Coastal Carolina Rebounds With Win Over ULM

On a soggy night in Conway, Coastal Carolina found their footing where it mattered most— on the ground and on defense– and powered past ULM for a statement 23-8 victory.

Coastal Carolina struck first with a field goal on its opening drive, finishing off a 15-play possession that reached the red zone. The Chanticleers couldn’t capitalize for six, as the wet conditions made ball security a challenge, but the score gave them their first 1st-quarter points of the season.

The Chanticleer defense forced a three-and-out on ULM’s opening drive, and Coastal quickly capitalized with another field goal. The drive was highlighted by an explosive 46-yard run from junior Ja’Vin Simpkins. During the run, Simpkins fumbled deep in the red zone, but after review, the call on the field was overturned, allowing Coastal to retain possession.

The Chants got creative with a trick play to Jameson Tucker with four minutes left in the first half, but Tucker coughed it up at the 5-yard line and dissolved a golden scoring opportunity. Turnovers continue to haunt Coastal, as this marks their seventh fumble of the season.

Following a Warhawks punt, with just 12 seconds left in the first half, Coastal Carolina quarterback Samari Collier delivered a pass to tight end Brooks Johnson for the Chanticleers’ first touchdown of the game. This scoring drive was set up by a crucial 43-yard run from running back Jevon Edwards, who moved Coastal deep into the red zone and created the opportunity for the touchdown to put Coastal Carolina up 16-0.

The Coastal Carolina defense played lights-out in the first half against the Warhawks, holding ULM to just 70 total yards of offense. Linebackers Tray Brown and Dontae Lunan were standouts, each recording two tackles for loss in the first two quarters. Their performance hindered ULM’s offense on the run and pass game.

Coastal defense picked up right where they left off as senior defensive tackle Sawyer Goram-Welch blew through the offensive line and stuffed a crucial 4th-down run on ULM’s first drive out of the half.

On the Warhawks’ very next offensive possession, Jonathan Bibbs ended their scoring drought with a 27-yard touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone. Bibbs had set up the opportunity with an impressive 43-yard catch and run just a few plays earlier. Following the touchdown, ULM successfully converted a two-point try, narrowing the margin to a one-score game with just over nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Coastal Carolina quarterback Samari Collier responded to ULM’s touchdown with a 40-yard rushing touchdown of his own, extending Coastal’s lead to 23-8. Collier, a junior college transfer, has made a significant impact, especially after starter Tad Hudson left the game in the first quarter due to an injury. His electrifying run helped maintain Coastal’s momentum.

Late in the fourth quarter, Coastal Carolina’s defense continued its stellar performance with interceptions on back-to-back drives. Xamarion Gordon picked off one pass, followed shortly by Avyonne Jones, who intercepted a broken trick play attempt by ULM.

Coastal Carolina’s defense made a strong statement following their previous week’s struggles– the Chants allowed over 600 yards to Old Dominion. Against ULM, they were dominant in critical situations, holding the Warhawks to an outstanding 1-of-13 on third-down conversions and 1-for-4 on fourth-down attempts. Linebacker Tray Brown led the defensive effort with six solo tackles, including two for loss, stepping up wonderfully in the absence of veteran linebacker Shane Bruce.

Offensively, the Chanticleers dominated on the ground against ULM. Samari Collier led the way with 86 rushing yards, followed by Ja’Vin Simpkins with 63 yards and Jevon Edwards adding 48. Together, Coastal Carolina’s ground game totaled an impressive 277 yards, overwhelming the Warhawks’ defense.

Collier was truly the game-changer for the Chanticleers tonight, lifting the team with a different type of energy when it mattered most.

Head coach Tim Beck emphasized that it was an all-around win, with everyone doing their part.

“Today, we played well on special teams, we played well defensively. We rushed the football very efficiently today, made a couple big plays… We were able to convert in the red zone and made some plays when we had to,” Beck said.

For the Warhawks’ offense, quarterback Aidan Armenta threw for 176 yards and a touchdown in the game. Running back Braylon McReynolds continued his strong season with another game surpassing 70 rushing yards, maintaining an impressive average of over five yards per carry.

Despite a gloomy and wet night, Coastal’s football team left Brooks Stadium with a smile on its face as they were able to bounce back from a rough 47-7 road loss against Old Dominion.

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers now improve to 3-3 (2-1 in conference) and aim to carry on the momentum into a rivalry game in Boone next Saturday.

The University of Louisiana-Monroe is now also 3-3 (1-1 in conference), shifting gears to another Sun Belt matchup against Troy next week.