CHARLESTON, S.C. - Paced by a pair of Terrence Wilson rushing touchdowns and Isaac Ross' first collegiate 100-yard receiving effort, Charleston Southern held off visiting Robert Morris on Saturday afternoon at Buccaneer Field, 27-14.

The Bucs (1-2, 1-2 Big South) went on a 17-0 scoring run midway through the contest sparked by a 22-yard Jack Chambers-to-Ross touchdown pass late in the second quarter to secure their first win in the 2021 spring season. Chambers finished 20-of-33 from the field for 255 yards and a touchdown, while Ross hauled in seven passes for a career-high 102 yards and a score in CSU's win.

Terrence Wilson and Chambers combined for 46 carries as the Bucs' running game recorded a season-high 133 yards on Saturday afternoon. Wilson posted a career-high 26 carries for a hard-fought 47 yards and two touchdowns, while adding five catches for 54 yards through the air. Chambers turned his 20 touches into 79 yards in the Bucs' win.

RMU's George Martin set up the Colonials' offense with an 18-of-38 performance for 304 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the loss. Martin's favorite target was D'Andre Hicks (seven catches, 72 yards, two touchdowns), while Alijah Jackson added two catches for 92 yards.

Cody Cline paced CSU's defense with nine tackles, while adding his second career interception. Stefan Williams added a sack, while freshman defensive backs Matthew Williams and Richard Lawson recorded three pass breakups apiece.

Aniello Buzzacco (14 tackles, 1.5 TFL) and Jamar Shegog (13 tackles, 1 FF) were RMU's defensive leaders in the game, while Supilani Mailei added a game-high 1.5 sacks in the loss.

Nathaniel Toole highlighted CSU's special teams efforts as the junior placekicker drilled a Buccaneer program-record 53-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, while adding a 38-yard conversion in the game.
 
Key Drive
Following Robert Morris' first touchdown of the contest, the Buccaneers marched down the field to respond and take the lead for good in Saturday's matchup at Buccaneer Field. With the score tied 7-7, Jack Chambers opened the drive with a five-yard pass to Cayden Jordan down the sideline to set the Bucs up with a 2nd-and-Short situation at the CSU 31.

From there, Chambers targeted Terrence Wilson, Jordan, Isaac Ross, and Quinn Caballero as the Buccaneers moved down the field against the RMU defense. CSU was aided by a defensive pass interference call on the drive to set up 1st-and-10 at the RMU 22-yard line with just under two minutes to play in the first half.

On the first play following the pass interference, Chambers scrambled around the pocket before lofting the ball up in the back of the end zone. Ross led his defender to the sideline, before cutting back to the ball and toe-tapped his way along the back line before hauling in the 22-yard touchdown reception to put the Bucs ahead 14-7 just before the break. The touchdown sparked a 17-0 run as the Bucs secured the win.

How They Scored

• Charleston Southern took advantage of the shortened field on their second drive with Jack Chambers finding Isaac Ross for a 27-yard pickup on 3rd-and-15, setting up a three-yard touchdown plunge by Terrence Wilson to put the Bucs ahead 7-0 with 6:14 left in the first quarter.
• D'Andre Hicks hauled in a two-yard touchdown receiving from George Martin with 3:13 left in the second quarter to cap a six-play, 45-yard drive and tie the game up 7-7.
• Chambers targeted five different receivers on CSU's ensuing possession before finding Ross for an acrobatic 22-yard catch along the back line of the end zone to give the Bucs the 14-7 lead with 1:27 remaining in the first half.
• Wilson found the end zone for the second time in the contest, this time on a two-yard plunge capping a 12-play, 69-yard drive with 5:01 remaining in the third quarter to give the Bucs the 21-7 lead.
• Nathaniel Toole added a 38-yard field goal with 13:39 left in the fourth quarter to cap a 14-play, 69-yard drive and put the Bucs ahead 24-7. CSU was aided again by a 29-yard connection from Chambers to Ross to switch the field and put the Bucs in scoring position.
• Martin and Hicks connected on their second touchdown of the game as the RMU duo hooked up from eight yards out with 12:07 remaining in the contest to narrow the CSU lead down to 24-14.
• Toole connected on a Charleston Southern school-record 53-yard field goal at the 9:29 mark in the fourth quarter to end the scoring.

Inside the Statistics

• Charleston Southern posted 27 first downs in the contest while limiting Robert Morris to just 14 in the game.
• CSU out-gained Robert Morris 133-27 on the ground and limited the Colonials to just 1.3 yards per carry.
• CSU averaged 4.7 yards per play and posted 388 yards of total offense in the game.
• The Bucs won the time of possession battle with the 34:12-25:48 edge in the contest.
• CSU converted 10-of-19 third downs in the contest, while limited RMU to just 3-of-12.
• The Bucs also converted their lone fourth down conversion in the game.
• Quinn Caballero and Cayden Jordan both supplemented the Bucs' offense with three catches apiece in the win.
• Isaiah Stephens added two catches for 25 yards.
• John Chiaramonte recorded a tackle for loss.

News & Numbers

• Charleston Southern's Saturday contest against Robert Morris marked the 30th consecutive season the Buccaneers have lined up against a first-time opponent dating back to the program's NCAA inception in 1991.
• Isaac Ross' seven catches marked his third collegiate seven-catch game.
• Robert Morris' 27 rushing yards marked the Bucs' best run defense performance in the Autry Denson coaching era.
• Nathaniel Toole's 53-yard field goal set a new CSU record for the second time in as many seasons as it eclipsed the 52-yard mark set by Alex Usry last season at North Alabama.
• Toole's 53-yard field tied for the seventh-longest conversion in Big South history, tying with VMI's Matt Sharpe (2003), VMI's Barrett Way (2004), and Coastal Carolina's Alex Catron (2014).
• The 53-yard field goal was also the Big South's longest conversion since John Lunsford (Liberty) converted a 57-yard field goal in the 2015 season against Kennesaw State.
• Punter Miller Braddock averaged a career-high 50.0 yards per punt over his three attempts on the day, including a 56-yard attempt that flipped the field.
• The Bucs won their home opener for the first time since the 2016 season when CSU topped Point (66-0) in their first action at Buccaneer Field to start the season.
• Jack Chambers has completed at least 60.0% of his passes in all three games in the 2021 spring season.

Highlights


Up Next
Charleston Southern closes out the 2021 spring season on Saturday, April 17, against Gardner-Webb. Kickoff between the Buccaneers and the Runnin' Bulldogs at Buccaneer Field is set for noon on ESPN+.