Coastal football beats Jacksonville State but questions remain. Should CCU be concerned?

Coastal Carolina head coach Tim Beck was victorious in his first game at home in Conway.

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (1-1) bested the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (2-1) 30-16 on Saturday in a game that had a weather delay.

Quarterback Grayson McCall threw his 80th career touchdown and finished the game going 21 of 29 with 268 yards passing and a touchdown.

CCU wide receiver Jared Brown electrified the 16,006 in attendance at Brooks Stadium when he took a handoff for 77 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Beck, meanwhile, was relieved to get his first win at home.

“It’s been a long time now (since Coastal’s last win),” Beck said after the game. “To get the opportunity to sing the victory song in the locker room meant a lot to some of those guys, and I think they’re relieved, too.”

Brown’s performance was the biggest highlight of Coastal’s night. The redshirt sophomore caught seven passes from McCall, including a short throw where Brown made a man miss and ranfor a 48-yard touchdown. Combined with his rushing touchdown, Brown finished the night with 170 yards.

Coastal Carolina’s defense also had its moments in the game. CCU’s front managed to bring down Jacksonville State quarterbacks three times in the game; one sack by transfer Carlos Hatcher caused a fumble recovered by the Chants.

Holding the Gamecocks to 16 points were the fewest CCU surrendered since a win against Marshall Oct. 29, 2022.

But the defense’s performance was not spotless. The Chants struggled to stop the run, surrendering nearly 190 yards on the ground. Containing Gamecock quarterbacks on the ground proved tricky, too.

In the fourth quarter, backup Gamecocks quarterback Logan Smothers ran in their only touchdown of the night almost untouched, and starter Zion Webb also propelled his offense forward with his feet.

But the biggest concern for CCU resides with its offense. While it scored 30 points, Coastal Carolina’s performance showed the Chants may not be the offensive juggernaut they were the last three seasons.

The Chants couldn’t run the ball

After two games played, it’s clear CCU has underperformed on the ground. Despite running back being one of the most experienced units on CCU’s offense heading into the season, Coastal only managed 56 yards on 34 attempts against UCLA Sept. 2.

Once again, CCU looked to run early and often again versus Jacksonville State, but their efforts bore little results. Consistently, CCU runners plunged up the middle only to be met by a swarm of Gamecocks.

While CCU finished the game with 131 yards on 45 attempts and two touchdowns on the ground, Brown’s 77-yard touchdown run accounted for almost 60% of CCU’s ground game.

The inability to run is surprising given CCU’s track record on the ground in recent years and offensive coordinator Travis Trickett’s resume from his previous coordinator job at the University of South Florida. In 2022, CCU averaged 4yards per carry, and the team’s 2,069 yards rushing ranked fourth in the Sun Belt.

In 2022, Trickett’s lone season as USF offensive coordinator, the Bulls were fourth in rushing yards and first in yards per carry in the American Athletic Conference.

CCU’s stunted run game put the Chants in long-yardage situations on second and third down, and it cost them points, especially when the game was close.

CCU was down 9-7 late in the second quarter, but the Chants drove to Jacksonville State’s 14-yard line with about a minute left in the first half. CCU elected to run on first down, but running back Braydon Bennett’s run up the middle lost yards.. McCall next connected with tight end Matt Alaimo to set up a manageable third and short at Jacksonville State’s six-yard line.

But CCU elected to run the ball once again and got nowhere. Placekicker Liam Gray made a 28-yard field goal to put CCU up 10-7 going into halftime, but CCU will need higher output against Sun Belt Conference rivals like Appalachian State, who’ve averaged about 40 points in their first two outings of the season.

After the game, Beck said he did not expect such a run-heavy approach.

“Going into this game, I didn’t think we’d run the ball at all,” Beck said in the post-game press conference.

Beck said part of the struggle was due to Jacksonville State consistently blitzing.

“We were just trying to get one,” he added. “It’s tough sledding in there.”

Coastal Carolina left points on the board

When they faced UCLA, CCU dominated time possession, controlling the ball for more than 35 minutes, but CCU only netted 10 in the first half Saturday despite entering Gamecock territory on three drives.

Coastal’s devotion to running the ball also cost itpoints several other points throughout the game.

After CCU’s loss to UCLA, Beck said special teams were a point of emphasis for the future. Placekicker Liam Gray missed a 33 and 55-yard field goal in CCU’s first game against UCLA. At the pre-game press conference Wednesday, Sept. 6 Beck said Gray would still be called upon for field goal attempts close to 50 yards.

But with more than two minutes left in the first quarter, CCU faced a fourth down from Jacksonville State’s 35-yard line. A field goal would’ve been about 52 yards, and Coastal elected to go for it with a run-pass option play. CCU was stuffed again and turned the ball over on downs.

On CCU’s first drive of the second half, the Chants put together a 12-play, 66-yard drive and fought to the Gamecock’s 9-yard line. CCU was only up 10-7, but couldn’t score a touchdown in the red zone and settled for a field goal to extend CCU’s lead 13-7.

Beck elected to be aggressive with an onside kick attempt on the next kickoff, but three straight rushes failed to get a first down and CCU settled for another field goal. Beck acknowledged the offense’s struggle to score touchdowns after the game.

The Chants will be at home again for its next match-up with the Duquesne Dukes. The Dukes will receive $300,000 traveling to Conway for the game.

Game 3: CCU vs. Duquesne

Gameday: Saturday, Sept. 16

Kickoff Time: 7 p.m. EST

Location: Brooks Stadium, Conway, S.C.

Where to watch: Stream on ESPN+

CCU’s all-time record against Duquesne: N/A