CONWAY, S.C. – Fred Payton threw for 252 yards and three scores, and Coastal Carolina scored two touchdowns in 1:55 in the fourth quarter to pull away from Georgia Southern for a 28-14 Sun Belt football victory Saturday afternoon in Brooks Stadium.

With the score deadlocked at 14-14, Payton connected with CJ Marable for a 24-yard touchdown pass and a seven-point Coastal Carolina cushion with 8:53 to go in the contest. 

Georgia Southern (3-2, 1-2) signaled for a fair catch outside the 10-yard line and got the ball at the 11 on the ensuing kickoff, and after forcing a 3-and-out, the Chanticleers' Jaivon Heiligh returned the Eagle punt 40 yards to the GS 20-yard line. Reese White took it the rest of the way on the next play, a 20-yard run, and a 28-14 advantage for the Chants (5-0, 3-0) with 6:58 remaining.

Eagles of the Game: Rashad Byrd had eight tackles, a sack and an interception, and Reynard Ellis finished with seven tackles and a breakup. Chris Harris Jr. posted five tackles, a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. J.D. King rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown.

Key Moments: 
With the Eagles trailing 7-0, Wesley Kennedy III took a punt 60 yards to the house to tie the score. Kennedy III bobbled the catch but brought it in, split a couple of Chanticleers and looked to be bottled up but squirted out to the right sideline and had a convoy of white jerseys to the end zone.

The Eagles trailed 14-7 when Derrick Canteen picked off Payton to give GS the ball at the Eagle 46. Shai Werts found Malik Murray for a 32-yard pass to set up a 5-yard touchdown run by King just before halftime.

Payton connected with a wide-open Sam Denmark for a 72-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter for the game's first score.

Stats: Georgia Southern held the Chanticleers to two rushing yards in the first half, and Coastal held the Eagles to 76 total yards in the second stanza.

Notes: The Eagles' last punt return for a TD was nearly a year ago to the day when Kennedy III took one 67 yards for a score against New Mexico State Oct. 26, 2019. An injury forced Werts to leave the game in the third quarter, but the senior returned in the fourth.

Scoring Plays:
CCU – Payton 72-yard pass to Denmark – 7:10, 1st, 0-7
GS – Kennedy III 60-yard punt return – 00:57, 1st, 7-7
CCU – Payton 2-yard pass to Kameron Brown – 8:57, 2nd, 7-14
GS – King 5-yard run – 00:24, 2nd, 14-14
CCU – Payton 24-yard TD pass to Marable – 8:53, 4th, 14-21
CCU – White 20-yard TD run – 6:58, 4th, 14-28

Up Next: The Eagles play host to South Alabama Thursday night in Paulson Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.