After a satisfactory stint with current Missouri Head Coach BigBrian, Coastal Carolina faced turmoil with a vacant coaching spot, leading to a dismal 1-11 season. Tasked with rebuilding the program is Swovine, whose NDL career will begin in Conway, SC with the Chanticleers. While the Chanticleers have had minor success in unofficial scrimmages, their first showing of the season has been far from stellar.
Following back-to-back losses in quick succession to Michigan State (28-45) and Oregon State (29-35), the team found themselves lacking answers and confidence to move forward in the right direction. For a brand new head coach, getting an early win is crucial in gaining the support of the players and fans alike. From the start of today's matchup against Kennesaw, it didn't seem like this pivotal win would be appearing anytime soon.
Backed into a corner early and facing a quick 10-0 deficit in the 1st Quarter, Swovine found himself unable to answer the heavy-formation looks of Kennesaw State and head coach Neal. From the very first snap, Kennesaw RB Coleman Bennett had his way with the Chanticleers defense as they continued to be outpaced on outside zones and sweep concepts. On offense, Coastal Carolina QB Roquan Barber threw 3 interceptions in the 1st half—2 of which came in the redzone. The Chanticleers were held scoreless throughout the half and found themselves down 13-0 until finally answering midway through the 3rd Quarter.
Entering the 4th quarter, Coastal Carolina had their backs against the wall down 19-7. Swovine's window of opportunity to secure a first win had begun to dwindle, and the clock-churning offense of Kennesaw State only closed that window further. With QB Barber's confidence shot following a 5th interception, things seemed bleak. With only 5:25 left in the game, and a long 3rd down conversion ahead of them, Coastal put their trust one last time in Barber, hoping to deliver a miracle to keep the game alive; and deliver he did.
On 3rd and 13, Barber faced a conservative 3 man front, giving him ample time to wait for a receiver to break open. Looking deep down field, Barber ripped a pass from his own 17 yard line to the opponents' 26, revitalizing the crowd and opening the door just a little for Coastal to mount their comeback.
Following a quick series of plays, Coastal Carolina had found themselves back within one score. With pressure beginning to surmount on Kennesaw State, it was down to the Coastal Carolina defense to come up with a massive stop to give the offense a final try at scoring. Despite chewing as much clock as possible, Coastal Carolina received the ball back with just 2 minutes to go.
In what would normally sound like a miscommunication, the new Head Coach for Coastal restructured the gameplan to be run-first—a rather large gamble given the time left in the game. However, the team's trust in the gameplan paid off instantly as RB Camerun Knox broke free for a couple of solid gains to move the chains. Seeing this, Kennesaw's defense begin to bring fire on the Coastal offense in hopes to squash the run game. However, a sneaky playcall by Swovine led to a wide open Knox on a wheel route out of the backfield, resulting in a 30 yard go-ahead Touchdown in the final minute of play.
After nailing a criticial 2-point conversion, the Coastal defense found themselves on the field one last time, trying valiantly to hold on for the home crowd and secure their first win. Despite immense pressure from Kennesaw QB Dexter Williams II and several deep passes downfield, Coastal Carolina's secondary was able to keep the Owls at bay and force a 4th and long prayer to keep the game alive. After such a methodical and slow-paced game, everything came down to one last throw. With the safeties pinched up and a wide open field exposed behind them, Williams looked to strike an area of grass he believed was open, unable to see the trap set up by Chanticleers LB Shane Bruce, who effortlessly picked the ball out of the air to complete the heart-pounding comeback and secure Swovine's first NDL victory.
Chanticleers 22, Kennesaw State 19
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