Coastal Carolina knocked down a notch by James Madison, 39-7. How will Chants respond?
Coastal Carolina wanted to prove it could beat James Madison University. It’s something the Chants haven’t done since JMU joined the Sun Belt Conference, and the games haven’t been particularly close.
The Dukes beat the Chants in 2022 and 2023 by a minimum of 40 points, and on Thursday night Coastal Carolina failed once again to change the dynamic of the one-side rivalry.
Thoroughly outclassed, Coastal Carolina (4-2) lost 39-7 to James Madison (5-1) in Harrisburg, Virginia.
After the game, wide receiver Jameson Tucker said there wasn’t one thing JMU did that allowed them the ability to blowout CCU three years in a row. Tucker’s teammate defensive back Tobias Fletcher, nodded along as the wide receiver discussed the loss.
“I wish I could tell you what they do so well that just gets us for three years in a row, man,” Tucker said. “You don’t want to get your tail whipped like that on national TV ever, and we just did it tonight.”
Head Coach Tim Beck added that Coastal did not play well, saying he’s responsible for the loss. He also said that injuries have hampered CCU.
“I still think we’re growing,” Beck said. “We haven’t had the full compliment (of players), like a lot of teams don’t.”
The game seemingly negated the Chants’ progress to start the 2024 campaign. To start the season, Coastal contently relied on a solid running game that plowed through opposing defenses. Aside from a 29-yard run from quarterback Ethan Vasko, Coastal Carolina couldn’t move the ball on the ground against James Madison, finishing the game with about three yards per carry.
Coastal had also shown its passing game could be explosive and not afraid to throw deep in its first five games.
Against JMU, Coastal’s passes had a higher probability of hitting the ground or landing in the hands of a Dukes defender than being caught by a Chanticleer. Vasko completed 4 of his first 5 passes, including a 40-yard strike to a wide-open Jameson Tucker to tie the game late in the first quarter.
But Vasko only completed one more pass of his final 13 attempts, as the rest of his time on the field proved difficult. Receivers dropped critical throws from Vasko, and two errant throws from the redshirt sophomore ended up in the hands of Duke defenders — one resulted in a pick-six.
Vasko and CCU’s receivers remained somewhat off-kilter the rest of the game and second-string quarterback Noah Kim replaced Vasko late in the third quarter. Kim also had difficulty getting the football in the hands of wide receivers.
Meanwhile, JMU did as they pleased, running and throwing the ball, finishing the game with more than 400 yards of offense.
While JMU blowing out CCU isn’t new, the loss does create new questions for Coastal Carolina as the season continues. Is Coastal a team with an explosive offense and ball-hawking defense that started the 2024 season 3-0? Or is CCU a team that allows small details to cost them games and is inconsistent on offense?
CCU will need to answer quickly. The Chants are now in the heart of Sun Belt Conference play, and its rivals looking to knock CCU down a peg will grant them no reprieve.
What did we learn from Coastal Carolina’s first six games? It’s unclear
Coastal Carolina flexes its football muscles as a dominant offensive force when its wins. It looks like a team that opponents have little hope of stopping. In its four wins of the year, Coastal averaged more than 450 yards of offense. CCU’s running predisposition controlled the time of possession battle, and Coastal proved willing to throw deep when given the opportunity.
However, CCU got those wins against teams with a combined 9-14 record, including Old Dominion and Temple, who each only have one win. In their losses, a different Coastal Carolina emerged — one that can’t run the ball, get off the field on defense, prevent turnovers and have a consistent passing game.
One of Coastal’s biggest concerns this year is losing momentum on offense. At times, CCU’s mistakes have driven them into ruts in both wins and losses. Coastal let Temple claw back into the game after taking a commanding early lead against the Owls, as the Chants’ offense stalled and put more pressure on the defense.
An early turnover against the University of Virginia deprived CCU of the pre-game energy built up by their home crowd, and Coastal couldn’t recover. Against JMU, CCU’s early mistakes cost them momentum they never regained. The second-quarter interception swung a 15-7 game to 22-7. The game was effectively over after JMU scored again on its next offensive drive, and CCU’s offense lost its spark.
Indicative of the cold CCU’s offense became, the Chants went 3 of 14 on third down, as it couldn’t sustain drives. Beck said that the sudden change in fortune “knocked the wind out of us.”
“We just didn’t do very well,” he said.
This uneven streak is reminiscent of how Coastal started the 2023 season. While the Chants 4-2 record in 2024 points to improvement compared to going 3-3 in 2023, CCU had many of the same concerns last season. The Chants addressed these issues as 2023 went on, which included a five-game win streak during the middle of the season.
Coastal Carolina will return to Brooks Stadium in Conway for its homecoming match-up with the University of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at noon Oct. 19, 2024. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
CCU previously faced the Ragin’ Cajuns in 2020, with the Chants besting the University of Louisiana 30-27.
Despite the loss to JMU, Beck remained hopeful.
“There’s a lot of football ahead of us, and we still have the opportunity to reach all of our goals,” Beck said. “We still have an opportunity to control our own destiny by going out and continue to improve and get better and correct the things we got to correct.”
This story was originally published October 10, 2024 at 11:20 PM.
