Coastal Carolina vs Troy preview, kickoff time, odds, TV channel and radio info
Coastal Carolina’s 30-27 loss on a last-second field goal at Appalachian State last Wednesday night snapped its 18-game regular-season winning streak, which was the longest in the nation. The Chanticleers dropped from No. 14/16 in the AP Top 25 Poll and USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll to 24th in both, marking CCU’s inclusion in both polls for the 20th consecutive release of each.
How will CCU react to its loss?
The opponent: Troy Trojans
Troy (4-3, 2-1) has won a pair of close games after losing 29-16 at Louisiana-Monroe in its Sun Belt Conference opener and 23-14 at South Carolina. The Trojans beat Georgia Southern 27-24 at home and Texas State 31-28 on the road before enjoying an off week this past weekend, giving them extra time to prepare for the Chants. “We were able to get a lot of rest and get some guys somewhat healthy. We’re in pretty good shape health-wise overall,” Troy coach Chip Lindsey said.
The Trojans have statistically the most disruptive defense in the nation. They rank first nationally in both sacks per game (4.43) and tackles-for-loss per game (9), third nationally in interceptions with 12, and lead the Sun Belt and rank seventh nationally in total defense at 287 yards allowed per game.
All-Sun Belt performer Carlton Martial leads the Troy defense again this season with 64 total tackles including 7 tackles for loss. Outside linebackers Javon Solomon and Richard Jibunor have combined for 13 sacks and CCU allowed eight tackles for loss including four sacks last week.
“They’re very aggressive, they’re physical, so our offensive line knows the challenge and our offensive line knows we didn’t play our best game last week and we’re playing a better defensive front this week,” CCU coach Jamey Chadwell said. ”We’re going to have to play well and more consistent for us to have a chance to move the ball and score points.”
Gunnar Watson (51-of-70 passing with 521 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions) has taken over the starting quarterback position and taken every snap in the spread shotgun offense in the past two weeks, and protected the ball. Now-backup QB Taylor Powell is 119-178-5, 1,171 yards and 7 TDs. A trio of backs share carries, and Tez Johnson leads receivers with 45 receptions for 418 yards and 2 TDs. Troy’s offense is 99th in the country with less than 355 yards per game.
“Taylor got banged up pretty good at South Carolina and obviously we felt the turnovers kept us from having an opportunity to win that game,” Lindsey said. “Taylor was not able to go the following week and Gunnar played and played well and has played well the last two times out. We feel really good about both of them. It’s always good to have two guys that have played before. Right now, we’re going with Gunnar.”
The past two games between the teams have been showstoppers.
Last December, Troy scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes to shock Coastal and take a three-point lead, only to have Grayson McCall drive the Chants 75 yards in 45 seconds with no timeouts and throw the game-winning 23-yard touchdown pass to Jaivon Heiligh with 35 seconds remaining. The win preserved CCU’s undefeated regular season.
In 2019, CCU’s C.J. Marable scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run with 30 seconds remaining and converted a two-point conversion run to give the Chants a 36-35 win that snapped a seven-game conference losing streak. Oh, how things have changed in two years.
Coastal Carolina team notes
This week will be the first time since Nov. 30, 2019, that the Chants will play a game following a loss in the same season.
In addition to its 18-game regular-season winning streak, the Chants had also won 11 straight Sun Belt Conference games and seven straight road games.
“Some of these younger guys on the team haven’t really gone through something like this,” CCU super senior linebacker Silas Kelly said. “A lot of the guys on our team have only experienced winning at Coastal, and that’s something we’re really proud of, but at the same time, those guys don’t really understand how to bounce back after something like this, after we’ve come up short in a game. So it just takes a couple of leaders . . . to pick guys up. It’s not the end of the world. It’s one game and we’re going to bounce back from it. We’ve got a ton of football left.”
Coastal has a winning streak remaining. It is looking for its 12th straight home win, which would be one shy of the program record of 13 from 2012-14. This is Coastal’s fifth non-Saturday game of the season.
“Anytime you get beat it’s like you’re dirty, you’ve got a stink on you and you want to go take a shower. And the only way to take a shower is to go out and play well on your next game,” Chadwell said. “. . . You’ve got to go on to your next one. This is a long season and this league is too hard to allow one loss to lead into two or three or four, and that’s the thing that we shared with them is don’t allow one loss to derail what you’re trying to accomplish. I think we’ve had good energy. I think they’ve had good focus.”
Though the offense is coming off its worst game with 346 total yards, McCall still leads the nation in passing efficiency (225.8), completion percentage (77.3) and passing yards per attempt (13.4) and is second in yards per completion (17.34).
McCall was named to The Athletic’s midseason All-America Second Team, while CCU tight end Isaiah Likely (29 catches, 545 yards, 8 TDs) has been named to the ESPN, Associated Press and The Athletic’s midseason All-America teams.
The Chants are third nationally in scoring at 45.7 points per game, first at 8.54 yards per play and seventh at 524.4 yards per game. The CCU defense is 13th in the country with 17.1 points allowed per game and 24th in yards allowed per game at 322.7, but surrendered a season-high 575 yards to App State last week.
“I think this motivates us to go harder,” super senior linebacker Teddy Gallagher said. “Like what happened with them. They lost a game last week, and every time you lose you watch film a little harder, you practice a little harder, you lift a little harder, you run a little harder in preparation for the game, and that’s what we have to do.”
This may be Coastal’s first game played through inclement weather this season, as thunderstorms and winds between 15-25 mph are in the forecast.
Spectators are encouraged to wear black for a ‘Black Out’ promotion. The Chants have had announced attendances of more than 15,000 in each of the first four home games, including a school-record 18,674 on Oct. 2, and the student sections have been full for all four games.
Last meeting: Chanticleers vs Trojans
CCU won 42-38 on Dec. 12, 2020 in Troy, Alabama. (CCU is 2-2 vs. Troy all-time, with two losses by a combined 49 points in its first two years in the conference in 2017-18).
Coastal vs. Troy betting line
Coastal Carolina is favored by 17 points. The over/under is set at 50 1/2 points.
Score prediction
Coastal Carolina 37, Troy 23: The Troy defense may keep it in the game for a while but the Trojans aren’t likely to be able to score with CCU’s prolific offense, though the weather may limit scoring.
Coastal Carolina vs Troy Thursday: Watch, listen
- Who: No. 24 Coastal Carolina (6-1, 2-1) vs Troy (4-3, 2-1)
- When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
- Where: Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
- Occasion: A Black Out. Fans are encouraged to wear black
- TV: ESPN2 (and streaming through www.espn.com/watch)
- TV talent: Clay Matvick (play by play), Rocky Boiman (Analyst) and Tiffany Blackmon (Sideline)
- Radio: WRNN 99.5 FM
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM 137, XM 201, Online 981
- Tickets: Are available at the stadium box office on game day, Chanticleer Athletics Ticket Office in Arcadia Hall at 132 Chanticleer Drive West, by calling 843-347-8499 (TIXX), or through the tickets@coastal.edu email
- Weather: Thunderstorms are expected during the game and temperatures are forecast to be in the 60s with winds between 15-25 mph. The chance of rain is 90 percent according to weather.com.
- Live stats: Through www.Coastal.statbroadcast.com and GameTracker
Sun Belt Conference expanding
The Sun Belt announced Tuesday afternoon that Southern Mississippi will join the conference beginning in the fall of 2023.
The conference currently has 12 members, including 10 that play football. It is reportedly in negotiations with other schools including Old Dominion, Marshall and James Madison, an FCS football power, to potentially expand further.
What is a Chanticleer?
Coastal Carolina has one of the more unique nicknames and mascots in all of sports. The Chanticleer is featured in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and is a rooster that rules the barnyard with cunning and wit. He battles to the end using his brain to come out victorious.
The rooster is a play off the University of South Carolina’s Gamecock, as CCU was part of the USC system until becoming independent in 1993. It’s pronounced ‘SHON-ti-cleer’ and the school doesn’t take kindly to mispronunciations.
What’s up with CCU’s teal ‘Surf Turf’?
Don’t try to adjust your TV settings, it’s just that color.
After playing on natural grass at Brooks Stadium for the first 12 years of the program’s existence, Coastal Carolina installed an artificial teal-colored ‘Surf Turf’ prior to the 2015 season, reflecting one of the school’s primary colors and its proximity to the beach.
Where is Coastal Carolina located?
CCU is in Conway, South Carolina, a neighboring town to the better known Myrtle Beach. The college is east of the center of Conway and is only about 12 miles from the beach along the Atlantic Ocean.
Conway is a more quaint town with a riverfront along the Waccamaw River compared to Myrtle Beach’s vibrant and bustling tourism businesses featuring nightlife, shopping, restaurants, beachwear stores and miniature golf courses.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 6:58 AM.
