HONOLULU, Hawai'i – Coastal Carolina opened up a 17-0 lead and fought off San Jose State for a 24-14 win to become EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl champions on Saturday night at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
The victory was Coastal's second bowl victory in program history and first since a 47-41 win over Northern Illinois in the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl in 2021.
Coastal Carolina scored the lone points of the first half on its second possession of the first half, driving 80 yards in 11 plays as
Ethan Vasko connected with
Matt Alaimo for a two-yard touchdown toss with 3:16 left in the first quarter.
San Jose State threatened to tie the game midway through the second quarter, but
Wyatt Gedeon chased down a Spartan receiver on fourth down to stop SJSU short and give Coastal a 7-0 lead at halftime. The Chanticleers dominated the field position in the first half as
Evan Crenshaw's punts pinned the Spartans inside their own five-yard line on back-to-back drives in the second quarter.
Coastal Carolina became the first team to shut out San Jose State in the first half since Southern Cal on Sept. 4, 2021, breaking a streak of 34 consecutive games scoring in the first half for the Spartans.
The Chants' defense rose to the occasion once again late in the third quarter as
Teddy Tiokeng forced a fumble inside the red zone that
Shane Bruce recovered. Coastal's offense capitalized with an 11-play, 87-yard drive that ended when Vasko hit
Kendall Karr for a two-yard score at the 3:19 mark.
CCU's defense forced its second turnover on the ensuing possession when
Abraham Temoney III knocked the ball loose and into the hands of
Courtney Eubanks.
Kade Hensley extended Coastal's lead to 17-0 eight plays later with a career-long 49-yard field goal with 14:16 to go in the fourth quarter.
The Spartans finally got on the board with a 35-yard touchdown pass with 12:27 left in the game. After forcing CCU's first three-and-out of the night, San Jose State trimmed the deficit to 17-14 with a 12-yard touchdown run with 8:30 remaining.
Facing its biggest possession of the night, the Chants went to
Sam Pinckney. The Sun Belt's all-time leader in receiving yards caught four passes on the drive, becoming just the third receiver in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. His final catch, a spectacular one-handed grab for an eight-yard touchdown, gave him 72 catches on the season, breaking the single-season record he set in 2022.
San Jose State tried to pull within one score, but a
Micheal Mason sack forced the Spartans to attempt a field goal with 1:09 to play. The kick sailed wide left, clinching the win as the Chants became the first FBS team ever from South Carolina to win a game in Hawai'i.
Vasko was named the Hugh Yoshida Most Valuable Player after going 20-of-33 through the air for 199 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 50 yards on 17 carries. Pinckney led all receivers with eight catches for 123 yards.
Temoney led the defense with six tackles, while
Shane Bruce added five stops.
Matthew McDoom tallied four of Coastal's seven pass breakups on the night.
