Football at the beach! How one CCU player may have created a new touchdown celebration

A mantra Coastal Carolina often repeats is “Ball at the Beach.” It refers to CCU’s proximity to the waters off Myrtle Beach, as Conway is within a half-hour of the sand and sea.

CCU frequently uses this motto for football and its social media presence , and one Chanticleer player seemingly took an opportunity to use the Brooks Stadium stage to literally “Ball at the Beach.”

Nickel cornerback Juan Powell has served as a key contributor to the Chants’ defense since transferring to Coastal before the 2023 season from Eastern Carolina University. But against Old Dominion University on Saturday, Powell seized an opportunity to potentially leave his mark on his second collegiate team.

In the second quarter, linebacker Wyatt Gedeon forced a strip sack against ODU. With the ball on the teal turf, Powell scooped it up and ran it in for a 23-yard touchdown return. The Coastal home crowd erupted with the play, and a defensive turnover usually warrants a Chants defender donning a black turnover cloak and wielding a celebratory sword.

However, before Powell returned to the sideline, he took a detour. Powell sat in one of two teal beach chairs in a patch of sand behind the end zone near University Boulevard and celebrated the touchdown; his teammates joined the festivities. The celebration wasn’t the only new part of the equation. The patch of sand and teal beach chairs are a new addition, installed this year.

After the game, Powell said he had thought about the celebration a week before the game, which gave him the opportunity. He said no one else had done the celebration yet. Given CCU’s “Ball at the Beach” mantra, Powell said his first collegiate touchdown allowed him to showcase his personality.

“(I tried to have a) party in the end zone with the little kids down there,” Powell said. “So it was amazing.”

Despite Powell’s score, the Monarchs didn’t forget the celebration, as they soon replicated it. ODU wide receiver Diante Vines took a seat in one of the teal chairs to celebrate his 40-yard touchdown in the third quarter. CCU head coach Tim Beck said he didn’t know about Powell’s celebration until an official told him about it and provided a warning. After saying he told Powell to be careful in the future, Beck added that ODU’s offense performed the same celebration later.

“I didn’t see (the officials) go over to their coach,” Beck added.