Chants score 32 points in second quarter on way to shutout over Alabama A&M
Heading into a matchup with an Alabama A&M team struggling mightily on defense and ranking among the most porous units in the FCS, it stood to reason that Hurricane Joaquin had a better chance than the Bulldogs of slowing Coastal Carolina down Saturday.
But after pounding the area with rain earlier in the day, the skies cleared by the adjusted afternoon kickoff and by the second quarter so too had the Chanticleers’ path to the end zone.
No. 1/2-ranked Coastal Carolina piled up 32 points in the second quarter alone and pulled many of its starters at halftime while cruising to a 55-0 homecoming win at Brooks Stadium to improve to 5-0 for the season and secure the 100th win in program history.
“The shutout feels great. At this level, Division I, you don’t see too many shutouts,” senior safety Kelvin Deveaux said. “So to be able to do that and do it in front of our home crowd, the 100th win, collectively everything, it just feels great.”
Junior running back De’Angelo Henderson continued his impressive season while rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown and catching four passes for 44 yards and two scores all in the first half.
Senior quarterback Alex Ross was 15-of-22 passing for 153 yards, four touchdowns and an interception in his two quarters of work.
And the Chants’ defense, struggling with its own inconsistency through the first four games, was absolutely stifling in forcing Alabama A&M (1-3) into three turnovers and five three-and-outs in the first half on the way to the program’s first shutout win in eight years.
Coastal Carolina went into halftime with a 17-4 edge in first downs and a 305-118 advantage in offensive yards.
“Certainly I was pleased with the effort that we had today,” Chants coach Joe Moglia said. “... I’ve been talking about the defense [needing] to be able to come together and do a better job, and I think our defense did that today. We did a pretty good job of shutting them down.”
Offensively, it could be said that Coastal Carolina actually got off to something of a slow start in the opening quarter, but it wouldn’t last long.
The Chants needed just 2 minutes, 8 seconds to score on their opening possession as Henderson started the series with a 27-yard run and later plunged in for a 1-yard touchdown. But a failed two-point conversion attempt left the hosts up 6-0 and that’s where it stayed into the second quarter.
But after four quiet drives – and an uncharacteristic three straight three-and-outs – the Chants took possession at their own 46 for the final play of the first quarter and started to find their rhythm.
Just three plays later, they were in the end zone as Ross scrambled for 12 yards, Henderson rumbled for 17 and then turned a short reception into a 25-yard touchdown, dancing around defenders down the right sideline. Ross followed with a 2-point conversion pass to junior Bruce Mapp to make it 14-0.
After the defense forced Alabama A&M into a three-and-out, the Chants got the ball back just 1:10 later and proceeded to go 10 plays for 67 yards and another touchdown pass from Ross to Henderson – this time from 3 yards – as the lead grew to 21-0.
Then came another Bulldogs three-and-out and another quick Coastal Carolina scoring drive as junior Ryan Granger connected on a 34-yard field goal.
Three plays into the Bulldogs’ ensuing drive, backup quarterback Damion May was intercepted by senior linebacker Rayshaud Shields on a deep pass down the right sideline. The Chants took over at the Alabama A&M 37 and scored again less than a minute later. Again needing just three plays to return to the end zone, Ross threw complete to Tyrell Blanks near the goal line and the senior slot receiver did the rest to finish off an 18-yard touchdown for 31-0 lead.
And for good measure, Coastal Carolina recovered a fumble on the next Alabama A&M possession as sophomore Marcus Williamson sacked May and junior Jabarai Bothwell recovered the loose ball at the visitors’ 47.
It was redshirt-freshman receiver Frankie Richardson’s turn to leave his mark on the game as he capped the quick drive with a tough 9-yard reception to the Alabama A&M 10 and then corralled a 10-yard pass in the end zone for his first career touchdown.
With a 38-0 lead at that point, all that was left was to crown the homecoming king and queen and play out the second half on the way to the program’s third straight 5-0 start.
“We were feeling good. We were moving the ball pretty well and we just got into a rhythm,” Ross said. “Hop was carrying the ball well, the receivers were catching and the o-line was protecting – you can’t ask for anything more.”
The 32 points in the second quarter are the most Coastal Carolina has ever scored in one quarter against an FCS opponent and second only to a 35-point quarter against Division II North Greenville in 2003.
Henderson, meanwhile, set his own record by scoring a touchdown in 19 straight games to break the Big South mark of 18. He is now just one off the FCS record of 20 straight games with a touchdown, set by Monmouth’s David Sinisi from 2006-07. And Ross is now the conference’s all-time leader with 10 games throwing at least three touchdown passes.
As part of that offensive onslaught, Mapp finished with four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown, Blanks had five catches for a season-high 73 yards and a touchdown, sophomore running back Osharmar Abercrombie tallied 80 rushing yards in 16 attempts, redshirt-freshman Isaac Martin rushed for 70 yards in 10 attempts and senior backup quarterback Michael Church finished 5-of-7 passing for 93 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another score.
The Chants finished with a season-high 547 offensive yards, including a season-best 297 rushing yards.
“It was great. Once we start clicking and the young guys get in, it’s phenomenal just to see that growth from when they first got here to now, or from camp to now,” Henderson said. “So when they get a chance to get in, we’re on the sideline like high school kids jumping around excited, cheering them on.”
Again, the offensive outburst was not unexpected as Alabama A&M entered the weekend ranked 118th out of 123 FCS teams in total defense, giving up an average of 519.7 yards per game.
So the defensive performance was perhaps even more encouraging for a Coastal Carolina team that entered the week ranked 83rd in the FCS in total defense.
“We definitely just wanted to focus on having a complete game all four quarters, and I feel like we did that today,” senior defensive end Roderick Holder said. “... We’re only going to get better, I feel like.”
Added Shields: “We [were] way more disciplined than we normally have been. And like Roderick said, [the goal was to] have a complete game. ... Today we finally put all four [quarters] together.”
Deveaux notched his second interception of the season in addition to Shields’ pick and Bothwell’s fumble recovery, contributing to the first Coastal Carolina shutout since a 51-0 win over Chowan in 2007.
Although the official attendance was listed at 9,093 as determined by ticket sales, the deluge of rain leading up to the game courtesy of Hurricane Joaquin had a noticeable and expected impact on the crowd.
But those who made it out to Brooks Stadium saw a highly encouraging performance in all phases as the Chants keep marching along.
“The defense, which I thought was improving, we still wound up struggling [through the first part of the season]. So nobody was pleased about the Western Illinois game. Nobody was particularly pleased, although we improved, with the Bryant game. But today we did dominate the game from a defensive perspective against an offense that wasn’t so bad,” Moglia said.
“So that coupled with the fact that the second-team held up, that the third-team help up at the end of the game is something I am pleased with. The shutout is a wonderful ‘atta boy or a wonderful pat on the back, but it’s more I feel good about the defense making progress.”
Ryan Young: 843-626-0318, @RyanYoungTSN
This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Chants score 32 points in second quarter on way to shutout over Alabama A&M."