ATLANTA – Playing without multiple starters on both sides of the ball on the short week, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers controlled the contest from the very first play from the line of scrimmage, dominating the Georgia State Panthers for a 41-24 road win in the two teams' Sun Belt Conference opener.
 
With the win, Coastal improved to 4-0 on the year and 1-0 in league play, while the loss dropped Georgia State to 0-4 on the season and 0-1 in conference action.
 
Redshirt junior quarterback Grayson McCall, who missed last year's game versus Georgia State in the 42-40 home loss at Brooks Stadium, led the Coastal offense to a total of 540 yards in the win. The Chants ran for 272 yards and threw for 268 yards for the game.
 
McCall was 19-for-27 with 268 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while also rushing eight times for 38 yards and a score. On the night, he connected with five different receivers led by Jared Brown's career night of five catches for 129 yards and two scores and Sam Pinckney's team-leading seven catches for 77 yards in his return to Atlanta where he played for Georgia State from 2018-21.
 
With the top three running backs out for the game due to an injury, the trio of CJ Beasley, Jared Brown, and Nate Hope II led the rushing attack that racked up 272 yards. Beasley rushed a career-high 25 times for 142 yards, while Hope II recorded his first career rushing touchdown as a Chant on six carries for 15 yards. Jared Brown had four carries for 27 yards on the night, while Jarrett Guest added a late touchdown run in the win.
 
For the Panthers offensively, the home team totaled 309 yards on the night with 231 yards passing and 78 yards on the ground.
 
GSU quarterback and Conway, S.C., native Darren Grainger was 14-for-25 with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran nine times for 13 yards and was sacked two times.
 
Five Panthers had at least one catch on the night led by Ja'Cyais Credle's team-high five catches for 75 yards, while Marcus Carroll had eight carries for a team-high 39 yards on the ground.
 
Defensively the Chants forced four more turnovers, giving them 14 on the season, as both Charles Arnold Jr. and Tre' Pinkney had one interception each, while linebacker JT Killen both forced and recovered a fumble in the win.
 
Co-captain Jerrod Clark led the defensive line with seven tackles, including 2.0 tackles-for-loss, and 0.5 sacks, while Pinkney had a team-high 10 total stops, including 1.0 tackle-for-loss, to go with his first interception. Killen added five tackles, while Josaiah Stewart and Arnold Jr. both had four tackles on the night.
 
GSU's Antavious Lane had a game-high 10 tackles, while both Jordan Jones and Jordan Veneziale had eight tackles apiece in the loss.
 
Coastal struck first less than 20 seconds into the contest, as McCall connected with a pass to the left side to Jared Brown who went untouched down the CCU sideline for 50 yards to put the Chants up 7-0 just one offensive play into the game.
 
After the "Black Swarm" defense forced a three-and-out to end Georgia State's first offensive series, the offense took over on its own 36-yard line following a 36-yard punt.
 
Four plays later, it was the duo of McCall and Jared Brown again, as this time McCall ran the option to the right and pitched ahead, in front of the line of scrimmage, to Jared Brown who came out of the backfield and raced 53 yards to pay dirt to double the Chants' lead at 14-0 with 12:07 to go in the opening quarter.
 
Following punts from both teams, the Panthers found their offense on their third series, as Grainger hit Robert Lewis over top of the CCU defense for a 53-yard gain to highlight an eight-play, 87-yard drive that was capped off by a four-yard touchdown run up the middle by Tucker Gregg to put the home team down 14-7 with 6:45 to go in the opening quarter.
 
Coastal answered with its first long drive of the game, as the trio of McCall, Beasley, and Jared Brown led the Chants down to the GSU 35-yard line where McCall connected with Sam Pinckney for a 12-yard gain and a first down.
 
Three plays later, McCall kept the ball and ran it into the end zone from two yards out to cap the 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive and put the visitors back in front by double digits at 21-7 with 1:45 to play in the opening period.
 
The Chants opened up the second quarter with their fourth score of the contest, as McCall drove "Teal Team 6" down to the GSU eight-yard line, converting three first downs on the 11-play drive, highlighted by a 14-yard pass to Beasley on a third-and-11 on CCU's own 35-yard line.
 
However, the Panthers would make a stop on a third-and-five from the GSU eight-yard line to force the Chanticleers to settle for a 24-yard Kade Hensley field goal to extend the lead to 24-7 with 9:17 to go in the first half.
 
Following a third three-and-out stop by the Coastal defense, a misjudged punt went over the head of the returner and rolled down inside the CCU five-yard line to put the Men in Teal backed up against their own end zone.
 
The Panthers took advantage and forced a three-and-out and CCU was forced to punt which was returned to the Coastal 25-yard line.
 
With great field position to start the drive, the Coastal defense stepped up in a big way, holding the home team to a 36-yard field goal to keep a two-touchdown lead at 24-10 with five minutes to play in the first half.
 
The scoring continued for the Chants on their ensuing offensive drive, as McCall was 3-for-4 for 19 yards through the air, while the duo of Beasley and Jared Brown added 26 yards on the ground to put the visitors on the GSU 27-yard line. Hensley would make good on his second field goal of the first half, this one from 44 yards out, to push the lead to 17 at 27-10 with 1:52 before the halftime break.
 
However, the Chants left too much time on the clock, as the Panthers drove 75 yards in just five plays to score on a 29-yard pass from Grainger to Lewis across the middle for a touchdown to put the score at 27-17 with 44 seconds left on the game clock.
 
Coastal would not settle for the 10-point lead and on the first play of the ensuing offensive possession, McCall connected with Jared Brown on the right sideline for a 75-yard touchdown pass only to see the play called back due to a penalty, the only yellow flag thrown for the entire first half.
 
The Panthers looked to get on the scoreboard to start the second half, as the home team with the help of a pass interference penalty drove down to the Coastal 36-yard line before an Arnold Jr. interception at the 16-yard line ended the drive and gave the ball to the offense with 12:22 to go in the third quarter.
 
The interception set up a long, 16-play, 84-yard scoring drive that took 9:07 off the game clock, the longest drive of the season for the Coastal offense. The season-long drive, which saw the offense convert six first downs, was ended by a two-yard plunge up the middle by Hope II to increase the Chants' lead to 34-17 with 3:15 to go in the third frame.
 
The long Coastal drive took the air out of the crowd and the Panthers, as the home team would not gain a yard and go three-and-out to give the ball right back to the Chanticleers with 2:15 remaining before the start of the fourth quarter.
 
Neither team would score in the final quarter until the Panthers' Jontrey Hunter leaped up to deflect a Guest pass attempt. He hit the ball in the air and hauled it in before racing 77 yards to the end zone to put the home team in blue down just 10 at 34-24 with 7:28 to go in the game.
 
Just like they had all game long, the Chanticleers answered with a score on their next offensive series, as Guest bounced back to lead the offense on a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive. The Georgia native capped off by the final scoring drive of the game with a five-yard touchdown run by himself to put the visitors on top at 41-24.
 
The Chanticleers (4-0, 1-0 Sun Belt) will return home to host Georgia Southern (2-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) for Family Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET.
 
Notes

• The win pushes Coastal Carolina to 4-0 to start the season for the fourth-straight year and the seventh time in program history.
• With the win, CCU improved to 3-0 all-time versus Georgia State in Atlanta.
• The victory marks the third-consecutive road win for the Chants dating back to last season.
• With the Sun Belt Conference win, CCU has now won three-straight conference games dating back to last year.
• The win extends the Chants' winning streak to four-straight games on Thursday nights.
• The victory increases the Chants' overall winning streak to seven-straight games dating back to last season.
• The win puts CCU at 10-1 in true road games since the start of the 2020 season.
• With his two touchdown passes, Grayson McCall extended his streak to 17-straight games with at least one touchdown pass, a new school record, eclipsing Alex Ross' record of 16 consecutive games.
• With his two touchdown passes in the game, Grayson McCall has thrown for two or more touchdowns in each of his last five games.
• Kade Hensley's two made field goals marked the first time he has made multiple field goals in the same game in his career.
• Jared Brown recorded his first career multi-touchdown game with two scores on the night.
• Charles Arnold Jr. recorded his first career interception in the third quarter.
• Nate Hope II scored his first career touchdown as a Chanticleer with a rushing score in the third quarter.
• Tre' Pinkney picked up his first career interception as a Chant in the win.
• CJ Beasley recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game in the win.
• Jared Brown recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game in the victory.
• Coastal had several players make their first career starts – Dillon Luther (OL), Xavier Gravette (TE), Kyre Duplessis (WR), and Jacob Proche (CB).
   

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