At least 5 injured when fans rushed field after Coastal Carolina win over Appalachian State

CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — At least five people were injured Thursday night when fans rushed the field after Coastal Carolina beat Appalachian State, according to university spokesperson Jerry Rashid.

Three people were taken to the hospital by EMS and two other people were treated and released at the stadium, Rashid said.

“I just saw people running and I just ran with them and I ended up, you know, in a big crowd,” one student said. “I fell a couple times. It was pretty crazy.”

Video posted on social media shows one person down on the field with an apparent ankle injury.

“I saw a bunch of things happen,” student-athlete Riley Glackin said. “A kid broke his ankle really bad and it was sideways.”

News13 reached out to the Sun Belt Conference for comment and has not heard back. It’s unclear if the university will be disciplined for the fans rushing the field. The SEC fines schools tens of thousands of dollars for such incidents.

Students were excited about Coastal Carolina making noise.

“It was really cool to see Coastal on the map,” one student said.

“All I have to say about the atmosphere — electric,” another student said.

Grayson McCall threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns and Coastal Carolina beat Appalachian State 35-28 for first place in the Sun Belt Conference.

McCall’s 8-yard TD pass to Jacob Jenkins made it 28-14 early in the fourth quarter, and on App State’s next play Tavyn Jackson intercepted a pass and returned it 54 yards to the 1. Reese White capped the drive with a TD run for a 21-point lead.

Chase Brice’s 5-yard quarterback sneak with 3:01 left in the fourth cut App State’s deficit to seven points, but Coastal Carolina ran out the clock in eight plays to end it.

Coastal Carolina (8-1, 5-1) won just its second game in eight series meetings. The winner of this matchup has gone on to win the East Division the last four years.

The Coastal Carolina defense forced a three-and-out on the first possession of the game, and three plays later Jared Brown ran for a 45-yard touchdown. Coastal Carolina had three touchdowns of over 30 yards in the first half to build a 21-14 lead. McCall connected with Sam Pinckney for a 38-yard touchdown on a flea-flicker.

Brice threw for 279 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for Appalachian State (5-4, 2-3). Dalton Stroman made a one-handed catch in the end zone for a 41-yard score to get within 21-14.

Back in September, several Appalachian State fans suffered broken bones after fans rushed the field after a victory against Troy, according to reporting by WSOC in Charlotte.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.