The Coastal Carolina University football team earned their first ever spot in the AP Top 25 of the season, coming in at No. 23.  

The Chanticleers clinched a spot in the Sun Belt Conference championship game with their 26-23 senior night win over the University of Southern Mississippi. 

Senior running back Reese White said it feels good to be in the top 25, but it is not the team’s main focus. 

“Our focus is to win the championship and a bowl game,” White said. “The key to winning the Sun Belt Conference championship is to play our game to the level we know we are capable of and to not beat ourselves,” he said. 

Jumping to a quick 17-0 lead in the first quarter, the Chanticleer offense seemed to have established an elite rhythm. However, after these first three scores, the Golden Eagles scored 17 unanswered points to tie the game at 17 going into halftime. After two Southern Miss. field goals and one by the Chants, the Golden Eagles led 23-20 heading into the fourth quarter.  

White’s touchdown gave the Chants a 26-23 lead, which they were able to hold onto for the rest of the game for the win.  

The team used a two-quarterback system as starter Grayson McCall was sidelined with a foot injury. Redshirt sophomore Jarrett Guest was primarily used in the passing game, while super senior Bryce Carpenter was brought in as a rushing threat.  

Guest threw for 163 yards on seven of 14 passing with two interceptions and rushed for four yards on seven carries. Carpenter completed his only pass attempt for 28 yards and took eight carries for 15 yards.  

White addressed the dual quarterback system, expressing confidence in both.  

“We’re feeling pretty good, we just have some small details to clean up. We have complete trust and faith in both Bryce and Jarrett to lead us,” White said.  

The game eventually started to slow down and the defense adjusted to it. The run game accounted for most of the production. The team tallied up 170 yards on the ground with seven different ball carriers.  

Running back CJ Beasley led in terms of yardage, with 68 yards on four carries. White had a big senior night game with 12 carries for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Junior running back Aaron Bedgood scored the other touchdown on a 30-yard rush.  

Redshirt junior linebacker JT Killen shared a similar mindset regarding the rest of the season. 

“Obviously, we want more than to just be ranked. We are more focused on keeping on winning. We are really excited to play for the conference championship and for what’s to come this postseason,” Killen said. “We are focused on winning these next two games in order to gain home field advantage. We just gotta keep on winning and gain momentum going into the game.”