New QB, Same Coastal - Chanticleers Embrace "The Ugly" In Another Gritty W
Roquan Barber wasn't perfect in his debut - but he got the W, giving the Chanticleers a needed 10 point cushion with this 23 yard scramble late in the 4th Q.
BOXSCORE
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| Coastal Carolina (2-2) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Old Dominion (1-3) | 3 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 21 |
ScoringSummary
| Q | Team | Time | Play | Coastal Carolina | Old Dominion |
| 1st | Old Dominion | 5:42 | Riley Callaghan, 43 Yd FG | 0 | 3 |
| 2nd | Old Dominion | 6:12 | Riley Callaghan, 44 Yd FG | 0 | 6 |
| 2nd | Coastal Carolina | 4:15 | Ja'Vin Simpkins, 64 Yd Run | 7 | 6 |
| 3rd | Coastal Carolina | 7:57 | Jalen John, 42 Yd Run | 14 | 6 |
| 3rd | Old Dominion | 4:43 | TJ Lott, 60 Yd Pass From Quinn Henicle (2PT) | 14 | 14 |
| 4th | Coastal Carolina | 4:55 | Hayden Tessier, 34 Yd FG | 17 | 14 |
| 4th | Coastal Carolina | 4:39 | Roquan Barber, 23 Yd Run | 24 | 14 |
| 4th | Old Dominion | 4:25 | Sidney Mbanasor, 80 YD Pass From Quinn Henicle | 24 | 21 |
Coastal Carolina
Passing_Stats
| Roquan Barber | 16/28, 168 Yds, INT |
Rushing_Stats
| Jalen John | 21 Att, 165 Yds, TD |
| Roquan Barber | 11 Att, 70 Yds, TD |
| Ja'Vin Simpkins | 9 Att, 62 Yds, TD |
Receiving_Stats
| Ja'Vin Simpkins | 7 Rec, 75 Yds |
| Cane Berrong | 3 Rec, 51 Yds |
| Malick Meiga | 3 Rec, 15 Yds |
| Malcolm Gillie | 2 Rec, 17 Yds |
| Jameson Tucker | 1 Rec, 4 Yds |
| Jalen John | 1 Rec, 6 Yds |
Defensive_Stats
| CB Jeffrey Ugochukwu | 10 Tkl, 2 TFL |
| SS Dre Pinckney | 8 Tkl, 2 TFL, FF |
| DE Noah Arinze | 7 Tkl, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks |
| MLB Luke Murphy | 7 Tkl, 4 TFL, 1.5 Sacks, FR |
| CB Lionell Whitaker | 6 Tkl, TFL, FR |
| DT Darrion Henry-Young | 4 Tkl, 3 TFL, 0.5 Sack |
| DT Sawyer Goram-Welch | 3 Tkl, TFL, Sack, FR |
Old Dominion
Passing_Stats
| Quinn Henicle | 21/23, 274 Yds, 2 TD |
| Colton Joseph | 2/2, 11 Yds |
Rushing_Stats
| Maurki James | 9 Att, 38 Yds |
| Michael Hillhouse | 7 Att, 6 Yds |
| Devin Roche | 6 Att, 36 Yds |
| Quinn Henicle | 4 Att, -16 Yds |
| Colton Joseph | 3 Att, -6 Yds |
Receiving_Stats
| TJ Lott | 5 Rec, 96 Yds, TD |
| Jalen Butler | 5 Rec, 30 Yds |
| Sidney Mbanasor | 5 Rec, 111 Yds, TD |
| Maurki James | 3 Rec, 23 Yds |
| Tre Brown | 2 Rec, 25 Yds |
| Michael Hillhouse | 1 Rec, -6 Yds |
| Ja'Cory Thomas | 1 Rec, 0 Yds |
| Devin Roche | 1 Rec, 6 Yds |
Defensive_Stats
| MLB Jason Henderson | 11 Tkl, 4 TFL, FF |
| SS Tevan Corbett | 10 Tkl, TFL, FR |
| FS Mario Easterly | 9 Tkl, TFL, INT |
| CB Botros Alisandros | 7 Tkl, TFL, Sack |
| DE Kris Trinidad | 5 Tkl, 3 TFL, 0.5 Sack |
| DE Ricardo Williams Jr | 4 Tkl, 2 TFL, 0.5 Sack |
| LB Mario Thompson | 4 Tkl, 2 TFL |
Norfolk, VA. - After weeks of tight-lipped speculation, Coastal Carolina head coach Kade Vaughn finally tipped his hand. As the Chanticleers took the field in Norfolk for their Week Six showdown against Old Dominion, it was redshirt sophomore Roquan Barber—not veteran Emmett Brown—who trotted out as QB1.
The result? More of the same from Coastal in 2025: another grimy, gutsy win. Behind timely defense and a dominant ground game, the Chanticleers clawed their way to a 24–21 victory—securing their first conference win of the Vaughn era.
The first half, unfortunately, looked all too familiar for Chanticleer fans. Coastal’s defense surrendered a 31-yard run on Old Dominion’s opening drive—more than half the Monarchs’ total rushing output on the day—but bounced back immediately. DE Noah Arinze notched his first sack of the year, a much-needed jolt from a key pass rusher, and it came with consequences. The hit knocked ODU starting QB Colton Joseph out of the game with back spasms, thrusting true freshman Quinn Henicle into action.
ODU settled for a field goal, and Coastal responded in kind with its own explosive run: a 44-yard burst from Jalen John. But that drive stalled, and kicker Haden Tessier missed from 50 yards out.
Then came the turnover bug. On a deep shot to Jameson Tucker—who managed just one catch on the day—the ball slipped through his hands and into the waiting arms of Monarchs safety Mario Easterly. Vaughn didn’t mince words at halftime.
“Jameo’s gotta make that catch. Plain and simple,” he said heading into the locker room.
ODU added another field goal to go up 6–0, but Ja’Vin Simpkins—Coastal’s offensive MVP through five games—delivered the spark. A 63-yard touchdown run flipped the momentum and gave the Chants their first lead, 7–6.
Coastal had a chance to build on that late in the half, but Barber’s pocket collapsed and he coughed up the football after being sandwiched between two ODU defenders. It was a frustrating end to a half in which Coastal racked up 153 rushing yards but continued to sabotage itself through the air.
“I said at the start of the season—we’ll win however we have to,” Vaughn said postgame. “It might not be flashy. It might not be pretty. We call it winning ugly. But one thing’s for sure—we won’t get out-physicalled.”
That mindset powered a second-half surge. Coastal opened the third quarter with six straight runs, capping the drive with a 42-yard touchdown by John to extend the lead to 14–6.
Old Dominion didn’t flinch. Henicle connected with TJ Lott on an RPO bubble screen, and the freshman wideout did the rest—sprinting 60 yards to tie the game at 14 after a successful two-point try.
Coastal went three-and-out, and the Monarchs looked ready to seize control. But mammoth DT Sawyer Goram-Welch had other plans. He swallowed Henicle for a sack, forced a fumble, and LB Luke Murphy was there for the recovery. The Chants settled for a field goal and reclaimed the lead, 17–14.
Then came another defensive gem. Henicle went back to the well on a bubble screen to Lott, but SS Dre Pinckney read it perfectly, laid the lumber, and forced a fumble. CB Lionell Whittaker dove on the loose ball, and the Chants were in business again.
On the very next play, the seas parted. Barber dropped back, saw a wide-open lane, and sprinted 23 yards untouched into the end zone to make it 24–14.
The celebration was short-lived. Henicle fired a quick slant to Sidney Mbanasor, who raced 80 yards down the sideline untouched to pull the Monarchs within three.
Old Dominion coach Ricky Rahne trusted his defense to get one last stop and give his offense another shot.
But Roquan Barber had other plans.
The redshirt sophomore showed poise beyond his years, converting a 3rd-and-2 and a 4th-and-2 to keep the final drive alive. Coastal never gave the ball back, bleeding out the remaining 4:26 and sealing a hard-fought conference win.
“There’s still a lot to clean up,” Vaughn admitted. “But there’s a lot to like, too. If we can stop gifting turnovers in the first half, I like our chances.”
And he’s not wrong. The Chanticleers now sit at 3–2, embracing their gritty, unglamorous identity while remaining a thorn in every opponent’s side.
Barber’s debut was far from perfect—but it was composed, resilient, and clutch. And if the defense keeps forcing turnovers and Simpkins keeps slicing up secondaries, this team might just turn “winning ugly” into a habit.
Because one thing is clear: Coastal’s not trying to win style points. They’re just trying to win.
Jalen John bulldozing his way through the Monarchs to score early in the 3rd Q.
Sidney Mbanasor took this quick slant and sprinted 80 yards - untouched - into the endzone to put the screws on Coastal once agian.
One of two fumbles the Coastal defense forced to take the win.
Week Six Sun Belt Results
36 Oregon State (4-2) @
Appalachian State (3-2) 38
41 James Madison (2-3) @
Georgia State (2-3) 43
28 Louisiana-Monroe (3-2) @ Northwestern (1-4) 23
24 South Alabama (3-3) @ Troy (1-4) 23
41 Texas State (3-2) @ Arkansas State (4-2) 34
Notable Week Six Results
24 Wisconsin (3-2) @
#13 Michigan (4-1) 32
30 Vanderbilt (4-2) @ #23 Alabama (3-2) 16
16 Minnesota (2-3) @
#10 Ohio State (4-1) 41
36 #21 Miami (3-2) @ Florida State (3-2) 32
24 Kentucky (3-2) @
#6 Georgia (4-1) 45
38 #4 Clemson (4-1) @ North Carolina (3-2) 30
45 #3 Texas (4-1) @ Florida (2-3) 24
45 #20 Washington (5-0) @ Maryland (4-1) 37
38 #1 Penn State (5-0) @ UCLA (4-1) 17