Put Em On the Wall
If Bryce Underwood is the maestro, then Dareon Doctson may be the concertmaster of the Chanticleers offense. With all eyes on Underwood it was Doctson who racked up 183 all purpose yards and 4 touchdowns.BOXSCORE
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| Appalachian State | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Coastal Carolina | 14 | 28 | 7 | 7 | 56 |
ScoringSummary
| Q | Team | Time | Play | Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina |
| 1st | Appalachian State | 8:09 | Jack Kelly, 18 Yd Pass From Isaac Henley | 7 | 0 |
| 1st | Coastal Carolina | 4:37 | Dareon Doctson, 17 Yd Run | 7 | 7 |
| 1st | Coastal Carolina | 0:37 | Dareon Doctson, 6 Yd Run | 7 | 14 |
| 2nd | Coastal Carolina | 7:47 | Nick Farrior, Returned Fumble 1 Yd | 7 | 21 |
| 2nd | Coastal Carolina | 6:21 | Bryce Underwood, 1 Yd Run | 7 | 28 |
| 2nd | Appalachian State | 2:30 | Clyde Carswell, 9 Yd Run | 14 | 28 |
| 2nd | Coastal Carolina | 1:44 | Talyn Taylor, 64 Yd Pass From Bryce Underwood | 14 | 35 |
| 2nd | Coastal Carolina | 0:43 | Talyn Taylor, 7 Yd Pass From Bryce Underwood | 14 | 42 |
| 2nd | Appalachian State | 0:00 | Reed Mintze, 35 Yd FG | 17 | 42 |
| 3rd | Appalachian State | 8:44 | Clyde Carswell, 14 Yd Run | 24 | 42 |
| 3rd | Coastal Carolina | 5:12 | Dareon Doctson, 19 Yd Pass From Bryce Underwood | 24 | 49 |
| 4th | Coastal Carolina | 5:16 | Dareon Doctson, 11 Yd Run | 24 | 56 |
Coastal Carolina
Passing_Stats
| Bryce Underwood | 19/25, 206 Yds, 3 TD, INT |
Rushing_Stats
| Dareon Doctson | 17 Att, 164 Yds, 3 TD |
| Bryce Underwood | 9 Att, 100 Yds, TD |
| Jalen Likely | 2 Att, 20 Yds |
| Michael Allen | 2 Att, 7 Yds |
Receiving_Stats
| Jeremiah McClellan | 5 Rec, 38 Yds |
| Tayln Taylor | 5 Rec, 95 Yds, 2 TD |
| Joey Bannon | 2 Rec, 13 Yds |
| Quincy Simonsen | 2 Rec, 25 Yds |
| Spencer Yeast | 1 Rec, -2 Yds |
| Trishtin Glass | 1 Rec, 8 Yds |
| George Rabe | 1 Rec, 6 Yds |
| Michael Allen | 1 Rec, 4 Yds |
| Dareon Doctson | 1 Rec, 19 Yds, TD |
Defensive_Stats
| MLB Walt Reyna | 20 Tkl, 5 TFL, 2 Sacks |
| FS Gage Drummond | 15 Tkl |
| LB Juan Acker | 9 Tkl, TFL, Sack |
| CB Jojo Tate | 9 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack |
| CB Josiah Persinger | 8 Tkl, TFL, INT |
| DE Darrion Hammer | 4 Tkl, 3 TFL, Sack |
| DT Kevin Wynn | 4 Tkl, 3 TFL |
| DE Charlie Collins | 2 Tkl, 2 TFL |
| DT David Stone | 2 Tkl, 2 TFL |
Appalachian State
Passing_Stats
| Isaac Henley | 21/35, 282 Yds, TD, INT |
Rushing_Stats
| Clyde Carswell | 23 Att, 124 Yds, 2 TD |
| Jayden Scott | 9 Att, 11 Yds |
| Isaac Henley | 8 Att, -15 Yds |
| Deandre Ramsey | 1 Att, 1 Yd |
Receiving_Stats
| Jacques Minton | 8 Rec, 112 Yds |
| Clyde Carswell | 4 Rec, 13 Yds |
| Dexter Meryl | 3 Rec, 28 Yds |
| Alex Sanchez | 2 Rec, 44 Yds |
| Courtland Gainwell | 2 Rec, 35 Yds |
| Marcus Torres | 1 Rec, 32 Yds |
| Jack Kelly | 1 Rec, 18 Yds, TD |
Defensive_Stats
| MLB Trenton Kinney | 10 Tkl, TFL, Sack |
| CB Vernon Woodward III | 6 Tkl, TFL |
| DT David Ogbogu | 6 Tkl, TFL, Sack |
| CB Jordan Toney | 3 Tkl, TFL, Sack |
Conway, SC. - It wasn’t the 70–0 demolition Coastal Carolina fans had dreamed about, but the Chanticleers still opened their nomadic 2028 season with an emphatic statement, dismantling Appalachian State in Conway.
The Mountaineers, fully aware of the offseason trash talk—including the now-infamous image of Kade Vaughn puffing on a Dowell Loggains cigar plastered across Brooks Stadium—came out swinging. Their opening drive chewed up 75 yards in eight plays, capped by Isaac Henley hitting Jack Kelly on an RPO for an 18-yard touchdown that briefly silenced the teal-clad faithful.
“This is what we talked about all offseason—take their first punch and hit back harder,” Vaughn reminded his players on the sideline after the score.
Message received. Coastal reeled off 28 straight points, highlighted by a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, seizing control with a 28–7 lead. App State managed to punch back late in the first half, narrowing it to 28–14, but Bryce Underwood and company quickly turned the lights out. The sophomore Heisman winner, steady early on, unleashed two quick strikes before halftime—including a 64-yard laser to transfer Talyn Taylor—to snuff out any lingering optimism.
By halftime, the Chants led 42–17, and though App State briefly cut the margin to 42–24 after an interception to start the second half, Coastal’s depth and explosiveness proved too much. Running back Dareon Doctson delivered the dagger with back-to-back scores, including a clever motion play that freed him for a 19-yard touchdown.
“Bryce Underwood is the maestro of this offense, but Dareon Doctson is the concertmaster!” Coastal play-by-play voice Joe Cashion exclaimed after the score, summing up the complementary firepower on display.
Still, the opener wasn’t without concern. Tight end Trishtin Glass and defensive end Darrion Hammer both exited at times with minor injuries that will require monitoring. The bigger blow came in the second quarter, when Oklahoma transfer and star defensive tackle David Stone went down clutching his shoulder. Postgame, Vaughn confirmed the worst.
“He’s done,” Vaughn said bluntly. A fractured shoulder blade ends Stone’s season before it began, leaving the senior with a difficult decision: take a redshirt and return in 2029, or enter the NFL Draft. Stone addressed fans on X later that night: “That’s a long ways away. I’m just focused on rehabbing and supporting my #Chants.”
Despite the injuries, Coastal Carolina’s 56–24 romp set the tone for its independent campaign: bold, brash, and still undeniably dangerous.
Next up, the Chanticleers head to Dallas for a Week 2 showdown with #12 SMU (1–0).
That's one way to block the punt.
Give App State credit - they played with toughness and grit despite being overmatched.
Josiah Persinger waving goodbye to the few App State fans in attendance after his 2nd Q interception on Henley. @ #24 Penn State (0-1) 14
25 #25 Duke (0-1) @
#4 Florida State (1-0) 42
17 Florida (0-1) @
#14 Auburn (2-0)
28 FCS @
#6 Pittsburgh (1-0) 31
45 #11 North Carolina (1-0) @ South Carolina (0-1) 10
20 Nevada (0-1) @
#12 SMU (1-0) 38
38 Louisville (1-0) @ #18 Texas A&M (0-1) 28
Chanticleers' Trophy Wall
its definitely going to be a challenging season. I almost scheduled Ohio State as the Big Ten tilt, but those fuckers are 97/99/96 
