CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College football team took the lead early in the second half of its Saturday afternoon matchup against No. 3 Coastal Carolina, but the visiting Chanticleers pulled away to avoid the upset bid, winning 40-28.
PC moves to 3-3 on the year and 0-1 in the Big South. The Blue Hose will next head to Charleston Southern for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, October 11. Coastal Carolina improves to 7-0, 1-0 in the Big South and will enjoy an open week.
The Blue Hose took a 14-13 lead early in the third quarter on a short Kris Hurley (Lawrenceville, Ga.) touchdown catch from Heys McMath (Savannah, Ga.), but the Chanticleers scored two rushing touchdowns over the next 4:19 to take the lead for good.
PC scored early in the fourth to cut the Chanticleer deficit to 26-21 before two more Coastal touchdowns and a late Jeremiah McKie (Simpsonville, S.C.) touchdown catch.
PC's offense produced 28 points, 447 total yards and three passing touchdowns against the No. 3 Chanticleers, all season-highs against Football Championship Subdivision competition this season. PC also held the ball for 35:25 and McMath's three touchdown passes mark a new career-best for the sophomore, who went 20-for-37 with an interception. Senior running back Demarcus Rouse (North Augusta, S.C.) set a new career-best with 145 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
In the end, the Chanticleers overpowered the Blue Hose in the second half. Running back De'Angelo Henderson ran for 147 yards and two scores while Alex Ross connected on 18-of-30 passes for 258 yards with two touchdowns and a pick.
Defensively, Donelle Williams (Starke, Fla.) led PC with 11 total tackles. Cory White (Anderson, S.C.) added nine tackles and Ed Britt (Greensboro, N.C.) intercepted a pass. Coastal's Rayshaud Shields produced 15 total tackles and Pernell Williams came up with a crucial interception.
PC's first drive ended with a 52-yard touchdown run from Demarcus Rouse as the senior exploded through a hole on the right side and sped down the sideline for the score and a 7-0 PC lead. Penalties hampered the series as the team went only 11 yards on seven plays to start before Rouse broke through, but a crucial McMath push converted a short fourth down to keep the drive alive. The run marked the longest the Chanticleers have allowed this season.
The Chanticleers broke through early in the second quarter. A five-play, 62-yard drive ended when Alex Ross connected with John Israel in the end zone for a 29-yard score.
Coastal Carolina assembled another strong drive on its next series, but the PC defense stiffened in the red zone and forced a 33-yard Alex Catron field goal that put the visitors ahead, 10-7, with 7:43 left in the second quarter.
Ed Britt picked off an Alex Ross pass to start a Blue Hose drive at the Coastal Carolina 24, only to see a McMath fumble on the first play that gave the Chanticleers the ball back. Coastal took advantage with a 43 yard pass to Bruce Mapp that reached the PC 12, but the Blue Hose red zone defense forced another 27-yard field goal from Catron for a 13-7 lead with 39 seconds left in the first half. Mapp finished with a game-high 111 yards and a score on six receptions.
PC wasted little time scoring to start the second half. The offense went 83 yards on 12 plays, a drive that featured spectacular catches from Jordan Hallums (Mauldin, S.C.) and Tobi Antigha (Tampa, Fla.)—whose catch went for 30 yards and put PC deep into the red zone. Facing a 3rd and goal from the three, PC faked a handoff left and went the other way as McMath found a wide open Hurley for a touchdown. The play put PC ahead 14-13 with 9:22 left in the third quarter.
Antigha came up big often for PC, with a season-high 86 yards on six catches. Hallums matched a career-high with 56 yards and a score while setting a new mark with six receptions.
Coastal Carolina answered right back, going 75 yards and scoring on a 34-yard Alex Ross pass to Bruce Mapp in the back of the end zone. An overthrown pass from tight end Cody Craig resulted in a failed two-point conversion and Coastal led 19-14 midway through the third.
Pernell Williams intercepted McMath's first pass of the next drive and the Chanticleers scored 2:06 later. De'Angelo Henderson punched in a two-yard touchdown rush to give the visitors a 26-14 advantage.
A good kickoff forced PC to start the drive at its own three, but the Blue Hose were unfazed en route to a Jordan Hallums touchdown. McMath threw for 48 yards on a 15-play drive, including thee 18-yard touchdown strike to Hallums on fourth down. Rouse also picked up a 21-yard rush on the series that pulled PC within five points early in the fourth quarter, 26-21.
Coastal responded with a nine-play, 75-yard drive of its own. A 30-yard Thomas Pauciello catch helped land the Chanticleers into PC territory and the team cashed in seven plays later with a Chris Jones three-yard rush that extended Coastal's lead to 33-21 with 10:26 left in the game.
Henderson tacked on another 23-yard rushing score with 4:15 to go before PC went 88 yards for its final touchdown, a 15-yard pass to Jeremiah McKie with 90 seconds to go in the game.
PC punter Stephen Doar (Landrum, S.C.) punted four times for an impressive 42 yards per kick.
