Gameday Guide: Coastal Carolina vs. Texas State preview, streaming, odds, radio, tickets
Coastal Carolina hopes to have the services of one of the top quarterbacks in the country for the first time in three weeks, as redshirt sophomore Grayson McCall is trying to get back on the field after suffering a shoulder injury in a win against Troy on Oct. 28.
“These next couple days will be important to determine if he can go out and play, one from a physical pain standpoint but really just from a mental standpoint of, ‘Hey, I’m not worried about this injury anymore,’ ” CCU coach Jamey Chadwell said early Wednesday afternoon. “That’s the biggest challenge when you have an injury, thinking about it. So hopefully these next couple days that continues to improve where he can play.”
McCall leads the nation in passing efficiency (216.07), yards per pass attempt (13.06) and yards per completion (17.8), and is third in completion percentage (73.4 %). “If he plays this week he’s not going to be 100 percent by any means, but he’s going to be closer than he has been in a long time,” Chadwell said.
The opponent: Texas State Bobcats
Head coach Jake Spavital is in his third year at Texas State and his second year calling offensive plays. The third-youngest coach in FBS at 36, Spavital was previously offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, California and West Virginia. His brother Zac is the Bobcats’ defensive coordinator.
The Bobcats (3-7) are 8-26 under Spavital, with three wins or less each season.
“I believe that our program is going in a right direction,” Spavital said. “I feel we’re getting our guys in, I feel the culture is good. Our kids play extremely hard and we have to until we can start getting the talent that is equal to the league. But I feel we’re doing a lot of great things in recruiting. We’re increasing the profile, we’re increasing our depth, but at the end of the day we’ve got to start playing cleaner football, that is where we’re struggling this year.”
Texas State has a minus-8 turnover differential this season with 20 turnovers and 12 forced, and has averaged nearly 64 yards in penalties per game. In last week’s 38-30 loss to Georgia Southern, the Bobcats lost the turnover battle 2-1, had 77 yards in penalties, had a long touchdown negated by a penalty and had two punt mishaps.
“We made some very catastrophic mistakes, and in order for our program to take the next steps in these close games then we have to eliminate our mistakes and minimalize them as much as possible, but especially the catastrophic ones,” Spavital said.
Texas State has lost four of its last five games and ranks 103rd in the nation in scoring at 23.2 points per game, 104th in total yards per game at 348, 113th in points allowed at 33.9, and 94th in yards allowed per game at 419.6.
Tyler Vitt has taken every snap at QB over the past three games and is 51-of-90 for 567 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions on the season. Early-season starter Brady McBride, who missed two games due to injury, is back and could see action. In seven games he has completed 146-of-244 passes for 1,507 yards with 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
“We’ve got two more games left and we’re not playing for a bowl game but we’ve got a great opportunity versus a very good Coastal Carolina team this weekend,” Spavital said. “I think our kids are excited to get back out there and play again. The thing about our program and where we’re at is we keep showing up and we’re going to keep building and we’re going to keep swinging.”
Coastal Carolina team notes
▪ The Chanticleers (8-2) aren’t ranked in either the Associated Press Top 25 Poll or USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll for the first time in 23 releases of each poll, dating back to October 2020. The Chants ascended to the No. 9 ranking last season and were as high as No. 14 in the AP poll earlier this year.
The drop from the rankings is courtesy of last week’s 42-40 loss to Georgia State, which snapped CCU’s home winning streak at 12 games, one shy of the program record set from 2012-14. CCU is 19-3 over the past two seasons with all of the losses coming by three points or less and by a combined eight points.
▪ If McCall can’t play, Bryce Carpenter is expected to start his third straight game and 11th game of his CCU career. The senior completed 17 of 29 passes for 233 yards with a TD and interception last week, and also rushed for 48 yards on 17 carries, not including four sacks for a loss of 36 yards. He completed 5 of 6 passes for 74 yards on a late scoring drive that came a two-point conversion shy of tying the score.
▪ Chadwell said running back Reese White will miss his third consecutive game with an ankle injury and outside linebacker Jeffrey Gunter has been limited in practice with a lower body injury but is expected to play, as he did last week through the injury. “[White] has gotten better and he’s tried to practice some this week but he’s not at the point where he can contribute and he’s not close to being 100 percent,” Chadwell said.
▪ Seniors Jaivon Heiligh, Gunter and Shermari Jones received invitations this week to the 2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which will be held at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California and air on the NFL Network on Jan. 29.
Gunter has 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, which both rank in the top 10 in the Sun Belt, as well as 36 tackles, four QB hurries, a pass breakup, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a blocked kick this season.
Heiligh owns the CCU career record for 100-yard receiving games with 10 and has 43 receptions for 846 yards (second in the Sun Belt) and five touchdowns this year, and his 19.7-yard average per catch leads the conference.
Jones leads the team with 685 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns, and is in the top four in the conference in yards rushing per game (85.6) and yards per carry (6.5).
▪ CCU co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Newland Isaac has been named one of 59 Division I nominees for the 2021 Broyles Award, which honors college football’s top assistant coaches. It is awarded by the Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation with a selection process that includes the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), broadcasters, a college football hall-of-fame selection committee, and current college head coaches.
Isaac, who shares OC duties with Willy Korn, has been on Chadwell’s staffs for 11 years at North Greenville, Charleston Southern and CCU. Coastal’s offense ranks fifth nationally in scoring (42.3 ppg), eighth in total offense (492.8 ypg), eighth in rushing offense (228 ypg), 21st in red-zone offense (90.2 %), first in fourth-down conversion percentage (87.5 %) and second in third-down conversion percentage (55.9 %). CCU running backs average 5.83 yards per carry, which is fifth nationally and first among Group of Five schools.
“It’s well deserved. He’s been a fantastic coach since we’ve been together,” Chadwell said. “He’s done a fantastic job of developing players, he’s done a fantastic job of developing the offense we run and taking ownership of it. He should win it if you look at the statistics of this offense and what we’re doing, and you look at what he’s done for the running backs, especially at this level, the G5 level, there’s nobody better.
“. . . He’s very humble and I know his players are excited for him to get that nomination.”
Senior Day has arrived
It’s Senior Day for 28 Chants, marking the final home game played by a number of players who helped CCU make the transition from FCS to FBS and become a top 25 program. The seniors will be recognized in a pregame ceremony beginning at 12:30 p.m.
CCU had 13 players return for their sixth season in the program with the NCAA’s granting of an extra year of eligibility due to the impacts of the coronavirus on the 2020 season.
“That’s 28 people who have gone through the downs and a lot of ups,” Chadwell said. “The foundation of FBS, taking on that job. We’re here going to FBS and it’s going to be a struggle, and they all chose to do that hoping something positive would happen out of it, and obviously they’ve had a chance to have something positive come out of it. I don’t know if there are words I can say that will describe what they’ve meant to the university and what they’ve meant to the program and what they’ve laid. That’s why I’m confident they’ll come out and play well [Saturday] because it is their last time [at home].”
Last meeting: Chanticleers vs Bobcats
CCU won 49-14 on Nov. 28, 2020 in San Marcos, Texas. (CCU is 2-1 vs. Texas State all-time with a 27-7 loss in 2017 and 24-21 win in 2019).
Coastal vs. Texas State betting line
Coastal Carolina is favored by 24.5 points. The over/under is set at 61 points.
Score prediction
Coastal Carolina 41, Texas State 17: The Chanticleers should win, but the margin of victory will likely depend on whether McCall plays or not.
Coastal Carolina vs Texas State on Saturday: Watch, listen
- Who: Coastal Carolina (8-2, 4-2 Sun Belt) vs Texas State (3-7, 2-4)
- When: 1 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
- Occasion: Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day
- Streaming: ESPN+ (through www.espn.com/watch)
- TV talent: Jeff McCarragher (play by play), Nate Ross (Analyst)
- Radio: WRNN 99.5 FM
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: Skies are forecast to be mostly sunny with a high temperature of about 62 degrees, winds between 10-12 mph and a negligible chance of rain, according to weather.com.
- Live stats: Through www.Coastal.statbroadcast.com and GameTracker
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 19, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
