Henderson sets CCU rushing record in lopsided win

Maybe it would have been more memorable if he did it on a key touchdown run or a flashy ankles-breaking, video-game-like long gain.

But it seems just as fitting that De’Angelo Henderson broke Coastal Carolina’s career rushing record Saturday night on a rather insignificant carry that he just wouldn’t give up on, pulling a pack of defenders with him for every extra yard, foot and inch before being taken down on the final play of the first half.

By that point, Henderson was already up to 116 rushing yards for the evening and one more for his career than Aundres Perkins’ program record of 2,343 that had stood since 2006. And by the time he left the game for good in the third quarter, Henderson was up to 136 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries – along with five catches for 44 yards – and 2,364 career rushing yards, with nearly two full seasons of eligibility still remaining to continue adding to his already indelible legacy.

Henderson’s memorable performance was one of many for the No. 1/3-ranked Chanticleers as they scored the first 41 points of the game on the way to a 41-14 win over South Carolina State at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

“It means a lot. It’s something that I definitely had in the back of my head once I signed to come here, so it’s a great accomplishment,” Henderson said of the record. “But we’ve got plenty more goals that we’ve got to achieve.”

There were a few missed opportunities in the red zone and head coach Joe Moglia was genuinely displeased that his team tallied nine penalties for 133 yards, but in the big picture, this was a hugely impressive showing for the Chants coming off a narrow season-opening win at Furman and debuting at No. 1 in the FCS Coaches poll this week.

Senior quarterback Alex Ross finished 19-of-28 passing for 195 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a 15-yard touchdown run before giving way to senior backup Michael Church midway through the third quarter. He too added another feat to his own impressive resume by passing Tyler Thigpen for the program record with 55 career touchdown passes.

Senior wide receiver John Israel played a big role in that, hauling in six catches for 87 yards and two impressive touchdowns of 32 and 33 yards. Henderson’s backup sophomore Osharmar Abercrombie maximized his opportunities as well, breaking off a 58-yard touchdown scamper late in the first half.

And then the defense ...

The Chants (2-0) had given up 525 yards to Furman in their season opener – more yards than they allowed to any opponent last season – but the coaches and players had expressed nothing but confidence this week that the necessary adjustments were being made defensively.

They were indeed correct.

The Chants didn’t allow South Carolina State (1-1) to even make a first down in the opening quarter while building a 22-0 lead. They held the Bulldogs to just 69 yards and five first downs through the first two quarters while recovering a pair of fumbles and building a 32-0 halftime lead.

The defense later added a safety in the opening minutes of the third quarter to make it 34-0, and the ensuing field position set up the Coastal Carolina offense for one more score – a 42-yard drive capped by Ross’ 15-yard touchdown run to peak the lead at 41-0.

“Like [defensive coordinator Clayton] Carlin said, most teams take the biggest jump from their first to second game [and] get the little things right,” junior linebacker Alex Scearce said. “I think we really focused this week on our little things that we missed last week. [Furman] had about 17 plays where they gashed us real hard on some little missed assignments so we critiqued our game and were able to take those little things seriously and it made a huge difference this game.”

South Carolina State finally scored its first points with 2:46 left in the third quarter on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Caleb York to former North Myrtle Beach High School standout Temarrick Hemingway.

The Bulldogs would tack on another late touchdown against the Chants’ backups and finish with 234 yards, but it was a hugely impressive – and impactful – performance for the defense.

After going three-and-out on the opening possession of the game, the Chants got the ball back immediately as running back Jalen Simmons fumbled on South Carolina State’s first offensive play. Sophomore safety Kerron Johnson forced the loose ball and senior safety Kelvin Deveaux recovered at the Bulldogs’ 34.

Two plays later Coastal Carolina was in the end zone as Ross lofted a perfectly timed and placed pass to Israel, who shed his defender on a double move and finished off a 32-yard touchdown completion for an eventual 8-0 lead.

The Bulldogs went three-and-out on their next two drives, and after having one red zone opportunity end as Ross was hit and intercepted in front of the goal line on third down, the Chants followed with another touchdown soon enough when Henderson plunged in from 3 yards out to make it 15-0.

Another three-and-out by the Coastal Carolina defense gave the Chants good field position again at the South Carolina State 49 – one of five first-half drives the offense started inside Bulldogs territory – and Ross eventually hit Israel on a 33-yard strike in single coverage to make it 22-0 late in the opening quarter.

And when senior defensive end Calvin Hollenhorst recovered York’s fumbled hand-off at the Bulldogs’ 27 early in the second quarter, the Chants made it 25-0 on a 27-yard field goal by junior Ryan Granger.

Abercrombie’s 58-yard touchdown scamper later capped the first-half scoring and sent the Chants into halftime up 32-0 with the game well in hand.

“I’m really proud of all the young guys who really stepped up. We had a good rotation going this time around. People knew their assignments, we brushed up on what we messed up on last week and I really think this is what we’re capable of every week,” Hollenhorst said.

Said Moglia: “I said early on that I think our defense can show a big improvement and will be good this year. I believe that, and we didn’t show that after the first game. I do think there was significant improvement this week and the defense really did an outstanding job. ... I couldn’t be more pleased with the progress the defense made from the first game to the second game.”

As for Henderson, it’s easy to point to his big runs and highlight plays when underscoring his value to the team, but his consistency is just as impressive. By finding the end zone Saturday night, he scored a rushing touchdown for the 16th consecutive game.

And the record-breaker was perfect in its simplicity. The Chants were simply trying to run out the clock at the end of the first half, pinned deep in their own territory with less than a minute to go.

Henderson took two hand-offs, each time picking up seven yards, and on the last one he simply refused to go down as he pushed and pulled his way into the record book.

“Me and Osharmar Abercrombie, we’ve got this little, it’s not a rivalry, but he’ll break one and I’ve got to break one too,” Henderson explained. “So that was kind of like the thought going into those last couple carries is just that Osharmar broke one and he got in my ear and told me I had to break one so that’s what I was trying to do.”

Henderson didn’t know until after the game that he had officially broken the program record, but he’s been familiar with the mark since he arrived at Coastal Carolina, ever motivated after being passed over by the larger programs in the state and driven to prove himself every time he touches the ball.

Really, that’s the best way to sum up the growing legend of ‘Hop Henderson.’ Every touch of the football is an opportunity to leave his mark – on the game, the season, the record books, whatever.

“My goal coming in – and we’ve had some phenomenal players in this university and I’m blessed to be here – but my goal was to be the best running back to ever come here,” he said. “And statistically I’m trying to do that, personality-wise I’m trying to do that. I’m trying to be a great teammate and I’m trying to lead on and off the field. I’m just trying to be the best.”

This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 9:52 PM with the headline "Henderson sets CCU rushing record in lopsided win."