Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009
Chants hold off Blue Hose
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closeCONWAY -- Presbyterian coach Harold Nichols would express unyielding admiration for his players minutes later, but as they filed one by one into the locker room, even he couldn't manage a consoling smile.
A hundred yards away, Coastal Carolina was experiencing all-too familiar emotions as well. For each team, it was another Saturday with the same old storyline. The winless Blue Hose nearly completed a miraculous, second-half comeback but the Chanticleers survived against another inferior opponent, escaping with a 41-37 win.
Outmanned and overmatched, Presbyterian (0-10) showed the zeal and gusto the Chants (5-5) have been seeking all season. The Blue Hose scored two touchdowns and recovered two onside kicks in the game's final five minutes, forcing the Chants to come up with a late fourth down stop to preserve the win.
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Coastal Carolina vs Presbyterian Football
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Who | CCU at Charleston Southern
When | 1:30 p.m. Saturday
Where | Buccaneer Field, Charleston
Radio | The Team 93.7-FM, 93.9-FM, 1050-AM
Though the Chants finished undefeated at home this season, they failed to put any of their opponents away until the fourth quarter - despite plentiful chances to do so. They could have blown the game open on multiple occasions Saturday, but instead they had to hold on to avoid one of the worst losses in school history.
The Chants had 469 yards, at times moving the ball with ease through the air and on the ground, but their 36th-ranked defense was shredded for 487, including 271 in the second half as the Blue Hose nearly completed the comeback.
"We're definitely not where we're supposed to be right now," Coastal corner Marcus Lott said. "We've got so much talent. It's just about putting it together."
Coastal hasn't done that with any consistency all year, and Saturday was no different. The Chants took a 17-point lead on Paul Nicholas' 23-yard touchdown reception with 10:41 left - it was the fourth time in the game Coastal led by two touchdowns or more - but watched the Blue Hose answer with a touchdown on the ensuing drive.
Presbyterian quarterback Brandon Miley, who threw for 251 yards and three scores in relief of ineffective starter Tim Webb, tossed a 3-yard touchdown to tight end Robert Bumgarner with 4:54 left, breathing new life into a team scarred by their season-long struggles.
"It's hard for me to come up with the words to comfort them when you don't have a lot of affirmation of the work they've put in," Nichols said. "It's difficult. Every one of [the losses] hurt, but I have a locker room full of kids that play their hearts out."
The Blue Hose were nearly rewarded for their steadfast determination.
They recovered Patrick Morgano's ensuing onside kickoff, and Miley orchestrated another crisp scoring drive. After two runs netted 18 yards, he completed three consecutive passes, including a 29-yard touchdown to Patrick McCoy with 2:56 left. Presbyterian would have closed the deficit to three, but kicker Aaron Mayes, who hit a 46-yard field goal earlier in the quarter, missed the extra point off the post.
"It changed the game when they missed that extra point," Coastal coach David Bennett said. "Then a field goal couldn't tie it and send it to overtime. They could have played for a field goal."
After McKoy's touchdown, Morgano hit a nearly identical onside kick and his teammates corralled the loose ball. Miley went to work, driving to Coastal's 36 after a 15-yard completion on third-and-17 with 1:05 left. Each team then called timeout before the fourth down play.
Bennett expected an inside run - Presbyterian tailbacks Lance Byrd and Michael Ruff combined for 245 yards (9.1 yards per carry) - or a play-action swing pass. Instead, the Blue Hose used a new wrinkle, running the option. Miley pitched to Byrd near the sideline, but he ran out of running room and Coastal hybrid defensive end Quinton Davis tackled him a few feet shy of the first down.
"We knew coming into this game that Presbyterian had a very good offense," Bennett said. "I said it all along with the yards they had against The Citadel, Furman and Charleston Southern last week.
"You're never putting it away against them unless you're up by 35 points."
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