A game of inches: Two fumbles into the end zone prove costly as Coastal Carolina falls to Georgia Southern 31-24 (AUDIO)

Conway, SC: Football is frequently described as a game of inches. Saturday night’s matchup between Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern was the perfect illustration of that idiom.

The weight of two rulers tilted the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams. CCU fumbled twice into the end zone, once in the first quarter and another late in the second, as the Eagles were able to fend off the Chanticleers 31-24 in front of an announced crowd of 20,576 at Brooks Stadium. The win was Georgia Southern’s fourth straight over Coastal Carolina and dropped CCU to 1-4 (0-1) on the season. GSU snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in the SBC.

Game Recap Courtesy of CCU Media Relations: Coastal Carolina rallied from a 14-point deficit before Georgia Southern scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to hand the Chanticleers a 31-24 loss Saturday night at Brooks Stadium in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams.

Trailing 17-3 late in the second quarter, Robby Washington returned a punt for a touchdown with 23 seconds remaining before halftime to bring the Chants within seven. Coastal tied the game at 17 when quarterback Deuce Bailey connected with Goldie Lawrence on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 3:16 left in the third quarter, capping a nine-play, 82-yard drive.

Max Johnson’s 16-yard touchdown pass to River Helms put Georgia Southern ahead 24-17 with 14:14 remaining. Johnson added a 14-yard scoring pass to Alex Taylor with 9:54 left to extend the Eagles’ advantage to 31-17.

Bailey found Karmello English for a 29-yard touchdown with 57 seconds remaining, bringing Coastal within seven. Georgia Southern took possession following the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.

Bailey completed 19 of 33 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns without an interception and added 58 rushing yards. English led Coastal’s receivers with five catches for 81 yards, while Dominic Lee-Knicely rushed for a team-high 74 yards on 16 carries.

The Chants finished with 370 yards of offense, including 142 on the ground. Georgia Southern totaled 407 yards.

Two first-half fumbles near the goal line ended Coastal scoring opportunities. The Eagles led 10-0 after Tripp Bryant’s 41-yard field goal and Johnson’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Zay Hilliard.

Nico Cavanillas Alti put Coastal on the board with a 51-yard field goal with 8:38 remaining in the second quarter. Weston Bryan answered with a 67-yard touchdown run to give Georgia Southern a 17-3 lead before Washington’s return cut the halftime margin to seven.

Marcellius Pulliam led Coastal’s defense with 10 tackles. Travis Roman added eight tackles and two pass breakups.

Johnson completed 18 of 29 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns for Georgia Southern. Helms caught four passes for 89 yards, and Taylor had six receptions for 77 yards.

Coastal hits the road for a matchup at Marshall next Saturday, October 10th with kickoff set for 7pm.

CCU HC Ryan Beard — Georgia Southern Postgame Presser

Final Game Stats