CONWAY, S.C. – No. 15 Coastal Carolina scored a pair of touchdowns in the opening quarter and added three Massimo Basicardi field goals the rest of the way to hold off the University of South Alabama football team and earn a 23-6 Sun Belt Conference victory over the Jaguars at Brooks Stadium on Saturday.

Shermari Jones scored on a one-yard run and CJ Marable added a nine-yard touchdown pass from Grayson McCall as the Chanticleers improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in league play.  McCall threw for 209 yards and accounted for 281 yards of total offense, with Reese White adding 81 yards and Jones 60 on the ground.

Diego Guajardo accounted for all of the scoring by the Jaguars (3-4, 2-2 Sun Belt) after connecting on 31- and 43-yard field goals in the opening half.

Riley Cole and Keith Gallmon recorded 15 and 10 stops apiece for the Jaguars defensively, while Dewayne Betts Jr. and Nick Mobley adding seven each.  Desmond Trotter was 23-of-31 passing for 243 yards, with Jalen Tolbert catching seven passes for 78 yards and Jalen Wayne finishing with 91 yards on five receptions.  Carlos Davis led South's rushing attack with 73 yards on 17 carries.

The Chants also had two individuals post a double-digit tackle total as Silas Kelly was credited with 12 stops and Tarron Jackson added 10 including 2½ behind the line of scrimmage.

#15 Coastal Carolina 23, South Alabama 6 (final stats)
South Alabama/Coastal Carolina photo gallery

GAME FACTS
-The Chanticleers scored on each of their first two possessions — going 70-plus yards in less than three minutes both times — to take a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
-The two teams traded field goals in the second quarter, leaving Coastal ahead by double digits at the break.
-After the two teams turned the ball over on back-to-back snaps early in the third quarter, the Jags went on a 17-play march that was stopped on fourth down inches shy of the goal line as the score remained the same entering the final period.
-Biscardi closed out the scoring after hitting from 30 and 27 yards out in the last 10-plus minutes of the fourth quarter.
-The Chants outgained the Jags 445-336 in the contest, including rushing for 236 yards.
-Both defensive units held the opposition below 30 percent on third-down conversions, with South going for it on fourth down seven times — making the line to gain on three of those occasions — in the contest.

NOTES
-This was just the second meeting all-time between the two programs, and the first-ever match-up in Conway.
-It was the first time this season that the Jaguars have taken on a nationally-ranked opponent.
-The 23 points Coastal scored were the fewest given up by the Jaguars against a top-25 foe in program history and the lowest the Chanticleers have scored in 2020
-Guajardo became the sixth individual in school history to connect on 10 or more field goals in a season, and the first to do so in current head coach Steve Campbell's three years in charge of the program.
-It was the first time since USA defeated Texas State on Oct. 17 that the sophomore has made multiple field goals in a game, and the third occasion this fall he has accomplished the feat.
-With an 11-yard catch last in the third quarter, Kawaan Baker became the school's all-time leader in receiving yards; he ended the contest with 1,698 in his career after catching three balls for 20 yards in the game.
-It was the third time this season and fourth of his career that Cole — who tied a career high first set in the Texas State win last month — has posted 10 or more stops in a contest.
-It was also the second time this year that he and Gallmon have recorded a double-digit tackle total in the same game with the duo accomplishing the feat in South's season-opening victory over Southern Mississippi on Sept. 3 as well.
-Mobley became the eighth player in program history to record 200 or more stops in a career.
-Tolbert moved into the top 10 on South's season record list for receiving yards, as he now stands eighth with 602 this fall.
-After catching two passes for 33 yards in his first six games with the program, Caullin Lacy had four receptions for 32 yards in the contest.
-Making the first start of his career, Charles Coleman III forced his first fumble since joining the program in 2018 with a third-quarter sack and also deflected a pass later in the period.
-Betts Jr. — who recorded a career-best tackle total for the second time in three weeks — was also credited with his first forced fumble since joining the program as well as a pass broken up.

THEY SAID IT
South Alabama head coach Steve Campbell
Opening statement: "I thought the defense played extremely hard.  Offensively I thought we played hard, we just didn't execute once we got down in the red zone.  We had opportunities to score points.  You're not going to beat good teams kicking field goals and not scoring touchdowns, especially a team that's averaging 40 points per game.  Coastal Carolina did a good job of keeping us out of the end zone.  We've got to finish those drives with touchdowns when we get in the red zone."
On the play of the defense: "After the first two drives, I think we settled down and were able to keep them out of the end zone.  They're a very explosive offense.  Our defense was able to create some turnovers for us, but offensively we had too many turnovers of our own.  We've got to do a better job of giving ourselves a chance to win."
On next week's matchup versus Louisiana: "I told the guys in the locker room that of the five teams in our division, only one has one conference loss and we play them next week.  This next game is for the sole lead of our division.  If we can go on the road and beat Louisiana, we'll own the tiebreaker over them.  If we want to see Coastal or App State later in the season in the championship game, we need to take care of business.  We still control our own destiny.  We need to go on the road and pick up a big win against a very good Louisiana football team."

Senior LB Riley Cole
On his performance: "Fifteen tackles is a great stat to have, but you always want that 'W'.  I was just trying to play my heart out and help the team win."
On the defense's effort holding Coastal Carolina's offense: "Everybody was hitting on all cylinders and doing their job.  The defensive line was holding their gaps, the linebackers were flowing and the safeties and corners were playing well.  I'm so proud of the way our defense played.  Hopefully we can keep it going."
On going forward: "We just have to keep pushing.  I'm trying to step up and be more of a vocal leader and keep everybody's heads up."

Junior WR Jalen Wayne
On his performance: "I felt like me and Desmond were connecting pretty well tonight.  I wish we had been able to get together a lot more, but it felt pretty good to be able to get back to playing like that tonight."
On the frustration of the offense not being able to get the ball into the end zone: "It's frustrating because when you make a big play to put yourself in scoring position, you want to be able to finish off the drive.  We're going to go back to practice and fix some things so that we make sure we're able to do that next week."

Up next: USA returns to action at Louisiana at 1 p.m. (CST) on Saturday, concluding a stretch of three straight games on the road.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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—USA—