Conway, SC: Conway bills itself as the “City of Halloween” during the month of October. After Thursday night, you can bet the Marshall football team believes that evil spirits lurk around town.
Coastal Carolina forced five second-half turnovers to erase a 20-17 halftime deficit and pull out a 44-27 victory over the Thundering Herd in front of an announced crowd of 17,034 at Brooks Stadium. After scoring on its opening possession of the second half to stretch the lead to ten, Marshall (4-4/2-2) turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions as CCU (5-3/4-1) scored twenty-seven unanswered points to claim its third straight win.
Game Story Courtesy of CCU Media Relations: QB Samari Collier accounted for four total touchdowns and the Coastal Carolina defense had five takeaways as the Chanticleers stormed back from another double-digit deficit to knock off Marshall 44–27 on Thursday night at Brooks Stadium. With the game taking place on Halloween Eve, Conway, S.C. — “The City of Halloween” — transformed the stadium into a spooktacular venue. The football team joined in the fun wearing jerseys and helmets with neon and glow-in-the-dark accents.
Marshall struck first when Boogie Trotter returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown just two minutes into the game. Kian Afrookhteh’s 36-yard field goal got Coastal on the board, but the Herd extended their lead to 13–3 early in the second quarter. That’s when the Chanticleer offense found its rhythm. Collier capped an eight-play, 54-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, and after another Marshall score, freshman running back Dominic Knicely broke loose for a 59-yard touchdown run to make it 20–17 at halftime.
Marshall opened the second half with a touchdown pass to go ahead 27–17, but Coastal responded with 27 unanswered points, helped by the defense forcing turnovers on four-straight drives in the third quarter. Collier hit Malcolm Gillie for a 69-yard touchdown, found Bryson Graves from 17 yards out two drives later, and Afrookhteh added field goals of 42 and 24 yards to give Coastal a 37–27 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Collier’s second rushing touchdown — a 1-yard keeper midway through the fourth — sealed the win as the Chanticleer defense shut the door. Xamarion Gordon led CCU with nine tackles, while Dontae Lunan and Myles Woods each intercepted passes to halt Marshall drives.
Marshall out-gained Coastal 432–410 but turned it over five times (three fumbles, two interceptions), leading to 20 Chanticleer points
BY THE NUMBERS
• Collier: 8-of-21 passing for 196 yards, 2 TDs; 22 rushes for 75 yards and 2 TDs
• Gillie: 69-yard TD reception and 45-yard kick return (114 all-purpose yards)
• Knicely: 5 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown
• Afrookhteh: 3-for-3 on field goals (36, 42, 24) and 5-for-5 on PATs
• Team Totals: 410 yards of offense (214 rushing, 196 passing) on 66 plays
• Defense: 3 takeaways, 7 tackles for loss, and a sack by Ezekiel Durham-Campbell
NOTEBOOK
Déjà Vu Comeback: Coastal has now rallied from double-digit deficits in back-to-back games, overcoming a 13–3-hole Thursday after erasing a 14-point deficit at App State on Oct. 18.
Turning Point: The 20-point third quarter flipped a 27–17 deficit into a 10-point lead, with Coastal scoring touchdowns on consecutive drives of 75 and 18 yards.
Consistency Kian: Afrookhteh has now connected on 10 straight field-goal attempts and 21 consecutive extra points.
Defensive Surge: Coastal’s defense has forced eight turnovers during its three-game winning streak.