Get ready, college football world: It’s time to feel the teal.
No. 18 Coastal Carolina topped No. 13 BYU, 22-17, in a battle of unbeatens on Saturday night that came down to the game’s last play.
The Cougars had driven down to the Coastal Carolina 18-yard line with 0:02 left in the game when quarterback Zach Wilson completed a pass to Dax Milne near the goal line. Milne was brought down by a swarm of defenders at the 1-yard line, sealing the wild win for the Chanticleers.
BYU started its drive on its own 18-yard line with 0:55 remaining and no timeouts. A penalty on the first play pushed the Cougars to their own 9-yard line, and then Wilson went to work. He completed five of his seven pass attempts on the drive for 90 yards, coming up one yard short of completing a miraculous comeback.
The Coastal Carolina defense held the nation’s No. 4 scoring offense in check, as BYU averaged 47.6 points per game coming into Saturday’s matchup. Offensively, the Chanticleers controlled the line of scrimmage, rushing for 281 yards and averaging 5.2 yards per carry to create a sizable advantage in time of possession (37:51 compared to BYU’s 22:09).
BYU led, 14-13, at halftime and kicked a field goal in the opening drive of the third quarter before getting completely grounded for the rest of the game. In their four drives prior to their game-ending possession, the Cougars punted three times and fumbled once, amassing 35 yards in 17 plays with only two first downs.
The end of the first half got a bit chippy. Wilson’s Hail Mary attempt on the last play of the second quarter was intercepted, and two Coastal defenders took cheap shots on Wilson as the interception was being returned. That led to benches clearing as the two teams met in the middle of the field, though the situation deescalated without any flags thrown.
The meeting between BYU and Coastal Carolina was scheduled mid-week after the Chanticleers’ original Saturday opponent—Liberty—was unable to play due to COVID-19 issues. The two schools were able to reach an agreement to play on Wednesday, creating an impromptu matchup between two undefeated, top-20 teams.
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