Coastal Carolina and BYU, both undefeated at 9-0, clashed in a tense and physical game that lived up to the hype. BYU quarterback Zach Wilson took a beating from Coastal’s defensive lineman Jeffrey Gunter, who hounded him all game. Early on, after recovering a fumble, Wilson got warned by Gunter with a heated “I’m gonna kill you later.” Gunter followed through on the aggression, slamming Wilson multiple times into the turf after an interception late in the first half. The intense sequence ended in a scrum, forcing refs to step in and calm things down.
Wilson and Gunter went at it again in the second half. Gunter landed a late hit when Wilson stepped out of bounds, which brought a swarm of BYU players rushing in like a crowd surrounding a golf shot. Wilson stayed calm, shook it off, and kept playing. In another big moment, Gunter stripped the ball and helped seal a key defensive stand, then celebrated with teammates who crowned him with a team blanket in a makeshift throne scene on the sideline.
Coastal hung on to win, and the rivalry tension faded quickly postgame. Families came onto the field, players calmed down, and the night ended with high fives and good vibes. Gunter’s energy and Coastal’s grit stood out in a wild matchup that lived up to the “Mullets vs Mormons” billing.