South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Chanticleers hang on, stay unbeaten
Late TD secures program’s 1st perfect regular season
TROY, Ala. — Jaivon Heiligh caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Grayson McCall with 45 seconds left and No. 13 Coastal Carolina preserved its first perfect regular season with a 42-38 win over Troy on Saturday. McCall needed just 45 seconds to move the Chanticleers (11-0, 8-0 Sun Belt Conference), who didn’t have any timeouts, 75 yards for the winning score. He completed all four of his passes on the drive, three of them to Heiligh.
They survived a sandwich game between an upset of then-No. 13 BYU and the league title game against No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette.
The Trojans (5-6, 3-4) didn’t make it easy for the highest-ranked team to visit Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Backup quarterback Jacob Free, who replaced an injured Gunnar Watson in the fourth quarter, hit Tray Eafford on a 6-yard touchdown with 1:20 left. The play was set up with an interception by star middle linebacker Carlton Martial, who also had 21 tackles.
McCall completed 24 of 29 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns.
Heligh caught 11 passes for 138 yards and two TDs.
McCall also ran for a 2-yard score with 5:03 left for a seemingly safe 35-23 lead.
CJ Marable ran for 120 yards and two scores, including an early 59-yarder, and also caught a touchdown pass.
Watson completed 25 of 37 passes for 260 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Free threw an interception on his first series following a goal line stand by Troy, but he later gave the Trojans a chance.
Kaylon Geiger had 103 receiving yards for Troy and Reggie Todd had 101, including a 41-yard touchdown.
Free led Troy down the field to stay alive, setting up Jamontez Woods’ 3-yard touchdown run with 2:48 left.
The Trojans made a short kickoff instead of attempting an onside kick and Martial got the sack.
Free fumbled on a sack by Jeffrey Gunter to end any threat on Troy’s final drive.