Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall injured in game against Arkansas State
Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall left the field on a stretcher after taking a hit to the head on a slide during a game against Arkansas State on Saturday.
McCall appeared to be knocked unconscious on the play in the fourth quarter. With fewer than 12 minutes to play and CCU ahead 17-10, McCall ran the ball and was hit in the head as he slid to avoid contact.
McCall appeared to go limp after the hit, and his teammates immediately called for medical attention.
The fifth-year quarterback was attended to by on-field medical personnel and carted off on a stretcher. Before leaving the field, McCall raised his arm to the crowd.
CCU Head Coach Tim Beck said after the game that McCall was conscious and moving on the field and was being tested for a concussion at a local hospital. Although Arkansas State was assessed a personal foul, Beck was not happy with the play after the game.
“There’s a 100 calls out there that are going on that are awful,” Beck said. “I don’t know what to tell guys anymore; they give themselves up to slide, and (defenses are) allowed to take shots at a quarterback’s head. I guess that’s okay. It’s just a fifteen-yard penalty while the best player in the Sun Belt Conference has to leave the game. It’s probably well worth it for some people.”
Tempers flared after play resumed between the two teams, as shoving and words were exchanged. During the post-game press conference, CCU linebacker Shane Bruce added that some Arkansas State players made unsportsmanlike gestures following McCall’s injury that made tempers flare on the CCU side.
“When we started seeing the gestures that they were making, we felt pretty disrespected,” Bruce said. “That just added fuel to the fire.”
Bruce declined to elaborate on what those gestures were but said that the Chants mostly held their composure throughout the rest of game. The game was not about the frustrations after the injury CCU running back Max Balthazar added after the game.
“It’s about us, about our brotherhood and finishing the game and doing it for Grayson,” Balthazar said.
This story was originally published October 21, 2023 at 9:48 PM.
