Want to watch or stream the Coastal Carolina-Georgia Southern football game? Here’s how
Georgia Southern made news this week with the hiring of former Southern California coach Clay Helton to lead the program, but he won’t be coaching the struggling Eagles (2-6) this week or the rest of this season.
Coastal Carolina (7-1), made news Saturday when it announced starting quarterback Grayson McCall is “out indefinitely” with an upper body injury. Senior Bryce Carpenter is expected to start at QB.
Coastal, which is ranked 21st in both the AP Top 25 Poll and USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll, is looking to win its second straight game following its loss at Appalachian State to at least keep pace with the Mountaineers in the Sun Belt Conference’s East Division.
The opponent: Georgia Southern Eagles
Kevin Whitley replaced Chad Lunsford as head coach when Lunsford was fired on Sept. 27 after the Eagles dropped three straight games after a opening win over FCS opponent Gardner-Webb.
Whitley is a former Georgia Southern All-American and professional player who was in his third season as Lunsford’s cornerbacks coach.
The Eagles defeated Arkansas State 59-33 in his college head coaching debut, but have since lost three straight to Troy, South Alabama and Georgia State — a 21-14 loss last week on a 23-yard touchdown run with 26 seconds remaining.
Georgia Southern has struggled on defense this season, ranking 124th out of 130 FBS teams in total defense, allowing 478 yards per game, including an FBS-worst 322.4 yards passing per game. It’s also 107th with 32.3 points allowed per game.
With their option offense, the Eagles rank 12th in the NCAA in rushing at 231 yards per game and average more than 5 yards per carry. They throw for 145 yards per game.
The Eagles had the statistical advantage against Georgia State last week, however, outgaining the Panthers 486 to 378 including 279 passing yards on 27 attempts, so the Eagles are throwing the ball more under Whitley.
Senior quarterback Logan Wright leads the triple-option style offense with 100 carries for 654 yards and six touchdowns, while fellow backs Gerald Green and Jalen White have run for 391 and 219 yards this season. Whitley said this week that he’d like Wright to run the ball more often.
The Eagles have injury concerns entering the game. Senior nose tackle C.J. Wright, the team’s top defensive lineman, will likely miss the game with a knee injury. Sophomore cornerback Tyler Bride suffered a concussion last week and is unlikely to play. The Eagles have lost several starters to injury this season, particularly on defense, and have been stating true freshmen Eldrick Robinson II and Michael Edwards III at inside linebacker.
Coastal Carolina team notes
The Chants have won two of the four meetings against Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt, but both wins have come at home. The Chants are 0-2 in Statesboro, Ga., with the last loss at Allen E. Paulson Stadium coming in triple overtime through torrential rain brought by a tropical system in 2019.
Coastal enters the game fairly healthy. In addition to McCall, running back Reese White will miss the game with an ankle injury suffered last week. The Chants are relatively healthy otherwise.
Coastal has feasted on bad defenses this season. It has played an FBS opponent in Citadel and four teams that rank in the bottom 15 in the nation in total defense in Arkansas State, UMass, Kansas and Louisiana-Monroe, and the Chants have scored at least 49 points in those games. The Eagles rank above only six teams in total defense.
Several CCU players have been honored over the past week, reflecting their individual success and the team’s success.
Super seniors C.J. Brewer, Silas Kelly, and Teddy Gallagher, and seniors Jaivon Heiligh and D’Jordan Strong all received invitations to the Hula Bowl all-star game. Heiligh and seniors Jeffrey Gunter and Isaiah Likely received invitations to the East-West Shrine Bowl all-star game.
Kelly, a linebacker, is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, which honors notable achievements in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition.
McCall, a redshirt sophomore, is one of 15 semifinalists for 85th Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year, and is a top-10 finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Likely is a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award for the nation’s top tight end, Gunter is on the watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award for the nation’s top defensive end, and super senior long snapper C.J. Schrimpf is a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s top player who began his career as a walk-on.
Last meeting: Chanticleers vs Eagles
CCU won 28-14 on Oct. 24, 2020 in Conway. (CCU is 2-5 vs. Georgia Southern all-time, going 2-2 against the Eagles as a Sun Belt member and 0-3 in non-conference FCS games between 2006-10).
Coastal vs. Georgia Southern betting line
Coastal Carolina is favored by 15 1/2 points. The over/under is set at 56 1/2 points.
Score prediction
Coastal Carolina 34, Georgia Southern 20: The Eagles defense has not performed well enough this season and the offense is too limited to keep up with CCU’s prolific offense, even with Carpenter starting. CCU is third in the nation at 44.4 points per game and sixth at 522.6 yards per game.
Coastal Carolina vs Ga. Southern Saturday: Watch, listen
- Who: No. 21 Coastal Carolina (7-1, 3-1) at Georgia Southern (2-6, 1-4)
- When: 6 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Allen E. Paulson Stadium, Statesboro, Ga.
- Occasion: Ga. Southern’s Salute to Service
- Streaming: ESPN+ through www.espn.com/watch
- TV talent: Matt Stewart (play by play), Danny Waugh (analyst)
- Radio: WRNN 99.5 FM
Tickets: Are available at the stadium box office on game day or by calling 843-347-8499 (TIXX), or through the tickets@coastal.edu email
- Weather: Temperatures are forecast to be between 48-50 degrees with a 50 percent chance of rain and winds at approximately 15 mph, according to weather.com.
- Live stats: Through www.GeorgiaSouthern.Statbroadcast.com
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 November 5, 2021 at 1:49 PM.
