PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers built an 18-point first-half lead and held off a comeback effort from Temple for a 28-20 win at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday afternoon.
Ethan Vasko rushed for 92 yards and passed for 103 yards and a touchdown, while Christian Washington produced two rushing touchdowns and 59 yards on the ground.
Shane Bruce led the Chanticleer defense with nine tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, one quarterback hurry, and fumble recovery. Deamontae Diggs tallied six stops, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack, and a pass deflection that led to a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown by Xamarion Gordon.
Coastal got on the scoreboard first, taking its opening drive 63 yards on 11 plays. Washington capped the march with a 15-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 Chanticleer lead with 4:14 left in the first quarter.
The Chant defense scored its third touchdown in as many weeks two plays later when Diggs batted a pass into the hands of Gordon, who raced 29 yards to make it 14-0 Coastal.
Temple managed a field goal to trim the deficit to 14-3 at the end of the first quarter, but the Coastal Carolina defense forced its second turnover on the Owls' first possession of the second period. Emmanuel Johnson punched the ball loose and Bruce recovered at the Temple 11-yard line. Vasko hit Cameron Wright on a slant two plays later for an eight-yard touchdown, giving the Chants a 21-3 lead with 8:25 to play in the half.
The Owls found the end zone in the closing minutes of the second quarter, then hit a field goal on their first drive of the second half to pull within four. However, Coastal struck back with an efficient 13-play, 75-yard drive that took 6:38 off the clock as Washington scored on a five-yard run to make it 28-17 Chanticleers.
Temple pulled within one score on a field goal early in the fourth quarter and had two shots at a game-tying score, but Coastal forced a punt near midfield with under seven minutes to go, then caused a turnover on downs with 23 seconds remaining in the game to seal the win.
The Chanticleers return home next Saturday for a showdown against Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Brooks Stadium.
For complete coverage of CCU football, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalFootball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @goccusports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
