on its side of the board, moving 51 yards in 11 plays down to the GWU 9 before being stopped by the Gardner-Webb defense.  Durham hit his second field goal of the day, this time from 26 yards out, to cut the margin to 21-20 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the contest.  After forcing GWU to a 3-and-out series, Coastal Carolina got the ball on its own 35 and started a time-eating drive down the field, using up 5:29 of the less than 10 minutes on the clock.  The Chants punched the ball in the end zone on the 12th play, as fullback Tommy Fraser bulled his way in from four yards out to put Coastal up 26-21 with 4:17 to play.  Coastal went for the two-point conversion to try and make it a seven-point game, but the ball went off the receivers' hands to leave the margin at five.

The teams traded possessions, including Norman's second interception of the game, before the Bulldogs got it back 2:59 remaining in the contest.  GWU got down to the Coastal 23 and eventually faced 4th-and-15 at the Chants' 28.  Doolittle attempted to hit James Perry III in the right corner of the end zone, but Norman recorded his Big South record-tying third interception to seal the Coastal victory.

Coastal controlled the field, outgaining GWU 473-239 and holding on to the ball more than 10 minutes more than the visitors.  The 473 yards of offense was a season high for Coastal, including a season-best 332 yards of passing.  The Chants were also 12-of-18 on third-down conversions while holding the Bulldogs to just 5-of-11.  Fraser led the Coastal ground game with a team season-high 23 carries for 90 yards and the game-winning touchdown while also having one catch for 22 yards.  MacDowall was 25-for-42 for 332 yards, two touchdowns and one interception through the air.  Brandon Whitley had a game high five receptions for 45 yards, while Whitener and Marquel Willis had four receptions each.  Norman had three interceptions and a pass breakup on the day, while linebacker E.J. Brown had eight tackles, including six solos and two solo sacks for 20 yards of loss.

For Gardner-Webb, Hall led their ground attack with 17 carries for 68 yards and two scores, while Kenny Little ran for 40 yards on seven carries to lead the ground game - which accounted for 136 yards on 36 carries.  Doolittle was just 9-for-20 for 103 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.  He also ran for 30 yards on 16 carries, but was sacked three times on a very difficult afternoon.  Marquis Sanders and Perry each had two catches for 29 yards.  Gardner-Webb was held to 56 offensive plays and 239 total yards offensively on the day. Patterson led all tacklers with 12 tackles, including five solos, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.  Brown added 11 tackles, a forced fumble, interception and fumble recovery.

The Chants close out the 2009 home portion of the schedule when they host Presbyterian College next Saturday, Nov. 14 at 12:30 p.m.  Gardner-Webb will return home to Boiling Springs to host two-time defending Big South champion Liberty on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 46, PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE 32
CSU intercepted four passes in the first half en route to a 46-32 victory over Presbyterian College, Saturday at Bailey Memorial Stadium. It was the fourth-straight victory over PC for the Buccaneers.  It was the third time in school history that the Bucs have intercepted four passes in a game, and the second time they have done it in a single half, doing so in the second half against Edward Waters on Oct. 14, 2006.  Antwain Harvey, Jacques Bazile, Charles James and Fred Godfrey each tallied their first interception of the season.  CSU more than doubled their total interceptions for the year, entering the game with three interceptions in eight games.

PC started the game with a 14-play, 70 yard drive to the CSU one yardline.  The defense stood up Lance Byrd on the give up the middle to force second down.  PC tried to find the tight end on the roll-out, but the play was well defended by the Bucs, forcing quarterback Tim Webb to flip the ball up on a jump ball in the back of the end zone.  Harvey out-jumped the PC receiver and had a clear path 100-plus yards for the touchdown.  It was his first interception of the year and the longest interception return in school and Big South Conference history.

CSU only had one offensive possession in the first quarter, but made it count as Gerald Stevenson got behind the defensive back for a 33-yard touchdown reception to put CSU up 14-0.  The points capped a nine-play, 78-yard drive after the defense forced a three-and-out on PC's second possession of the game.  PC answered with the legs of the freshman Byrd, who had 154 yards on 19 carries on the first three Blue Hose drives, including 62 of the team's 66 yards on their first scoring drive to make it 14-7.  Bazile's interception ended a 44-yard drive by PC at the 22 yardline.  The Bucs went 33 yards but could not finish the drive as Andy Brown came in for his first punt of the game.  Three plays later, James got the ball right back, intercepting the ball and returning it 28 yards just across midfield.  James' pick set up a two-play, 48-yard drive that ended with a 36-yard touchdown from Toscano to Anthony Chalmers for his second touchdown of the year.  CSU remained up 20-0 after John Paglia's extra point was blocked.

The final interception of the half came with two seconds on the clock as Webb tried to force a pass inside the CSU 10 yardline but found Fred Godfrey instead, ending the threat and the half as the Bucs elected to kneel the ball.  CSU had no trouble moving the ball to start the second half as they went 65 yards in 11 plays. The drive was finished with a two-yard pass to defensive tackle Ryan Ard, who returned momentarily to his tight end position, where he was a 2007 All-Conference performer.  Trying to account for the blocked PAT, Toscano lined up for a pass on the two-point conversion.  He completed it to another tight end, Clayton Coffman, but Coffman was stopped short of the goal line, keeping it at 26-7.

After a five play drive, PC punted the ball, trying to pin CSU inside the 10 yardline.  It worked out better than expected for the Blue Hose as CSU committed the first big mistake of the game with a muff by Antwan Ivey, giving PC the ball with 10 yards to go.  The CSU defense stiffened and did not give up a touchdown, but Aaron Mayes made a 26-yard field goal to cut the lead to 26-10.  Both teams had one more touchdown drive in them in the third quarter, with a 22-yard rush by DeMarcus Moon set up an 11-yard touchdown scamper on the keeper by Toscano.  Again the Bucs elected to go for two, trying the rush this time, but Ivey was again stopped short to keep the score at 32-10.

A 24-yard pass from Webb to Sean Adegbola in the back corner of the end zone provided the final points of the third quarter.  A 41-yard field goal attempt finished CSU's first drive of the fourth quarter, but the Blue Hose got a piece of the ball off the foot of Paglia and the ball sailed wide right.  Down by 15 with under 12 minutes to play in the game, PC started to force things, electing to go for it on fourth down.  Matt Woods got his hands up and deflected Webb's pass immediately, giving the ball back to the Buccaneers.  Byrd and the PC offense was not finished and would get another chance and Byrd added 26 yards to his record-setting day to get the Blue Hose to within eight at 32-24.

The onside kick failed and CSU essentially slammed the door shut with a 16-yard pass on the slant pattern to Stevenson for the touchdown, pushing the lead back to 39-24 With 4:34 left in the game.  CSU forced its fifth turnover of the game on the ensuing drive as Chris Patrick popped the ball loose from Byrd.  Joel Walton returned it down to the 12-yard line to set up a touchdown run by B.J. Hackworth, his second late-game touchdown in as many weeks.

With 1:01 on the clock, backup quarterback Brandon Miley connected on a fade pass to Patrick McKoy, and with penalties on each team, the Blue Hose connected on a two-point try to get within two touchdowns at 46-32. 

Toscano finished the game 18-32 with a career-high 290 yards and four touchdowns.  He was also the leading rusher with 61 yards and a touchdown, tying the school record for five touchdowns accounted for in a game (Tribble Reese vs. Edward Waters, 2008).  It was the third time this year, and the second game in a row that Toscano has not thrown an interception.  Stevenson had 10 receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns, adding 29 yards on the ground.  It was the first time this season that CSU has had a receiver with 10 catches, and the second time in 2009 that Stevenson has topped 100 yards.  His 178 all-purpose yards give him 3,973 all-purpose yards for his career and puts him atop the CSU record books in the category.

The offensive line helped CSU to 195 rushing yards, and for the fifth time this season did not surrender a sack.  The Bucs finished the game with 485 yards on 65 plays, while PC had 530 yards and ran 82 plays.  Godfrey and Andrew McKain tied for team-high honors with 10 tackles, while Woods had 2.5 sacks and a pass breakup to cap off a career-day with seven tackles.

PC out-gained CSU 530-485, but five costly turnovers proved to be the difference.  The Blue Hose essentially led in nearly every statistical category except on the scoreboard.  Even in the loss, the story of the day was Byrd, who filled in for Trandon Dendy.  Byrd ran wild on the opening drive and did not relent the rest of the way.  He eclipsed the school record of 254 yards by Mason Gordon that was established on Oct. 23, 1993 in the 45-28 defeat of Mars Hill.  Byrd had 158 of his yards in the first half on 20 carries.  In just 30 minutes of play, he shattered the PC Division I school record of 154 yards by S.J. Worrell on Sept. 29, 2007 against North Carolina Central.  The 32 points were the most PC has scored in a game since Sept. 6, 2008, when the Blue Hose defeated Fayetteville State 38-28.  Webb finished 23-34 with one touchdown and 242 yards, but had the four interceptions and was sacked five times.

With their second road win in a row, the Bucs improved to 4-5 overall on the season and evened their Big South mark at 2-2.  PC fell to 0-9 (0-4 Big South) on the season.  The Buccaneers return home for the final two weeks of the season as they host Stony Brook and Coastal Carolina on November 14 and November 21, respectively.  Both games will kick off at 1:30 p.m. from Buccaneer Field.  The Blue Hose return to action next Saturday at Coastal Carolina.  Kick-off is slated for 12:30 p.m.

#16 LIBERTY 54, VMI 14
No. 16 Liberty took advantage of eight turnovers by the visiting VMI Keydets, helping the Flames secure a 54-14 win over their in-state conference foe, Saturday night, in front of 15,209 fans at Williams Stadium.  With the victory, the Flames run their Big South Conference winning streak to 15-straight games, which still remains the nation's third-longest active conference FCS winning streak.  The victory pushes Liberty's record to 7-2 on the year and 4-0 in Big South play and gives the winningest senior class in program history one last victory in their final home game.  The loss drops the Keydets record to 2-7 on the year and closed out VMI's Big South season with a 1-5 conference record.

The game looked like it was going to be an offensive shootout on both sides of the field, as 14 points were scored before 100 seconds ticked off the game clock.  VMI took the opening kickoff and quickly moved the ball downfield 80 yards on three plays to score.  Following a pair of runs by Kyle Hughes that led to 32 combined yards, the remaining 48 yards were picked up via the air, as Hughes found Mario Scott open for a 48 yard touchdown reception over the middle for the score at 13:43.  Liberty quickly answered back, as Aaron Hewlett returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards to even the score at 7-7 just 11 seconds later.  The 80-yard return was Liberty's first kickoff return for a score since Jonathan Crawford returned a 76-yarder during Liberty's 2008 season opener against North Greenville.  After forcing the Keydets to punt the ball away on their next drive, Liberty kept adding points to the scoreboard.

The Flames managed to drive to the VMI 25-yard line, but the 12-play drive stalled as Liberty neared the red zone.  Liberty was forced to settle for a 42-yard field from Matt Bevins, handing the Flames a 10-7 edge with 5:44 left to play in the opening quarter.  Both teams' defenses started to settle down from that point, as the score remained the same until early in the second quarter.  After forcing the Flames to punt the ball away for the second time on the evening, VMI took over possession at its own 32-yard line.  Following a three-yard pickup by Howard Abegesah, Hughes tried to throw a screen pass.  But the ball was tipped by linebacker Ian Childress who eventually gained possession and returned the errant throw 34 yards to the end zone, extending Liberty's lead to 10 points, 17-7, with 11:01 left to play in the opening half.

The interception was the 16th of the year for the Flames, who entered the game ranked No. 4 in the country in total interceptions.  The return by Childress was the fourth of his career and the first for a score for the Flames since Ryan Greiser returned an interception 35 yard for a score against Toledo on Oct. 6, 2007.  Big gains on the following drive seemed to move VMI into scoring possession.  Tim Maypray returned the ensuing kickoff 23 yards, while Maypray and Abegesah picked up runs of 26 and 19 yards, respectively, to help the Keydets drive deep in Liberty territory.  After a six-yard pickup by Abegesah moved VMI to the one-yard line, the visitors decided to go for it on fourth-and-one.  However, Liberty, which ranks No. 15 nationally in fewest red zone touchdowns allowed in 2009, helped better their numbers.  Terry Adams and Doncel Bolt stopped T.J. Talley on the outside, turning the ball over to the Flames.

Following a second turnover on downs by the Keydets, Liberty was able to quickly add seven additional points before the clock read all zeros at the half.  Ervin Garner nearly doubled his reception total on the year with one catch on the drive, as the sophomore picked up 46 yards on a catch from Tommy Beecher to move the homestadning Flames into scoring position.  After Beecher picked up 15 yards on a quarterback draw to the three-yard line, Mike Brown found a hole opened on the left side of the offensive line, giving the Flames their 24-7 lead at halftime. 

VMI outgained the Flames during the opening 30 minutes of play, despite the 17-point deficit on the scoreboard.  The Keydets picked up 245 yards on 36 plays during the opening half to the Flames 158 yards on 26 plays.  The Keydets picked over 70 percent of their yardage on the ground, rushing 29 times for 182 yards.  Abegesah and Maypray led the rushing attack, finished the opening half with 68 and 61 rushing yards respectively.  Liberty's leading rushing during the first half was Aldreakis Allen who rushed nine times for 48 yards.  Beecher finished the first 30 minutes of the game by completing 8-of-13 passing attempts for 92 yards, with Brown catching five of those passes for 31 yard.

Liberty took the opening drive of the third quarter and managed to add three more points to the scoreboard, thanks to a 38-yard field goal by Bevins with 8:44 left to play in the period.  The 59-yard, 12-play drive was spotlighted by a sideline pass from Mike Brown to Chris Summers.  The Keydets tried to keep themselves in the game, answering Liberty's field goal with their second touchdown on the night.  VMI kept the ball on the ground eight times on the nine-play drive, gaining 39 yards by the nation's No. 2 rushing attack.  The eighth rush of the 60-yard drive saw Maypray give a solid second effort to score, as the Big South Preseason Offensive Player of the Year bounced outside after not find an opening, scoring from one yard out to pull the visitors within 13, 27-14, with 5:21 left in the quarter.  But the one-yard burst would prove to be the final time the visitors would find the scoreboard on the evening, as Liberty scored 27-unanswered points to secure the 40-point home victory.

All 27 points were added to the scoreboard during the final 15 minutes of play, starting with a five-yard touchdown pass from Beecher to Summers at the 11:24 mark.  Bevins was called upon twice more during the final period, knocking down a pair of 40-yard field goals (40 and 43 yard).  The final two scores came during the last four minutes of the games, as SirChauncey Holloway scored on a 12-yard burst up the middle, while Kevin Fogg recovered a muffled punt return by the Keydets in the end zone to punctuate the night.  All in all, 30 of the Flames' 54 points came directly as a result of VMI's eight turnovers, as the Keydets finished the day with six fumbles lost and two interceptions.  Without the eight giveaways, the outcome in the game might have been different, as VMI finished the game with one more total offensive yard than the Flames, 335 to 334.

The Keydets, who came into the game averaging 255.5 rushing yards per game, nearly met the average, as VMI rushed 51 times for 250 yards.  The Flames have only allowed eight opponents rush for 200 or more yards in a game since head coach Danny Rocco took over the program and four of those performances were by the Keydets.  Despite the 250 rushing yards by the Keydets, no player managed to break the 100-yard mark, as Maypray led all rushers with 12 carries for 87 yards and a score.  Abegesah followed with 16 rushing attempts for 75 yards.  Liberty's 170 team rushing yards were paced by Allen's 65 yards on 16 carries, followed by Beecher's 48 yards on five rushing attempts.  Beecher finished the game by completing 13-of-23 passing attempts for 124 yards and a score. Mike Brown completed two of his four passes for 27 yards, while Tyler Brennan found two receivers on his passing attempts for 13 yards.

Hughes complete 5-of-10 passing attempts for 81 yards and a score, while tossing two interceptions on the night.  Mike Brown finished as the game's leading receiver, catching six passes for 36 yards for the Flames, followed by Summers four catches for 46 yards and a score.  VMI had five different players catch a pass, with Scott leading the team with two receptions for 69 yards.  Chad Brown was the leading tackler for the Flames, as the linebacker finished the game with nine stops.  Adams followed with eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.  Bryon Allen finished the night as the game's leading overall tackler, as he stopped 17 ball carries, followed by Trae Watkins' 11 tackles.

Bevins finished the night with a career-best 16 points, thanks to being perfect on four field goal attempts and four extra points.  The four field goals ties Bevin's own school record, as he also booted four through the uprights against Elon last year, while Phillip Harrelson first hit the mark against Delaware State in 1997.  The contest brought to a close a chapter in the history of the Flames football program, as the game was the final one played at Williams Stadium under its current seating capacity.  The stadium, which opened in 1989 and has seen Liberty post a 77-39 record since opening its gates against Towson State on Oct. 21, is slated to be renovated after the close of the 2009 season.  Prior to Liberty's first home game in 2010, the seating capacity in the on-campus facility will expand from 12,000 to 19,200, which will be the first of three phases which will bring the overall seating capacity to 30,000 over the next five years.

Along with the additional 7,200 seats, a state-of-the-art, three-tiered press box is slated to be constructed, which will house a club level, 16 individual suites and entire floor dedicated to the working press and game operations aspects of a home football game.  Having played their final home game of the 2009 season, the Flames will now go on the road to close out their schedule, where they will be vying for their third-straight Big South title.  The Flames will begin the stretch next weekend, when Liberty travels to Boiling Springs, N.C., to square off against Gardner-Webb, who has dropped its last two conference games. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

VMI finishes out the final two games of its 2009 slate against non-conference foes, beginning with a road game at Army, next Saturday. Kickoff at West Point is scheduled for Noon between the two military programs who have squared off 14 times.