Chants offense looking to reach full potential against Bulldogs

It’s hard not to notice that Alabama A&M ranks near the bottom of the FCS in defense. It’s hard not to see the stats, see what other teams have done against the Bulldogs and think that Coastal Carolina is about to pile up points Saturday.

But for the most part, the Chanticleer coaches and players insist that’s not how they’re looking at this matchup.

The No. 1/2-ranked Chants (4-0) say they simply want to handle business on their end and execute Saturday against a 1-2 Bulldogs team that ranks 118th out of 123 FCS teams in total defense, allowing 519.7 yards per game.

“We try not to look at numbers like that, me personally,” junior running back De’Angelo Henderson said. “I don’t think the coaching staff [does] either, I don’t think the guys even know stuff like that. [We want to] just come out and execute our plays and play ball the best way we know how to.”

It’s also possible the Chants won’t just be contending against Alabama A&M, but the weather as well. The game was moved up four hours to 2 p.m. as a result of the stormy forecast and a mix of wind and rain could make an impact on the field.

But if that doesn’t slow down the Coastal Carolina offense, it will take a much better performance than the Bulldogs have shown to this point to do so.

After giving up more than 50 points each in lopsided losses to FBS foe Cincinnati and Prairie View A&M to start the season, Alabama A&M bounced back last week with a 28-9 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but the overall numbers still aren’t pretty.

The Bulldogs are giving up an average of 322.7 passing yards and 197.3 rushing yards per game – albeit skewed a bit by the 636 total yards Cincinnati tallied – and that should excite the Chants’ prolific duo of senior quarterback Alex Ross (888 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception through four games) and Henderson (who ranks second in the FCS with 532 rushing yards to go with 220 receiving yards and six touchdowns).

Even if they won’t say it themselves.

“This week we need to focus on our offense and we need to execute our plays,” Ross said. “We can’t get stupid penalties, we can’t have holding penalties, we can’t have offsides, we can’t have delay of games. We just have to execute as well as we can execute to our full potential and we’re going to be all right.”

Added Henderson: “At the end of the day we know we’ve got to come out and execute. They’re a college program, they’re going to come out fighting, so we’ve got to come out and execute and dominate our opponent somehow.”

On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs are plenty capable offensively and should challenge a Chants defense that has been uneven to start the season.

Alabama A&M quarterback De’Angelo Ballard has thrown for 792 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception and has a deep stable of receivers, including four regular targets who are averaging at least 17.8 yards per catch.

Whether or not a Chants defense that ranks 111th in the FCS against the pass can contain that aerial attack and take a step forward this week is certainly a key story line.

“Our defense has got to improve,” head coach Joe Moglia said. “We’ve got to improve on defense if we’re going to have the type of season we hope and if we’re going to have a good night Saturday.”

But again, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Coastal Carolina offense doesn’t ultimately play the starring role in this game.

While the Chants have been productive through four weeks, coaches and players alike have said they don’t feel the offense has played to its potential.

They should get a chance to do that Saturday.

As far as offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude is concerned, though, that’s no different than any other week.

“Whether or not you’re playing a top-five defense or a bottom-five defense [doesn’t matter],” Patenaude said. “… We just go out and do our deal. Hopefully we’ll be balanced and Alex will be slinging it around, being efficient like he was last week, Hop will be running the ball, guys will be catching the ball.

“It’s the same every week. It sounds cliche, but I really don’t care who we play.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Chants offense looking to reach full potential against Bulldogs."