Coastal Carolina scored a touchdown on the second play of the game and never looked back on its way to a 52-20 win. That touchdown was a part of a ridiculous game for Chanticleers senior tight end Isaiah Likely.
COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS
Isaiah Likely had one of the best statistical nights I have ever seen from a collegiate tight end. On the Chants’ second offensive play, he caught a ten-yard pass over the middle and outran every Arkansas State defender for a 99- yard score. On Likely’s second score, he out jumped two Red Wolves DBs. His other two scores came when they just simply out schemed the defense. At the end of the night, Likely finished with eight catches for 232 yards and four TDs. That was the most TD receptions in a game in school history. He is currently my #7 ranked tight end.
Redshirt sophomore Grayson McCall just always seems to make the right decision. It helps that their running game is so strong, so he often has easier decisions to make. McCall has a good arm and he makes great throws on the run. Against Arkansas State, he completed 18/23 for 365 yards and four touchdowns.
This was the second game of Coastal Carolina that I watched and it was the second game that junior edge rusher Manny Johnson didn’t play. He was listed on the participation report but I never saw him on the field.
I did see the Chanticleers’ other edge rusher Jeffrey Gunter…a lot. The 6’4” 260-pound senior wrecked the Red Wolves’ offensive line on multiple occasions. He holds up in the run game well. He finished with three tackles and 1.5 sacks.
ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES
Of the three ASU players on our watch list, only senior LB Jeffmario Brown did anything of note. He had five solo tackles.
NORTHERN IOWA PANTHERS
Last Saturday, I recorded the UNI game against Youngstown State. The sole purpose of this mission was to watch Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning. He did not disappoint. The 6’7” 321-pound left tackle is nimble for a man of his size. Penning has powerful hands. He uses them to manhandle defenders with ease. At times, Penning was toying with the Penguins defenders, locking them out with only one hand. I legitimately felt sorry for a YSU DB who made the mistake of simply getting into Penning’s path as he pulling on a run play.
He clearly was three levels above any defender on the Youngstown State roster. I need to go back and watch their opener against Iowa State to get a better picture. However, just on this initial watch, I am thoroughly impressed.