CHARLESTON, SC - In one of the more amazing comebacks in Big South Conference football history, the Charleston Southern Buccaneers scored 22 unanswered fourth quarter points to defeat visiting Virginia Military Institute, 25-24, Saturday afternoon at Buccaneer Field.

Charleston Southern sophomore quarterback Collin Drafts tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Maurice Price with :28 remaining the game, then connected with tight end Bryan Meers on a two-point conversion pass to send the Buccaneers to their first-ever victory in the Big South Conference.

"This is a great win for our program and for this football team that went through so much adversity last year," said CSU head coach Jay Mills. "I'm so proud of our coaching staff and our players who have worked so hard for this moment. Our kids showed so much character late in the game."

Drafts, who came into the game as the most efficient quarterback in the Big South, completed 29-of-42 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns in the comeback victory. Drafts was at his best in the final quarter, hitting on 15-of-18 passes for 167 yards.

"We started to believe that we had a real chance once we scored that first touchdown of the fourth quarter," said Drafts. "Our defense went out and stopped them and we just got into a groove offensively."

Mills complimented the poise and leadership of his young quarterback down the stretch.

"This is Collin's offense and the guys really believe in him," said Mills. "He made some big throws today and some good decisions. I kinda told him in the fourth quarter that someone had to step up and that our guys were looking for him to lead the way. He took it all on himself, with the help of a great effort from our receivers and offensive line."

CSU's final three drives took only 5:42 of the fourth quarter. VMI took a seemingly insurmountable 24-3 lead on Sean Mizzer's nine-yard run with 12:50 to play in the final period. CSU needed only 1:30 to cover 70 yards on nine plays with Drafts hitting Eddie Gadson on a six-yard touchdown toss with 8:50 to play.

After forcing a VMI punt, the Buccaneers went 53 yards on five plays, scoring on Robert Adams' nine-yard run with 4:29 left in the game. VMI failed to get a first down on their next possession and punted the ball back to CSU with just over two minutes remaining in the game.

Charleston Southern took possession on their own 40 and Drafts hit four consecutive passes, two to Gadson and two to Price. Runs by Drafts of six yards and Adams of two yards gave CSU a third-and-two from the VMI four-yard line but back-to-back motion penalties pushed the ball back to the 14. Drafts then lofted a high pass in the endzone to Price, who leaped high in the air to bring the pass down for the touchdown.

"Collin always puts the ball where we have a chance to catch it and I just went up and got it," said Price. "It's a great feeling to have such a big part of such a big win."

CSU never wavered in their thinking of going for the victory on a two-point conversion. The Bucs sent Adams in motion to the right, taking a VMI linebacker with him. Drafts took the snap under center, took one step back, and lofted a pass to a wide open Meers in the left side of the endzone.

"I told the guys before our last possession that if we scored, we were going for two and the win so there was never a doubt in our minds," said Mills. "I just wasn't sure how much we had left in the tank defensively for an overtime. The defense really spent a lot of energy in the fourth quarter in keeping us in the game.

"It was a play we've worked on everyday since we've been here but we've never been in a position to use it. Our guys were ready to go for the win."

CSU took a 3-0 lead on their first possession of the game on Nick Ellis' 21-yard field goal, capping an 18-play, 61-yard drive, eating up 9:30 off the clock. VMI answered with a field goal on their first possession, a 25-yarder by Barrett Way with 2:48 remaining in the quarter.

VMI took a 10-3 halftime lead with a one-yard run by Nat Jackson with 2:01 to play in the second quarter. The Keydets (0-5, 0-1) put together an 11-play, 80-yard drive in the third quarter with quarterback David Poldiak scoring on a two-yard keeper with 5:26 remaining for a 17-3 lead.

CSU finished the game with 403 total yards while VMI netted 299 total yards. VMI was limited to 40 total yards in the fourth quarter while the Buccaneers posted 199 total yards in the final quarter.

Mizzer led VMI's offensive attack with 127 yards rushing on 23 carries. The Keydets rushed for 232 yards with Jackson adding 87 yards on 14 carries.

Gadson, the leading receiver in the Big South Conference, tallied 10 receptions for 70 yards while Price added a career-high six receptions for 87 yards. Dimar Labega had five catches for a career-high 91 yards. CSU managed only 73 yards on the ground with Travis Mays picking up 34 yards on 15 carries.

CSU defensive tackle Devin Maffett recorded a career-high 11 tackles and forced a fumble. Linebacker Bowe Butler added 11 tackles and linebacker Josh Mitchell had seven tackles, two for loss.