Everything you need to know for Coastal Carolina vs. Texas State on Saturday
Saturday’s game
Who: Texas State (3-8, 2-5 Sun Belt Conference) at Coastal Carolina (4-7, 1-6)
When: Noon
Where: Brooks Stadium, Conway
Occasion: Senior Day
TV: Live online on ESPN+
Radio: WRNN 99.5 FM
Online audio: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/coastal/
Live stats: Through www.Coastal.statbroadcast.com and GameTracker
Last meeting
Texas State 27-7 on Oct. 28, 2017 in Conway
Coastal Carolina
Strength: Defensive line
Weakness: Secondary
Texas State
Strength: Linebackers
Weakness: Rush Offense
Key matchup
Coastal Carolina’s offensive line and running backs vs. Texas State’s defensive front seven: Coastal rushed for 230 yards on 45 carries last week against Louisiana-Monroe and is averaging 193 rushing yards per game, which ranks 38th in the country. Texas State has been susceptible to the run this season, giving up an average of 217.4 yards per game, which ranks 120th in FBS. CCU junior running back C.J. Marable has rushed for 142 and 172 yards over the past two games against Arkansas State and ULM. The Chants have gained some sense of stability on the offensive line over the past few weeks and are likely to start junior Sam Thompson at center, juniors Trey Carter and Jack Franklin at guard, and senior Ethan Howard and sophomore Antwine Loper, a Carolina Forest High grad, at tackle.
Players to watch
Coastal Carolina
Junior running back C.J. Marable (5-10, 190): The Presbyterian transfer gained 172 yards on 18 carries last week and leads the Chants with 964 yards rushing and 10 TDs on 179 attempts (5.4 yards per carry) and is second in receptions with 36 for 297 yards and three TDs.
Senior receiver Ky’Jon Tyler (5-9, 180): He is 32 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards for his career and is a threat as a kick returner, as evidenced by a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown last week.
Junior linebacker Teddy Gallagher (6-1, 230): The Los Angeles native has a chance to reach 100 total tackles for the season, as he leads the team with 43 unassisted and 45 assisted for a total of 88, including 3.5 for a loss of yards.
Texas State
Senior cornerback Anthony J. Taylor (5-8, 185): He is tied for a single-season school record with three other players with 12 pass breakups this season.
Senior receiver Hutch White (6-1, 195): One of the Bobcats’ primary offensive threats has 60 receptions for 565 yards and two touchdowns The 60 catches are tied for the fourth most in Texas State history.
Senior linebacker Bryan London II (6-2, 232): He has 104 tackles this season, including five for a loss of yards, giving him 445 total tackles in his career, which is three away from a new school record.
He said it
“We’re getting better each week as a team, as a program. . . . But we have too many negative plays, too many penalties. We’ve just got to work on finishing games and we need to learn how to put that complete game together. I love how these kids fight, I love where they’re at in terms of the passion that they play with. There’s a lot of heart that this team has, we just need to put our head with it.”– Texas State coach Jake Spavital
“This senior class has never won four games in a season, they’ve never won three conference games either, so we still have a lot to play for in terms of pride and trying to better our program. . . . I think these kids truly enjoy the game. They’ve been through a lot of transition to begin with. I think they want to suit it out [one] more time with their brothers and really play with a nothing-to-lose attitude.” – Spavital on his 22 seniors
“This is a huge chunk of your life. This is where you grow. This is where I think I’ve become a man from 18 to 22 years old. You take advantage of the coaches and people you have here and make the most of it. . . . So just building relationships, football aside, has been great.” – CCU senior tackle Ethan Howard on his last college game
Scouting report
Though a bowl berth is no longer attainable, this may be the most important game of the season for some Chanticleers, as the coaching staff will be observing the heart and gumption of some of the team’s younger players.
“Now this last game you’re really just playing for the love of the game, love of your teammates, love of your university,” CCU head coach Jamey Chadwell said. “So it’s really going to shine through who really loves what they do and who cares about each other. “If you’re not willing to compete in everything you do no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the situation, you’re not going to be successful in life.
“I just wanted to make sure our guys understand what are standards are and our expectations are.”
Sophomores Bryce Carpenter and Fred Payton will likely split time at quarterback as they’ve done all season. Carpenter has thrown for 813 yards and rushed for 380 this season, while Payton has thrown for 1,378 and rushed for 154.
Sophomore Tyler Vitt has started the past five games for the Bobcats and has completed 124 of 198 passes (62.6 percent) for 1,305 yards with nine touchdows and a damaging 13 interceptions in eight total games.
The Bobcats rush for just 80.5 yards per game, which is the fifth lowest average in FBS and is one reason they possess the ball for an average of 27:23 per game compared to Coastal’s average of 32:46.
“I think it’s going to be a ball-control type of game and we’ve got to take advantage of our opportunities,” Spavital said. “Like versus Arkansas State they held the ball for almost 42 minutes and we have to be able to manifest some points and make sure we get off the field defensively.”
CCU could use a Sun Belt win, having lost 10 of its past 11 in conference and three straight games overall. Six of CCU’s games have been decided by one score (eight points or less), including four of its losses. The Bobcats trailed App. State 14-13 in the third quarter last week before the Mountaineers scored the final 21 points for a 35-13 win.
“I think this is going to be one of those great games. . . . I’m expecting a close one and I think it’s going to be a fun game,” Spavital said.
Notes
▪Texas State is seeking its first road win of the season, as it is 0-5 on the road and 3-3 at home.
▪At age 34, Spavital is the second-youngest head coach in FBS behind Kent State’s Sean Lewis. He was named the Bobcats’ head coach last November after two years as West Virginia’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
▪Texas State’s defensive coordinator is Zac Spavital, and he and brother Jake are one of 10 sets of brothers coaching at FBS schools.
▪Coastal was 2-for-2 on fourth down conversion attempts last week, and its 21 fourth-down conversions this season are the third most in FBS behind 23 each by Army and Navy. The Chants are 21 of 27 (77.8 percent) on fourth down.
▪ CCU will recognize its small class of 10 seniors on the field prior to kickoff.
Line
CCU -7
Prediction
Coastal Carolina 31, Texas State 27: In what will likely be another one-possession game, the Chants should be able to send the seniors out victorious.
Alan Blondin: 843-626-0284, @alanblondin
This story was originally published November 28, 2019 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Everything you need to know for Coastal Carolina vs. Texas State on Saturday."
