CCU-Furman Matchup Preview

No. 5 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (0-0) at Furman Paladins (0-0)

When | 7 p.m. Saturday

Where | Paladin Stadium (16,000), Greenville

TV/Online | ESPN3.com

Radio | WSEA-FM 100.3

Weather Forecast | 79 degrees with a 35 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms

Series History | Coastal Carolina leads the all-time series 5-1, including four consecutive wins.

Last Meeting

Coastal Carolina, ranked No. 3 at the time, twice let Furman tie the game with touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and the Paladins then blocked a potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime. Both teams settled for field goals in the first overtime, but after the Paladins missed a 36-yard field goal try in the second overtime the Chants finally seized the game on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Alex Ross to running back De’Angelo Henderson for a 37-31 win.

Chanticleers Breakdown

Coastal Carolina opens the season with a consensus No. 5 FCS ranking – right where it left off last year following a 12-2 finish. The Chants return all of their offensive playmakers, led by senior quarterback Alex Ross , junior running back De’Angelo Henderson and their entire starting receiving corps in junior Bruce Mapp and seniors John Israel and Tyrell Blanks. The unknowns come up front where the team replaces three veteran starters on the offensive line. On the other side of the ball, Coastal Carolina lost its leader in three-time Big South Defensive Player of the Year Quinn Backus, along with four other productive starters. Yet, the reports out of preseason camp have been nothing but encouraging about the defense. This first test will provide a good gauge of how the Chants have plugged those holes.

Paladins Breakdown

Furman enters its fifth season under head coach Bruce Fowler, coming off an injury plagued 3-9 finish last year. The Paladins were picked fifth in the Southern Conference’s preseason coaches and media polls and are hoping the healthy returns of junior quarterback Reese Hannon and linebacker Carl Rider provide a boost in the right direction. Hannon, who helped Furman earn a SoCon championship and an FCS playoff appearance in 2013, went down in the season opener last year with a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle. Rider, meanwhile, was limited to just three plays last year due to a torn labrum after leading the SoCon with 136 tackles in 2013. Overall, Furman returns 19 starters and 36 players who have recorded at least one start.

Key Matchup

Coastal Carolina’s offensive line vs. Furman’s defensive front. While it’s not the only question the Chants have entering the season, it’s a pivotal one. The three mainstays the team lost along the offensive line had combined to make 122 career starts. Junior left tackle Voghens Larrieux and junior right guard Sam Ekwonike are now the leaders of the young unit. Furman’s defensive line won’t be the toughest test the Chants face all season – with two redshirt-freshmen listed atop the depth at defensive tackle and a converted linebacker and first-time starter listed at the two ends – but Furman’s linebacking corps is stout and this will be the first opportunity to fully evaluate the Chants up front.

Spotlight Players

CCU senior QB Alex Ross | Ross is a preseason candidate for the Walter Payton Award after passing for 3,389 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions last year and rushing for 691 yards and nine scores. He had surgery to repair the AC joint in his throwing shoulder right after the season and is said to be at full strength entering 2015.

CCU junior RB De’Angelo Henderson | Henderson is one of the top returning running backs in the entire FCS after rushing for 1,534 yards and 20 touchdowns last season along with tallying 33 catches for 289 yards and a score. He combined for 161 offensive yards and three touchdowns in the last meeting with Furman.

CCU senior LB Devon Brant | A transfer from Western Michigan, where he made five starts last fall in an injury-plagued season, Brant is a key newcomer and one of two new starting linebackers for the Chants. The coaches are expecting the veteran to make an immediate impact.

Furman junior QB Reese Hannon | Before losing most of last season to injury, Hannon was on a strong trajectory for the Paladins. He enters 2015 ranked eighth in program history with 3,865 career passing yards and is just 2,414 yards from breaking the all-time mark.

Furman junior LB Carl Rider | Rider too missed almost all of last season, but he led the SoCon with 136 tackles in 2013. He returns to form a formidable duo with senior linebacker Cory Magwood, who led the league with 123 tackles in 2014.

Furman senior WR Jordan Snellings | A second-team All-SoCon pick last year, Snellings is coming of a season of 50 catches for 727 yards and four touchdowns. But it’s the way he finished that stands out. Over his last three games, Snellings has totaled 18 catches for 300 yards and three touchdowns.

CCU coach Joe Moglia’s scouting report:

“Because it’s the first game [and] they have a new defensive coordinator, we’re not sure exactly what we’re going to see from a defensive perspective. I know [CCU offensive coordinator] Dave Patenaude and the offensive guys have been preparing for different things, so we’re going to need to be able to adapt and adjust. From their offensive perspective, they’ve been effective moving the ball against us for the last three years. And their quarterback Hannon is really a very good player. ... They’ve got [proven players] at wide receiver, they’ve got an all-conference selection at tight end. ... They’ve got two and a half linemen coming back from last year. Two started every game and the other one started the last six or seven games, so they’ve got an experienced offense and they’ve always been effective moving the ball against us.”

Notes

Five of the teams’ six meetings all-time have all been decided by one score, including Coastal Carolina’s 47-45 triple-overtime win at Paladin Stadium in 2012 and the Chants’ 37-31 double-overtime win there last year. ...

Furman introduces a new defensive coordinator this season in Kyle Gillenwater, who spent last season at his alma mater Bridgewater College after coaching the previous 15 seasons at James Madison, including the last five as defensive coordinator. ...

Coastal Carolina will open the season without senior safety Richie Sampson as he continues to recover from a second major shoulder injury that ended his 2014 season. No determination has been made yet on the defensive standout’s availability for future games. ....

The Chants lost senior tight end Thomas Pauciello to a torn ACL early in preseason camp, but they have no other significant injury concerns entering the season opener. Senior Andre Johnson, the team’s third running back, was considered questionable with a groin pull. Second-string edshirt-freshman cornerback Anthony Chesley sustained a mild ankle sprain this week but was expected to be available. ...

Coastal Carolina offensive line coach Patrick Covington played at Furman from 2002-05 and was a two-time FCS All-American. His father Dwight Covington serves as Furman’s director of athletic ticket sales.

By The Numbers

0 | Total number of games started among Coastal Carolina kicker Ryan Granger, punter Evan Rabon, holder Tyler Keane and long snapper Connor Kubala.

2-4 | Furman’s record at Paladin Stadium in 2014 for only its third losing season at home in the stadium’s 34-year history.

7-5 | Coastal Carolina’s record all-time in season openers, although the Chants have won their last four season starters and all three under head coach Joe Moglia.

10-8 | The Chants’ all-time record against teams from the Southern Conference. That one is also a bit misleading, though, as they’ve won seven of their last eight games against the SoCon.

32-10 | Joe Moglia’s career record in three seasons at Coastal Carolina.

47 | Total carries last season between Furman’s projected running back committee of sophomore Antonio Wilcox (47 carries for 190 yards), junior Terry Robinson (who missed the season due to knee surgery) and freshman Triston Luke). The Paladins are replacing productive rusher Hank McCloud, who finished his career 10th on the program list with 2,395 rushing yards.

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 7:21 PM with the headline "CCU-Furman Matchup Preview."