On Saturday at 7 p.m., William & Mary aims to defeat an FBS opponent for the second time in three years as they face Coastal Carolina. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and can also be listened to on 92.3 FM The Tide.
Coastal Carolina began their season with a decisive victory over Jacksonville State, winning by a significant margin of 55-27. The Chanticleers amassed a total of 552 yards, with 294 of those coming from rushing plays. This performance allowed them to establish a new school record for the highest number of points scored in a season opener. Quarterback Ethan Vasko’s outstanding performance earned him the title of Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week, as he contributed 288 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. The defensive effort was led by senior Will Whitson, who was selected for the Senior Bowl Watch List and contributed with six tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Additionally, Shane Bruce recorded the highest number of tackles for the team, with a total of eight.
Ethan Vasko, the quarterback for Coastal Carolina, has been awarded the Offensive Player of the Week title by the Sun Belt Conference for his outstanding performance during the season opener against Jacksonville State. The league office officially announced this on Monday, September 2nd.
Coastal Carolina’s victorious game saw an impressive performance from Vasko, a redshirt sophomore hailing from Chesapeake, Virginia. He contributed significantly to the team’s success, accumulating a total of 288 yards of offense and scoring three touchdowns. His aerial prowess was particularly notable, completing 12 out of 19 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. The first touchdown pass was a 36-yard connection with wide receiver Tray Taylor, while the second was a 37-yard strike to wide receiver Jameson Tucker.
Vasko contributed to the Chanticleer rushing offense by carrying the ball 12 times for 39 yards and scoring a four-yard touchdown.
Last Saturday, W&M started their season with a dominant 41-7 win against VMI. Quarterback Darius Wilson had a strong performance, going 11-of-15 for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hollis Mathis also contributed with two touchdowns. W&M quickly took a 21-0 lead in the second quarter and scored all 41 points by the end of the third quarter. Defensively, W&M shut down VMI in the second half, allowing no points and only 72 yards. W&M outgained VMI with a total of 446 yards to 241 yards, including a 241-96 advantage in passing yards. Furthermore, W&M scored touchdowns on all four of their trips to the red zone and only had to punt twice.
Hero Sports predicts that Coastal Carolina will beat William & Mary. The odds makers have the game as a toss up.
Week 2 Sun Belt Power ranking show:
1. App State
2. James Madison
3. Texas State
4. Marshall
5. Arkansas State
6. Louisiana
7. Coastal Carolina
After suffering a disappointing defeat against the top-ranked team in the nation, the Clemson Tigers aim to secure their inaugural victory of the 2024 season as they make their way back to Death Valley. They will face off against the Sun Belt’s giant slayer, the Appalachian State Mountaineers in their home opener during Week 2 of college football on Saturday.
App State has gained a reputation for consistently defeating highly-ranked teams.
William & Mary hails from the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA Sports). Teams that comprise the CAA include:
| Delaware | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Maine | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Rhode Island | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| University of Albany | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Villanova | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| William & Mary | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Bryant | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Campbell | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Elon | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Hampton | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Monmouth | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| N.C. A&T | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Richmond | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Stony Brook | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Towson |