Conway, SC: Jarrett Guest has patiently waited in the shadows behind Coastal Carolina standout quarterback Grayson McCall. However, when his number was called on Saturday night, the redshirt senior felt right at home in the spotlight. Filling in for the injured McCall, Guest sparked the Chanticleers to a 34-6 rout of Sun Belt Conference rival Marshall at Brooks Stadium. A record-setting “Homecoming” crowd of 21,324 marveled at how well Guest mastered the CCU offense, throwing for 289 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He was also CCU’s second-leading rusher, with 36 yards on just three carries.
Game Story Courtesy of Coastal Carolina Media Relations:
Coastal (5-3, 3-2 Sun Belt) has won three consecutive games for the first time in 2023 and has won three straight conference games for the second season in a row and third time in the last four years.
The Chanticleers struck first as Kade Hensley capped the opening drive with a 36-yard field goal at the 10:55 mark. After Marshall missed a field goal on its first possession, Coastal Carolina found the end zone as Jared Brown took a short pass and raced down the Chanticleer sideline for a 30-yard score to put CCU up 10-0 with 6:18 left in the first quarter.
Hensley knocked home a 33-yard field goal with 12:40 to play in the second quarter before Marshall scored its first points with a 23-yard field goal with 7:23 remaining in the half. Coastal answered quickly, however, as Guest hit Brown for a 59-yard strike to make the score 20-3 Chanticleers with 5:00 on the clock. After Courtney Eubanks intercepted a Herd pass, Guest tossed a 27-yard TD strike to De’Andre Coleman two plays later to give Coastal Carolina 27-3 lead at the 2:57 mark. Marshall added another field goal in the final seconds of the half as the Chanticleers took a 27-6 lead into the locker room.
Neither team scored in the third quarter as Keonte Lusk thwarted a Thundering Herd drive with his second interception of the season with 9:30 to go in the period. The Chanticleer defense forced its third turnover of the game in the fourth quarter when Micheal Mason stripped Marshall’s quarterback and recovered the ball at the one-yard line. Reese White powered it in two plays later to make the score 34-6 with 9:49 remaining in the game.
Brown led the aerial attack with 117 yards and two touchdowns on five catches. Sam Pinckney caught two passes for 48 yards, extending his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 53, one shy of tying the all-time FBS record. Coleman’s touchdown catch was the first of his collegiate career.
The Chanticleer defense forced five turnovers, the most in a game since CCU forced five against Gardner-Webb on Sept. 10, 2022. Clayton Isbell led the charge with eight tackles and JT Killen recorded five stops. Mason added 1.5 sacks to go with his forced fumble and fumble recovery, while Wyatt Gedeon also tallied a sack.
CCU goes on the road next weekend as the Chants visit Old Dominion on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 3:30 p.m.
