KU falls to Coastal Carolina

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – CJ Marable rushed for 148 yards and recorded two touchdowns to lead Coastal Carolina to a 12-7 victory over Kansas on Saturday night.

Fred Payton connected with Marable for 20 yards to pick up the Chanticleers (1-1) lone touchdown of the first half; however, a missed extra-point attempt in conjunction with a shanked 31-yard field goal by Massimo Biscardi sent the Chanticleers to the locker room facing a 7-6 deficit.

To open the second half, Chandler Kryst picked off the pass of Carter Stanley, fueling a 64-yard drive by Coastal Carolina resulting in a second touchdown for Marable and an ultimately insurmountable lead for the Chanticleers.

A third missed field goal by Biscardi, this time from 27 yards, gifted Kansas (1-1) one final offensive drive late in the fourth quarter, yet the Jayhawks were unable to convert, turning the ball over on downs after gaining only eight yards.

In his highly-anticipated season debut following a one-game suspension, Kansas’ Pooka Williams Jr. rushed for 99 yards on 22 carries to lead the Jayhawks.

Khalil Herbert tacked on an additional 82 yards on the ground, including a 41-yard touchdown run to cap the Jayhawks’ opening offensive drive and secure the lone Kansas touchdown. However, the efforts of the shifty Kansas running back unit were unable to make amends for two untimely interceptions and a 107-yard passing performance by Stanley.

THE TAKEAWAY

Coastal Carolina: In only their second season as a full-time FBS team, the Chanticleers were to overpower their first Big 12 opponent in program history for much of the evening, hanging 291 total yards of offense on Kansas compared to the Jayhawks’ 280. Cracking a five-game losing streak, Coastal Carolina showed improvements offensively following a struggle-ridden opener against Eastern Michigan last week featuring four interceptions.

Kansas: Falling to 1-1, the slim margin of victory last week paired with the loss to Coastal Carolina leaves much to be desired from the newly-renovated Kansas offense. The return of Williams appeared to provide a needed spark to the Kansas run-game, allowing the Jayhawks to pick up 68 more yards on the ground than they recorded last week.

UP NEXT

Kansas: The Jayhawks head to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, on Friday to take on Boston College in their first matchup on the road this season.

Coastal Carolina: The Chanticleers will host Norfolk State on Saturday