Analysis: Why Coastal Carolina football is at crossroads after 3rd loss of the season

Coastal Carolina’s football team faces a dilemma that could decide the rest of their season.

After losing two straight, Coastal is 0-2 in Sun Belt Conference play and 2-3 on the year, leaving their season in jeopardy. The Chants are no longer among the upper echelon of the Sun Belt Conference; they’re last in the East Division, and CCU’s dominance during the past three seasons might be over.

The Chants seemingly have a revolving door of problems that have taken turns on Coastal. On offense, the Chants have been inconsistent and are not playing as well as they did over the last three years when they won more than 30 games.

On defense, similar problems to 2022 are costing CCU, although they have improved. Meanwhile, Coastal’s special teams have had at-best mixed results.

This was not how the season was supposed to go.

Coastal was positioned to win in 2023 and build the profile of the program for the future. CCU expected to contend for a Sun Belt Conference title, and quarterback Grayson McCall was dismissive of predictions that CCU would underperform in 2023.

But after five games, that’s exactly what has happened. Here are three takeaways as we reach the midseason mark.

CCU can’t run, and the passing game is sometimes inconsistent

The biggest shock of the 2023 season has been the offense. Through the first five games, Coastal has struggled to establish the run.

CCU’s running back core was one of the most experienced and effective heading into the season, with veterans like Reese White, CJ Beasley and Braydon Bennett— who, before 2023, had a combined 3,278 yards rushing— expected to get most of the touches. Indeed they have, but CCU’s running backs have frequently stopped at the line of scrimmage or behind it.

In the Sun Belt, CCU is tied for last in yards per carry, last in yards per game and second to last in total rushing yards of the teams who’ve played five games.

CCU is seventh in points per game, but complicating matters for CCU’s offense, the passing game has been inconsistent at times, while quarterback McCall routinely faces pressure when he drops back to pass.

Since 2020, CCU has made its name on overwhelming opponents with its high-powered, high-scoring offense. CCU’s roster had veterans including McCall, and wide receivers like Sam Pinckney and Jared Brown, among others, starting the season too.

Changes were expected, though. New offensive coordinator Travis Trickett emphasized that new offensive concepts like the air raid would be part of CCU’s game while still retaining elements of the spread option. Hallmarks of the air raid have been on full display, as quick passes have been routine during the Trickett era.

But the passing game is not as potent as it was in previous years.

Switching between the two concepts has led to mixed results, and the spread option’s element of surprise seems to have faded somewhat, as its unique formation is noticeably different than other CCU runs.

A microcosm of Coastal’s offensive problems has been their ability to score once they reach the red zone. The Chants have scored on 75 percent of their red zone trips, a surprisingly third worst in the Sun Belt Conference.

CCU does rank third in yards passing per game, total passing yards and sixth in completion percentage. However, McCall’s 64 percent is the lowest of his career, and his six interceptions have nearly doubled his career total.

He threw four interceptions during Saturday’s 38-28 loss to Georgia Southern.

Up until this year McCall has been consistent during his CCU career, but this year, he’s been routinely hit as he’s thrown or escaped the pocket. CCU’s also surrendered 10 sacks this year.

Part of the problem is CCU’s opponents. Beck said a lack of information about UCLA’s defensive coordinator made planning against the Bruins difficult.

After CCU’s loss to Georgia State, Beck said Coastal was “caught off guard” early against the Panthers after they brought a heavy pass rush.

The defense is better than in 2022, but it can’t stop the run

CCU’s biggest priority going into the 2023 season was rebuilding its defense, one of the worst Sun Belt units in 2022.

New defensive coordinator Craig Naivar emphasized that the defense needed to get turnovers but didn’t know what the defense would look like. Five games into the season, the picture is clearer.

Coastal’s defense is a bend but not-break unit that can get stops when called upon. The defense has kept the Chants competitive in their losses this season, and their stats indicate their improvement. In 2022, CCU gave up 32 points a game. In 2023, they’re allowing 23.6 points per game.

CCU’s red zone defense is also one of the best in the Sun Belt, as they have the third-best red zone percentage. Naivar’s work with the secondary has also shown dividends, as CCU is sixth in terms of yards surrendered through the air after being the worst pass defense in the Sun Belt in 2022.

But CCU’s defense’s weaknesses are still apparent and will spell trouble for the remainder of the season if not addressed. Coastal’s defense cannot consistently stop the run and has been repeatedly gashed on the ground since the start of the season.

Coastal has given up 820 yards on the ground and 4.6 yards per carry, fourth worst in the Sun Belt Conference. In their first game of the season, UCLA laid out the blueprint to beat CCU in their first drive of the night.

The Bruins ran over the Chants, going no-huddle, moving 41 yards downfield on three carries and finishing the game with almost 153 yards on the ground. Teams have taken note and, aside from CCU’s total demolition of Duquesne University, made CCU pay.

New areas of concern have emerged, too, particularly the Chants pass rush. Coastal Carolina was fifth in the Sun Belt Conference, getting sacks in 2022, but isn’t generating as much pressure as it did one year ago. Through five games, CCU has dropped opposing teams’ quarterbacks six times, tied for last in the conference.

These flaws will spell trouble as CCU gets deeper into conference play. Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Texas State and JMU run for an average of more than 160 yards per game on the ground.

Special teams errors are costing CCU points

Luck has been on CCU’s side despite starting with a 2-3 record, as Coastal’s punt and kick returns have not cost them yet — but it’s been close.

Against UCLA, CCU almost gave up a safety on a botched punt return. Against Georgia Southern, another punt was mishandled and could have resulted in a fumble. And CCU almost gave up another safety against the Georgia State Eagles after a misplayed kickoff.

All three of CCU’s losses have been by at least 10 points, and part of the reason is CCU’s kicking has been inaccurate at times.

Entering the 2023 season, placekicker Liam Gray had only attempted three field goals and made one in the past three years. In 2023, Gray’s 7-12 is 12th in the Sun Belt, and his misses have come at critical times in CCU’s losses.

Against UCLA, Gray missed his first field goal of the night, a 33-yard attempt, but made his next two. CCU went on to score a touchdown to make it a 14-13 game in the third quarter and had the first kick gone through the uprights, CCU would’ve taken the lead.

Gray had the opportunity to put CCU up again in the fourth quarter, but his 55-yard attempt was no good, and UCLA scored on the next play, sealing the win for the Bruins.

Against Georgia Southern, Gray could’ve given CCU a three-point lead heading into halftime, but he missed wide once more from 34 yards and the Eagles scored a touchdown two drives later in a game CCU never led.

Despite the struggles, head coach Tim Beck has consistently backed his kicker.

“I think he’s got a good leg and he’s been he’s been better in all of our fall practices,” Beck said after the Georgia Southern loss. “I don’t know why, for some reason, he’s missing them.”

Despite the concerns, Coastal does have things to look forward to. The Chants will get a bye week before their rivalry match-up with Appalachian State, time to make adjustments for the remainder of the season.

The Mountaineers are 3-2 and have one of the best offenses in the Sun Belt Conference.

But despite the rough start, Beck is also building the future of the program.

A renowned recruiter before arriving at CCU, Beck’s 2024 class is currently third-best in the Sun Belt Conference and 79th in the country, according to 247Sports. In comparison, former CCU Head Coach Jamey Chadwell’s final 2022 recruiting class was 88th, according to 247Sports, and his current recruiting class at Liberty University is 101st in the country.