CONWAY, S.C. – The Georgia Southern defense forced four turnovers and allowed just two field goals as the Eagles earned a hard-fought 26-6 win over Coastal Carolina Saturday afternoon at Brooks Stadium.
The Eagles scored on their first two drives with Gavin Stewart hitting a 22-yard field goal and Marcus Sanders Jr. scoring on a 30-yard pass from JC French. The Chants got on the board late in the first quarter with a field goal and Stewart drilled a 27-yard field goal late in the first half after a Deontre Morris interception.
Coastal broke off a 67-yard run on the first drive of the second half, but the Eagle defense bowed up for a goal-line stand and forced the field goal. Stewart connected on a 36-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to take the lead back to 10 points.
The defense continued to shine, forcing two more turnovers, first a fumble recovery by Jacob Ferguson and then an interception by Dorrian Smith that set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Jalen White that iced the game and Stewart hit his fourth field goal late to account for the final score.
French led the offense with 294 passing yards and a touchdown, spreading the ball to nine different receivers. Derwin Burgess Jr. caught eight passes for 98 yards and White rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown. Defensively Marques Watson-Trent led the way with eight tackles while Morris, Smith and Chance Gambleeach recorded an interception. The defense allowed just six points, forced four turnovers and held Coastal to 280 yards of total offense.
Up Next: The Eagles (7-4, 5-2) will wrap up the regular season next Saturday at home against App State (5-5, 3-4) in a game that will kick at 6 p.m.
