Myrtle Beach’s Belack, Keane make most of opportunity to shine

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

By no means did former Myrtle Beach quarterback Tyler Keane desire for teammates ahead of him on the depth chart to get injured. However, the fact injuries happen in football — often at the most inopportune moments — required him to be ready, willing and able.

Waiting for the past few years to have his opportunity to lead the Coastal Carolina offensive huddle, on Saturday the bright lights officially shone on him as Keane made his first career start at the college level.

And it was an opportunity he would not let go to waste.

The former Seahawk completed 9-of-14 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to carrying the ball six times for 13 yards in Coastal Carolina’s 41-21 demolition of instate rival Furman.

While the day was one Keane will remember for some time to come, the same could be said for his fellow Myrtle Beach alum Kyle Belack.

The redshirt freshman receiver at Ohio caught three passes for 33 yards, one of which went for a touchdown — his first as a collegian — helping the Bobcats to a 37-21 victory over Gardner-Webb.

A bevy of other local products did work this past weekend. Here’s a look at how they fared:

▪  Kyle Belack, Ohio (RS Fr., WR): The former Myrtle Beach standout caught three passes for 33 yards and a touchdown — his first as a collegian — to help lead the Bobcats to a 37-21 win over Gardner-Webb.

▪  Michael Billings, Coastal Carolina (So., DB): The former Georgetown standout was in on one tackle Saturday in the Chanticleers’ 41-21 win over Furman.

▪  Anthony Blair, North Greenville (Jr., DL): The Georgetown alum had a solid day for the Crusaders, making three solo tackles and assisting another — two of which were for a loss. He also had a forced fumble for North Greenville, though coming in a 49-35 loss to UNC Pembroke.

▪  Cordell Brown, S.C. State (Jr., DE): The former Myrtle Beach standout had one tackle for the Bulldogs in their 48-14 win over Florida A&M.

▪  Bryan Edwards, South Carolina(Fr., WR): The Conway alum was limited to two catches for 16 yards in the Gamecocks’ 17-10 loss to Kentucky.

▪  Colby Gore, East Carolina (Fr., DB): The former North Myrtle Beach standout had an assisted tackle in the Pirates’ 54-17 loss to Virginia Tech.

▪  Sam Hall, Newberry (Jr., OL): The former Conway standout was part of an offensive line that helped the Wolves churn out 500 yards of total offense in a 37-10 win over Tusculum.

▪  Jordan Hemingway, Catawba (So., DL): The former Loris standout had an assist for the Indians in their 48-26 win over Wingate.

▪  T.J. Jones, Florida A&M (RS Sr., OL): Playing in his home state, the former Myrtle Beach standout saw time for the Rattlers in their 41-14 loss to S.C. State.

▪  Tyler Keane, Coastal Carolina (Jr., QB): In his first start at the college level, the former Myrtle Beach standout completed 9 of 14 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns, along with carrying the ball six times for 13 yards in the Chanticleers’ 41-21 win over Furman on Saturday.

▪  Maxwell Kjosa, Coastal Carolina (RS Fr., TE): The former Socastee Brave returned a kickoff for three yards and saw spot duty elsewhere for the Chanticleers in their 41-21 win over Furman on Saturday.

▪  Mykal Moody, S.C. State (Jr., WR): Posting his best output of the 2016 football season, the Conway alum had five catches for 54 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs’ 48-14 win over Florida A&M.

▪  Naquez Pringle, Kentucky (Jr., DT): Taking on the his home state school, the Carvers Bay alum notched a tackle and three assists — in addition to being credited with half a sack — in the Wildcats’ 17-10 win over South Carolina.

▪  Tyrell Richard, S.C. State (So., DB): Doing his part to help the Bulldogs on Saturday, the Carvers Bay alum had two solo tackles in their 48-14 win over Florida A&M.

▪  Octavius Thomas, Shepherd (Sr., LB): Filling the stat sheet in nearly every way possible, the Myrtle Beach alum had three solo tackles and two assists — one of which came for a loss by way of a sack — in the Rams’ 38-17 win over Notre Dame College (Ohio).

▪  Delano Walters, Coastal Carolina (So., WR): The Socastee alum saw time for Coastal Carolina on Saturday in its 41-21 win over Furman.

▪  Cole Watson, Newberry (Sr., WR): The Conway alum made his presence felt in a big way Saturday, catching six passes for 108 yards and had 63 yards on three punt returns to help the Wolves to a 37-10 win over Tusculum.

▪  Boo Williams, Newberry (RS Fr., LB): The former Loris Lion was in on a tackle for the Wolves in their 37-10 win over Tusculum.

▪  Hunter Windham, Wofford (Jr., RB): The former Aynor standout had four carries for 40 yards in the Terriers’ 31-0 win over East Tennessee State.

▪  Ryan Yurachek, Marshall (Jr., TE): The Thundering Herd’s upset bid against No. 3 Louisville fell well short on Saturday, but the Carolina Forest alum’s only catch on the day went for a 16-yard touchdown. Marshall fell to the Cardinals, 59-28.

This story was originally published September 26, 2016 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach’s Belack, Keane make most of opportunity to shine."