Health concerns at QB, and other things to know when Georgia Southern plays Coastal Carolina

Among the unknowns for Saturday are the weather, and whether or not the star quarterbacks will be medically cleared to play.

As of this writing, Hurricane Ian's impact had changed the starting time for Georgia Southern (3-1, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) visiting Coastal Carolina (4-0, 1-0 SBC) from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday (weather permitting) at Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C. (ESPN+).

Also, Georgia Southern QB Kyle Vantrease expects to play after suffering a sore shoulder in his game last Saturday, while CCU QB Grayson McCall is coming back from a sprained ankle in the team's last game Sept. 22.

Here are five things to know about the game.

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Health concerns at QB

Vantrease is dealing with a sore right (throwing) shoulder after coming down hard on it during the 34-23 win over Ball State on Sept. 24.

"It happened early in the game Saturday," Vantrease said Monday. "I had felt the feeling before, last year at the end of the season (while playing for the University of Buffalo), but it wasn't nearly the same (Saturday, nearly) as severe. I didn't want to leave the field. I wanted to keep playing. I just pushed myself. I knew it was going to be uncomfortable to throw but I had to push through because I wanted to be there for my teammates."

Vantrease played the whole game and threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter — 7 yards to tight end Jjay Mcafee and 47 yards to wide receiver Amare Jones. Vantrease finished 26 of 39 for 310 yards, the two TDs and no interceptions. He also ran 4 yards for a third-quarter touchdown.

"It's still stiff, it's still pretty sore, but keeping the mobility and strength is all I'm focused on," Vantrease said Monday. "I'm getting out there and getting prepared for Coastal."

He was held out of practice Sunday and the team was off Monday, head coach Clay Helton said. The coach said that against Ball State, Vantrease was confident he could get the job done and wanted to stay in the game.

"Throwing-wise, he was still accurate and making good decisions and really being effective," Helton said Monday. "I thought Kyle did a great job of fighting his way through it. A little bit of a sore shoulder."

Helton said Monday they would see during the week how much Vantrease will practice but fully expected him to play Saturday.

"... knowing him, knowing his competitiveness, I feel like we'll be in good position," Helton said.

Redshirt sophomore Connor Cigelske is listed as the top backup to Vantrease, and he's been getting regular reps in practice as have a host of other reserve QBs. Cigelske saw his first college action, and made two starts, in the final two games of the 2021 season.

Vantrease, who has gotten the most reps since last spring, said the quarterbacks work together.

"It's all of us quarterbacks talking to each other about what we're doing when watching film," Vantrease said. "We're trying to have a constant communication with (offensive coordinator/QB) coach (Bryan) Ellis and the other position groups, to stay communicated, stay on the same page. I try to teach them as much as I can. I've got a couple more years on (them). Just being there for them if they do get that opportunity is something that I have to be ready for, which everybody has to be ready for. Those guys work hard. They're ready for their opportunity if it comes."

While that sounds like Vantrease will face the Chanticleers, his counterpart may finally face the Eagles.

Of all the streaks that record-setter McCall has put together since becoming Coastal Carolina's starting quarterback, this has to be the strangest.

The two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year has missed both of his Chanticleers' previous games against Georgia Southern because of injuries.

And there's a chance the redshirt junior could make it 3 for 3 this Saturday.

McCall was a Freshman All-America in 2020 and missed only one game — the Chants' 28-14 home win over Georgia Southern — because of an upper-body injury. Fred Payton, who had starting experience, filled in admirably and CCU broke open the game with a 14-0 fourth quarter.

McCall was a sophomore and again one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in passing efficiency in the country in 2021, but missed the game against the Eagles in Statesboro due to an upper-body injury. His backup Bryce Carpenter was solid, particularly as a running QB, in CCU's 28-8 win.

The Chants are 4-0 this year as McCall has been outstanding again, but in the most-recent victory 41-24 on Sept. 22 at Georgia State, he left the game early after injurying his ankle while being tackled on an incomplete pass.

CCU head coach Jamey Chadwell said in a postgame interview that McCall probably could have come back in the game if needed, but they rested the sprained ankle. The coach said at Wednesday's press conference that he anticipated McCall will play against Georgia Southern.

Staying positive on turnovers

Coastal Carolina is one of the best teams in the country in turnovers gained and turnover margin, but it wasn't so in 2021.

"Last year, we couldn't get a turnover defensively. I think we had like six the whole year long," Chanticleers coach Jamey Chadwell said Monday. "This year, we're doing a great job of that. It's something obviously we're emphasizing, something our players take pride in."

CCU is tied with Southern Cal in leading all FBS programs with 14 turnovers gained (seven fumbles recovered, seven interceptions). Georgia Southern is tied for 83rd with five (one fumble recovered, four picks).

Coastal is tied for fifth in turnover margin at plus-7 for a 1.75 average, having also lost five fumbles and been intercepted twice.

"Where we can help is offensively we've got to not turn it over," Chadwell said. "The first game of the year we did not turn it over, and then the next three, we turned it over seven times. If we weren't to turn it over at all, we'd be fantastic. So offensively, we've got to do a better job of holding onto it so we're not just trying to keep serve on the defense, the ones they're getting."

Creating 14 turnovers in four games is quite impressive. Count GS coach Helton as impressed.

"You can tell they've made that a point of emphasis this year among their team and they're doing a really nice job of targeting the ball," said Helton, noting the defensive backs in particular.

"We've been very fortunate to be able to hold onto the ball. We haven't fumbled this year. We continue to practice what we preach, and that's ball security is every Tuesday, every Wednesday, every Thursday. It's a staple for us. Obviously, we're playing as good a team as there is in the country at getting the ball out. We've got to do our best job of focusing and relying on our fundamentals of technique."

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GS is tied for 77th in turnover margin at minus-1 (-0.25 average), but no turnovers in the 34-23 win over Ball State.

"One of the keys to our success in the last game was not turning the ball over," Helton said. "We thought it was critical in a very close game. If we had turned once in that game, it may be a different outcome."

Next-man-up mentality at linebacker

The Ball State game was the first full contest this season for the Eagles without inside linebacker Todd Bradley-Glenn, whom Helton calls the "quarterback of the defense" and "the rock of the defense."

A seventh-year player, Bradley-Glenn dislocated his elbow in the loss at UAB and is not expected to return to action for at least two weeks. That doesn't mean the team co-captain has stopped contributing.

"Even though he wasn't playing, he was on the sideline still being engaged, still talking to us about what he saw on the field," inside linebacker Khadry Jackson said. "He's an emotional leader, a great leader, probably one of the best teammates I've ever had."

Jackson, a senior, replaced Bradley-Glenn at mike linebacker and called the plays.

"I feel overall as linebackers we played pretty good but we can always play better," said Jackson, who tied for the team lead with 10 total tackles (four solo, six assisted), including one-half tackle for loss.

Marques Watson-Trent, a redshirt sophomore, also started at linebacker and finished with 10 tackles (six solo, four assisted), including 1.5 TFL.

Helton said he was proud of the linebackers, and had stressed at the team's pregame meal the importance of the next-man-up mentality.

"That's big shoes to fill when you talk about a guy like Todd that has that much experience," Helton said. "Not only in his play, but just getting guys lined up and making the calls, that's being the quarterback of the defense. I thought Khadry and Mar did an exceptional job."

GS outrushed Ball State 164-143.

The CCU rushing offense vs. the GS rushing defense

Georgia Southern's rushing defense has been a focus this season, particularly after giving up 288 yards in a 35-21 loss at UAB on Sept. 17.

The Eagles faced another run-heavy team last weekend in Ball State, but the performance was much better from tackling to gap integrity.

"I did think we took a step forward last week, especially in getting the ball down in the run game," Helton said. "That's going to be imperative this week."

While the Eagles rank 124th out of 131 FBS teams in rushing defense (218.8 yards per game), the Chanticleers are 27th in rushing offense (200.5 average) while also averaging 258.2 passing yards (57th) in their unique spread option offense.

CCU has overcome a heavy loss to graduation on the offense line and at running back, and injuries to runners this season. CJ Beasley stepped up in the win over Georgia State with 25 carries for 142 yards, and now leads the team with 60 carries for 345 yards, an 86.25 average in four games.

Reese White, who missed the game due to injury and is not expected to play Saturday, is second with 36 carries for 265 yards in three games (81.67).

Whoever is carrying the ball, the defense will have to be disciplined and maintain gap integrity against a well-run machine.

"I think last week, we really overpreached relentless effort to the ball in getting all 11 members (of the defense) there to be able to get these really talented running backs down," Helton said. "I really liked our effort. There was a lot of gang tackling. When one guy was holding on for dear life, here comes three or more other kids, and that's what you've got to have versus good players. I thought we did take a step forward in that area. We need to continue to grow."

Keeping up with Chadwell

Seemingly everybody's college football coach of the year in 2020, Chadwell is a rising star in the profession with his accomplishments at Coastal Carolina.

It's the reason his name has been mentioned as a potential candidate to fill vacancies at some high-profile programs in recent years such as South Carolina, and as recently as the fresh opening at Georgia Tech, for example.

The Chanticleers, 4-0 this season, are 26-3 since the start of the 2020 campaign. That's second best in all of FBS, tied with Georgia and trailing only Alabama (30-2).

A former head coach at North Greenville, Delta State and Charleston Southern, Chadwell was 3-9 as the interim head coach at CCU in 2017. He spent the next season as the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach for a high-powered, highly efficient Chanticleers offense in 2018.

He was made the full-time head coach in 2019 and went 5-7, then in 2020 grabbed the nation's attention with an undefeated regular season (including over No. 8 BYU), a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship and first FBS bowl appearance for an 11-1 overall mark.

No one-year wonder, the Chants went 11-2 and won the Cure Bowl in 2021.

"Coach (Chadwell) does a tremendous job, has a huge bible offensively that he selects based on your tendencies and what you're doing," Helton said.

He called CCU probably the hottest team in the Sun Belt.

"They play really good, solid football in all three phases," Helton said. "It's going to be a great challenge for us to go on the road again and play one of the better teams in our conference. It's going to be once again about our execution against a really quality football team."

Nathan Dominitz is the Sports Content Editor of the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com. Email him at ndominitz@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @NathanDominitz

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Southern plays Coastal Carolina in Sun Belt: What to know