CONWAY, S.C. - Coastal Carolina quarterback Aramis Hillary threw for 245 yards and ran for 114, helping the Chanticleers win Saturday's Big South battle with the VMI Keydets, 34-10. The matchup was the conference opener for both schools.

The homestanding Chanticleers (4-1, 1-0) scored the first 17 points before Jeff Sexton put VMI (0-5, 0-1) on the board with a 29-yard field goal with 4:30 left in the opening half. Coastal responded by scoring 10 points late in the half, aided by a Josh Norman interception, and took a 27-3 lead to halftime.

Adam Morgan led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive for the Keydets, capping the scoring by running for a touchdown in the final period. He also went 9 for 14 through the air during his time in the contest.

VMI took the opening drive from its own 48 and ran tailback Chaz Jones six straight plays to the CCU 32 yard line before seeing the drive end in downs after a dropped pass halted the possession. The Chants took over and moved 68 yards in seven plays and opened the scoring when Hillary scampered 35 yards to the end zone and the extra point was good to put the hosts up 7-0. 

After a 26-yard return by Tracy Hairston on the ensuing kickoff, the Keydets got possession at their own 42 and again moved the ball well into CCU territory utilizing an 11-yard pass to Mario Thompson to the Chanticleer 44 and following it with two rushes totaling 10 yards from T.J. Talley. The Keydets however, could muster only one six-yard pass completion to Thompson over the next four snaps and turned it over on downs at the Coastal 28 when a fourth down pass intended for Hairston fell incomplete.

Coastal then chewed out a 12-play, 61 yard drive and took 5:17 off the clock and settled for a 28-yard field goal by Grant Clayton that extended the margin to 10-0 in the opening minute of the second quarter.

After an exchange of punts that saw the Keydets kick it away twice, Coastal took possession at its own 37 and covered 63 yards in five plays as Hillary connected to Jamual Boswell off the play action for a 38-yard touchdown pass with 7:51 left in the half.

VMI got its first points on the next possession when Jeff Sexton booted a 29-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 17-3 with 4:29 remaining in the half. A 21-yard pass to Chaz Jones on third down to the Coastal 13 helped spark the drive.

The Chanticleers added 10 points in the final minutes of the second quarter to break open the game. A 24-yard field goal by Clayton capped a nine-play, 67-yard drive after the VMI defense stiffened following a first and goal at the VMI 2.

VMI threw an interception on the first play of the next drive when cornerback Norman wrestled ball possesion away from Hairston at the Coastal 33 after the two had vied on a long aerial from Kordenbrock.

The Chants wasted little time to punch the ball in the end zone and took just :52 seconds to cover 67 yards when Hillary capped the drive with a slant pass to Chris Presley for a 23-yard score. The extra point by Presley was good and Coastal took a 27-3 halftime lead after amassing 320 yards total offense in the opening half.

The Chanticleers took the opening second half possession and extended the margin to 34-3 when running back Aaron Jones scored on a 3-yard burst up the middle that ended a 10-play, 67-yard drive. A 33 yard pass to Adrian Sullivan for 29 yards to the VMI 20 proved to be a key play of the drive.

VMI was able to reach the end zone before the final gun when redshirt  sophomore quarterback Morgan scrambled 9 yards for a touchdown with 4.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

The Keydets will return home to begin a two-game homestand next Saturday when they take on Charleston Southern on Parents Weekend at 1:30 at Foster Stadium. The game will be carried by ESPN3.com.