Battle at Warhawks territory
The Chants marched into Malone Stadium on Oct. 8 and defeated the University of Louisiana Monroe Warhawks 28-21.
Six wins is the requirement for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams to be bowl eligible, so this victory earned the Chanticleers a trip to a bowl game this season.
The Chanticleer offense came out strong, scoring two touchdowns in both the first and second quarters. Redshirt sophomore running back CJ Beasley was responsible for two of these on the ground, along with freshman running back Max Balthazar. Redshirt junior quarterback Grayson McCall completed 19 of 28 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown.
After the first half, the Chanticleers did not score again for the remainder of the game. Defensively, the Chants held it down in the second half, allowing just one touchdown in the third quarter and no scores in the fourth.
Chanticleer fans had felt confident following the win, but had their critiques as well.
“ULM isn’t one of the better teams we’re going to play this year. The offense looked basic and repetitive, so I’m thinking we were trying not to open the playbook for other teams to see,” Landon Goodwin, a senior, said. “At the same time, scoring zero points in a half against ULM is inexcusable. The defense played well. If our defense can hold our opponents to 21 points, we should win every game.”
Junior William Mewborn agreed with Goodwin.
“I feel like the offense didn’t play its role to its maximum potential. The game should not have been as close as it was,” he said. “The defense did what it had to do but the offense has to show some more consistency.”
The Chanticleers will host Old Dominion University on Saturday, Oct. 9. at 12 p.m.
