CCU football notebook: Chants have six chosen all-conference but receive little respect
Coastal Carolina placed six players on the Sun Belt Conference’s 2020 football preseason all-conference first or second teams.
But in their fourth season in the league, the Chanticleers were picked to finish last in the Sun Belt’s East Division in the preseason coaches’ poll, with the fewest voting points earned among the conference’s 10 teams.
CCU was selected by the coaches to finish behind East Division favorite Appalachian State as well as Georgia Southern, Troy and Georgia State, which tied the West Division’s Louisiana-Monroe for the second fewest voting points with 20. CCU garnered 13 points.
The Chants have finished 2-6 in each of their three seasons in the league for a combined 6-18 record.
“You’ve got to win in this league, and we’ve not done enough of that since we’ve been in it to where I think we’ve got any type of recognition to think, ‘Year in, year out we’ve got to rank these guys,’ ” CCU head coach Jamey Chadwell said. “We’ve not done it enough consistently. I don’t take it as a slap in the face. I think that’s what people think of you right now and we’ve got to change that. The only way we’re going to change that is we’ve got to win some games.
“. . . It doesn’t bother me that much because at the end of the day it’s about what we do in the games we play.”
The Chants had 11.5 percent of the 52 players voted onto the first and second teams.
As expected, senior defensive end Tarron Jackson was selected to the first team after setting school records with 10 sacks, 72 yards lost on sacks, and 13 quarterback hurries in 2019.
He has been named preseason first-team All-Sun Belt by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, Lindy’s and College Football News (CFN), was named to the 2020 College Football America Yearbook (CFA) Group of 5 Preseason Starting Lineup, and is on the watch lists for the prestigious Nagurski and Bednarik awards.
Making the Sun Belt second team are senior running back CJ Marable, junior tight end Isaiah Likely, senior defensive lineman C.J. Brewer, senior linebacker Teddy Gallagher, and junior placekicker Massimo Biscardi.
“There’s some talent here,” Chadwell said. “. . . We’ve got some [more] players who could have maybe potentially earned some of those preseason accolades. I definitely think we have some players who can help us win more games. I like the direction we’re heading.”
Appalachian State senior quarterback Zack Thomas was named the preseason offensive player of the year after completing 225 of 359 passes for 2,718 yards, 28 touchdowns and 6 interceptions last year while rushing for 440 yard and 7 TDs.
Troy junior linebacker Carlton Martial beat out Jackson for defensive player of the year after becoming the first underclassman in the last 20 years at the FBS level to record at least 100 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and three interceptions in a season.
One shy of a dozen
After several weeks of uncertainty, the Chants know they will begin their season a week later than originally scheduled on Sept. 12 at Kansas, and have 11 games scheduled this fall.
“I’m thoroughly excited for the games we were able to pick up,” senior offensive lineman Steven Bedosky said Tuesday. “At some point we were like, ‘Are we only going to play eight, are we only going to play 10?’ You know, what was it? So I’m excited we do have those 11 games. “I was upset we lost South Carolina, we were all looking forward to going back up to Columbia. But for the game’s we’ve got I’m thankful for and I’m just excited to get back on the field and play.”
CCU will host Campbell on Sept. 19 and have an off week before the first of eight straight Sun Belt conference games against Arkansas State on Oct. 3 at Brooks Stadium in Conway.
CCU added Liberty on Dec. 5, the week after the conclusion of conference play. The Chants and Flames have split 14 previous meetings. “I think Liberty is a big deal for this community. That was the rivalry in the Big South for a long time,” Chadwell said. “. . . I think we were going to try to renew that later on in future years anyway so to start it this year is good.”
Coastal lost games against South Carolina, Eastern Michigan and Duquesne because of the coronavirus, and changed the date and location of the Kansas game.
“This wasn’t an easy task trying to find games,” said Chadwell, who credited CCU director of athletics Matt Hogue for being able to bump the schedule to 11 games. “You had basically eight games that were guaranteed and the rest of them you were trying to figure out. The Kansas thing worked out, and to be able to find these two opponents who we know and are traditional to us was good, and to be able to get them both at home I think was a huge win.
“Of course who knows by the time you get to those games what anything is going to look like at this point.”
The Chants donned full pads for the first time in practice on Thursday and had the first intrasquad scrimmage of the fall camp on Saturday. A full scrimmage is planned late this week.
“We had some guys show some flash, had some things that we’ve definitely got to work on,” said Chadwell, who was pleased with his team’s discipline and focus in the scrimmage. “We’re headed in a good direction.”
Payton claiming place
Junior Fred Payton has become the frontrunner for the starting quarterback job after leading the team with 119 completions, 187 attempts, 1,421 passing yards, 12 passing TDs, seven interceptions and 1,602 total yards of offense.
But he missed nearly a week of practices because of a sore Achilles tendon to give fellow junior Bryce Carpenter of Sarasota, Florida., and redshirt freshmen Grayson McCall of Indian Trail, N.C., and Jarrett Guest of Marietta, Georgia opportunities to work with the first unit in practices.
Payton returned to practice on Tuesday in a limited capacity.
“Fred Payton has been the guy that has been in the lead there,” Chadwell said. “He’s missed the last few practices with a sore Achilles, so that has allowed Bryce and Grayson and Jarrett to get a lot more reps, so we’re not going to be able to name [an opening starter] until he’s back healthy. We’ve got three weeks for that to go so we’re not rushed from that standpoint.”
All hands on deck
The NCAA is granting all Division I fall athletes an extra year of eligibility – as it did for all 2020 spring sports athletes – regardless of the outcome of the fall seasons, so CCU’s coaching staff won’t have to worry about limiting playing time to protect redshirt seasons.
In a normal football season, a player is limited to playing in just four games to receive an extra year of eligibility.
“With the NCAA ruling everybody can really play this year, so now you’re trying to see who can actually do something for you and give you some plays, and that’s what we’re trying to identify right now,” Chadwell said.
The financial aid of seniors who take advantage of the extra year in 2021-22 will not count against team limits, though it could cost the school more money.
Bowl to be spared?
The inaugural Myrtle Beach Bowl is scheduled to be played in December at Brooks Stadium, and for now, the game is still on.
The College Football Playoff Management Committee has vowed to hold semifinal and championship games this season, but many bowls are in doubt with the cancellation of the fall football season by four of the 10 FBS conferences.
The Myrtle Beach Bowl is contracted to annually host teams from the Sun Belt, Mid-American Conference and Conference USA, and both the Sun Belt and Conference USA have fall seasons scheduled.
ESPN Events manages the game. “ESPN Events continues to evaluate the next steps for our owned and operated events as conferences make decisions on their seasons,” an ESPN spokesperson said in an email to The Sun News.
The 2020 schedule
Sept. 12 at Kansas
Sept. 19 vs. Campbell
Oct. 3 vs. Arkansas State
Oct. 17 at Louisiana
Oct. 24 vs. Georgia Southern
Oct. 29 at Georgia State
Nov. 7 vs. South Alabama
Nov. 14 at Troy
Nov. 21 vs. Appalachian State
Nov. 28 at Texas State
Dec. 5 vs. Liberty
