Chanticleers grab the Bulls by the horns
The high-scoring Chanticleers didn’t fire on all cylinders, but No. 16 Coastal Carolina embraced adversity in its first road victory of the season.
Grayson McCall threw for three touchdowns, Shermari Jones ran for 149 yards and another score, and Coastal Carolina ground out a 28-25 win at Buffalo on Saturday to remain unbeaten after three games.
“We didn’t play our best football game,” Jones said. “Yeah, we won and all that. But I feel like the Chants can be better.”
McCall, who entered the day leading the nation in passing efficiency and completion rate, was 13-of-19 passing for 232 yards with his first interception of the season.
Jaivon Heiligh caught four passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, becoming the fourth receiver in school history to surpass 2,000 career yards. Heiligh also dropped two long passes and Tyler Roberts dropped one when he was wide open with the end zone beckoning.
“We dropped a lot of passes that were big plays that could’ve went for touchdowns,” Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell said.
Jones battled a turf toe injury that forced him to the sideline in the fourth quarter to average 9.9 yards per carry and set a carer-high rushing total. A junior college transfer in his second season with the Chanticleers, Jones had 100 yards and two touchdowns in the season-opening win against The Citadel.
“We needed to run the ball against them, and he did a fantastic job,” Chadwell said. “That was big. Him being able to run the ball and get big plays and be physical. We are going to have to have that if we are going to continue to get better.”
Buffalo scored on consecutive 84-yard drives in the first quarter to take a 14-7 lead. McDuffie’s 2-yard run and backup quarterback Matt Myers’ 13-yard keeper put Coastal Carolina in its largest deficit of the season.
“It was a sloppy game,” said Chanticleers linebacker Silas Kelly, who matched co-captain Teddy Gallagher for the team lead with 10 tackles. “It was a very physical game. The most physical game we’ve had so far in our first three games. We played Chanticleer football and we were ready for it. At the end of the day, you get to feel that early in the season, in the third game of the year, and that’s something that is good for us.”
Calzada leads A&M shellacking: Zach Calzada threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to power No. 7 Texas A&M in a 34-0 rout of New Mexico on Saturday.
The victory extends A&M’s winning streak to 11 games and gives the Aggies a 3-0 start for the first time since opening the 2016 season with six consecutive wins. Despite the lopsided win coach Jimbo Fisher devoted most of his postgame comments addressing ways his team needs to improve.
“We’re playing very average,” Fisher said. “We’ve got to get better in all aspects and we’ve got to grow up across the board in everything we do and play with much more consistency as a team and learn to play off each other.”
Wolverines roll by Huskies: Blake Corum rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns as No. 25 Michigan routed Northern Illinois, 63-10 on Saturday.
The Wolverines (3-0) scored touchdowns on their first nine drives, eight of them on the ground. The 10th drive also included a touchdown run, but it was called back for a holding penalty and Michigan turned the ball over on downs. The Wolverines never punted.
“We were really, really good today, but we know there’s always room to improve,” Corum said. “When we say we want to play a perfect game, that means going through today’s film and fix all of those small mistakes.”
Western Michigan stuns Pittsburgh: Kaleb Eleby threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns and Western Michigan stunned Pittsburgh 44-41 on Saturday.
La’Darius Jefferson ran for 78 yards and two scores for the Broncos (2-1), who came into Heinz Field as a 15-point underdog and left it with their first victory over a Power 5 school in five years.
Kenny Pickett tossed six touchdowns for the Panthers (2-1) and threw for 382 yards to move past Hall of Famer Dan Marino into second-place on the school’s all-time passing list but Pitt fell flat a week after a stirring victory on the road at Tennessee. Western Michigan rolled up 516 yards of total offense and held the ball for 40 minutes.
Irish escape Boilermakers: Kyren Williams scored two long touchdowns, the second a 51-yard run with 6:05 remaining, as No. 12 Notre Dame held off Purdue 27-13 Saturday for its 26th straight victory at home.
The victory was the 105th in Brian Kelly’s 12-year career at Notre Dame, tying him with Knute Rockne as the winningest coach in school history. The Fighting Irish won their eighth straight over Purdue and first since 2014.