Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

Death Valley a horror for CCU

Chanticleers lose third straight for second time in program's history

CLEMSON -- One by one Coastal Carolina's football players filed into their locker room at Memorial Stadium. The beating they had just taken was evident on their faces.

There were some positive moments for the Chanticleers in Clemson's 49-3 win Saturday, but no matter the opponent, the losing is starting to take its toll. Coastal (3-5) has lost three straight games for only the second time in school history.

"We lost, so it wasn't good enough," Coastal linebacker Desmond Steward said of his team's effort.

The Chants weren't expected to keep this one close, especially after Clemson (5-3) beat No. 8 Miami last week, but the Chants successfully delayed the inevitable in the first half, holding the Tigers scoreless for nearly 13 minutes.

"In a game like that you're so outmanned," Coastal coach David Bennett said. "You look up at the clock and every time they don't score on a series, you gain a little hope. You gain a little hope. You gain a little hope."

But in a matter of minutes, the Chants lost all of it. Once the Tigers started rolling, the momentum snowballed. They needed just 6:13 to open a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter, and scored on four straight third-quarter possessions to double the lead.

"I thought we really came alive in the second half," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

Even with C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford playing sparingly, Clemson still put up big numbers in advance of next week's showdown with Florida State. The Tigers had 400 total yards, and held the Chants to 170.

There were moments in the game that could provide much-needed confidence for the Chants, who were coming off two disheartening losses to Liberty and Stony Brook. Kicker Justin Durham nailed a fourth-quarter field goal to avoid the shutout, corners Marcus Lott and Josh Norman each intercepted Clemson starting quarterback Kyle Parker and Coastal avoided giving up big gains in the return game.

The Chants' struggling special teams nearly made a big play. Tre Henderson returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score late in the third quarter, but the play was negated by a block in the back.

"It was depression," said Henderson, who didn't realize a flag had been thrown until after he reached the back of the end zone.

The Chants did get on the scoreboard, however. Third-string quarterback Justin Cramer entered the game with 12:30 left and engineered a clock-eating, 64-yard drive. After rushing for 13 yards on third-and-9 from midfield, Cramer connected with tight end David Duran on an 11-yard, third-down completion. The drive stalled at Clemson's 11, but Durham drilled the ensuing field goal attempt with 4:02 left.

It was a positive ending to a frustrating day for Coastal's offense. Quarterbacks Jamie Childers, who started for the Chants, and Zach MacDowall were a combined 3-for-14 for 12 yards and two interceptions. The Chants, who didn't cross midfield until their scoring drive, could only muster 87 yards before halftime, and most of them came on a myriad of draw by Childers.

But the Chants, who have three games left, might have found something to build on in the fourth quarter.

"I think we'll remember the way we finished and not the way we started," Cramer said. "To have that last little drive will help us heading into practice as we get ready for Gardner-Webb."