Jonesboro, AR: “He’s fine.” The only two words that Coastal Carolina football fans wanted to hear from head coach Tim Beck following CCU’s 27-17 win at Arkansas State on Saturday night. The “he” is quarterback Grayson McCall, who was hit in the helmet as he was sliding down on a running play in the fourth quarter. McCall was attended to on the field for several minutes as the athletic trainers and medical staff took the necessary precautions to make sure he was okay. The Indian Trail, North Carolina native was transported by ambulance to a local hospital in Jonesboro.
Prior to the injury, McCall became the 146th player in FBS history to eclipse 10,000 career passing yards. Against the RedWolves, the redshirt senior also became Coastal Carolina’s career leader in passing yards, going 24-of-28 for 244 yards and two touchdowns to surpass Alex Ross’s career mark of 9,918 yards. McCall now has 10,005 passing yards in his career.
Game Story Courtesy of Coastal Carolina Media Relations: Coastal Carolina scored 17 of the first 20 points on Saturday night and used a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to spoil Arkansas State’s Homecoming, 27-17, at Centennial Bank Stadium.
Coastal Carolina’s defense provided the first momentum swing of the game late in the first quarter when Clayton Isbell pressured the Arkansas State quarterback, deflecting a pass into the arms of Shane Bruce. The Chanticleers cashed in on the turnover as Kade Hensley scored the first points of the night with a 38-yard field goal with 24 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
CCU extended the lead on its next possession, marching 80 yards in eight plays as Sam Pinckney capped the drive with an acrobatic catch in the corner of the end zone to put the Chants up 10-0 with 6:16 left before halftime.
Arkansas State trimmed the lead to seven with a field goal on its next drive, but the Chanticleers answered to take a 14-point lead into the locker room as McCall found Kendall Karr for a seven-yard strike with 30 seconds to play in the first half.
The Red Wolves tallied the only points of the third quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass to make the score 17-10 Chanticleers entering the fourth stanza.
Hensley’s second field goal of the game put Coastal Carolina up by 10 with 9:54 to go in the fourth quarter.
The Chanticleer defense followed up with its second interception of the night as Tobias Fletcher stepped in front of an Arkansas State pass and returned it 38 yards. Three plays later, Jarrett Guest found the end zone on a three-yard rush to make the score 27-10 with 3:54 to play.
CCU returns home next Saturday to celebrate “Homecoming” against Marshall.
