CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern football opened its 2023 campaign under the lights Thursday night, playing host to North Greenville for the first time since 2013. The Bucs found themselves down heading into the midway break, but 10 unanswered points in the final stanza proved to be the difference as the Gabe Giardina era started off with a victory at Buccaneer Field.

TALE OF TWO HALVES
Charleston Southern struggled to find footing in the first half, as North Greenville laid claim to the first 10 points of the contest. A field goal with :30 left in the first quarter opened the scoring for the Crusaders before a touchdown ensued on the first drive of the second quarter to make it a 10-0 advantage for the visitors.
 
The second half saw Charleston Southern answer the call down the stretch, laying claim to the final 13 points of the contest, starting with a field goal from Sam Babbush from 20 yards out as the first half expired. The lone Buccaneer visit to pay dirt came in the fourth as Autavius Ison took the rock across the goal line from three yards out to give the Bucs their first lead of the game.

BABBUSH CONNECTS ON FIELD GOALS, AGAIN
The CSU placekicker picked up right where he left off from a season ago, connecting on two different occasions. The first came as time expired in the first half to bring the Bucs to within one score from 20 yards out. Babbush then capped off an eight-play, 36-yard drive to start the fourth with a conversion from 44 yards out to make it a 10-6 contest.
 
NUMBERS, NUMBERS AND MORE NUMBER 
JD Moore made his name known in the CSU backfield today, amassing 105 yards on the ground on 17 attempts including a long of 49 yards. His 49-yard scamper set up the Ison score one play later that served as the game-winning touchdown. Tony Bartalo went 5-12 through the air for 95 yards.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, Charleston Southern recorded seven TFLs, two coming from Laron Davis and two coming from Darrius Bell. Malik Barnes and Bryce Llewellyn each recorded six solo stops. Davis stamped his name on the contest with a pick as well to add to his TFLs.
 
IT IS HOW YOU FINISH
North Greenville had the final possession of the night, getting the ball back with 2:40 to play after a Charleston Southern punt from its own eight. The Crusaders took it all the way down to the CSU three with under 10 ticks to play, but the drive was halted after a false start penalty triggered a 10-second runoff and saw the clock run down and preserve the 13-10 victory for the Bucs.

RECORDS
Charleston Southern: 1-0
North Greenville: 0-1

UP NEXT
The Buccaneers hit the road for Clemson, South Carolina, and a matchup with FBS Top-25 Clemson. Action from Death Valley can be found on ACC Network+ with kickoff slated for 2:15 p.m. This will stand as the first meeting between the two schools.