Moglia encouraged by Chants’ improvement in shutout win

In reflecting on his team’s thoroughly dominant win Saturday, Coastal Carolina football coach Joe Moglia summed up the Chanticleers’ offensive onslaught with the suggestion of some simple math.

“So it’s 38 [points scored] at halftime. So if you keep your first unit in there and we stay effective, that’s a lot of points,” he said. “[And] we only had one penalty for 10 yards. I don’t like that, but I’ll take that. ... I was pleased across the board.”

As well he should be, because the math on the defensive side was even easier to appreciate.

No. 1/2-ranked Coastal Carolina posted its first shutout since 2007 – and the program’s first-ever shutout over an FCS opponent – while rolling over Alabama A&M, 55-0, at Brooks Stadium on a day when the effects of Hurricane Joaquin forced the game time up four hours.

It was in every way the complete effort Moglia had been pushing for from his team.

Coastal Carolina (5-0) outgained the Bulldogs (1-3) 547 yards to 311 and finished off the shutout despite swapping in second and third-teamers after halftime – after, as Moglia mentioned, the Chants had jumped out to a 38-0 lead with 32 points in the second quarter alone.

Junior running back De’Angelo Henderson piled up 102 rushing yards, 44 receiving yards and three total touchdowns while only playing in the first half, and senior quarterback Alex Ross was 15-of-22 passing for 153 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in his two quarters of action.

“The rain could have easily been a distraction, but we were prepared for that and I think if we got rain [during the game] I would like to think it would not have been a distraction for us,” Moglia said. “The offense played well, the defense played well, the special teams played well.”

While the offense may have sputtered in moments this season, the unit has been effective enough all fall and now ranks 13th in the FCS in averaging 458.8 yards per game and sits 10th in scoring at 39.8 points per game.

But seeing the defense totally shutdown an Alabama A&M team that actually came into the weekend ranked 16th nationally in total offense was especially encouraging for the Chants.

The Bulldogs almost totaled as many turnovers in the first half (3) as first downs (4).

“The defense, which I thought was improving, we still wound up struggling [through the early part of the season]. Nobody was pleased with the Western Illinois game. Nobody was particularly pleased, although we improved, with the Bryant game. But today we did dominate the game from a defensive perspective against an offense that wasn’t so bad,” Moglia said afterward. “So that coupled with the fact that the second team held up, that the third team held up at the end of the game is something that I am pleased with.”

With the stifling performance, Coastal Carolina now ranks 18th among all FCS teams in allowing 18.6 points per game but still only 78th in total defense at 408.8 yards per game allowed.

Senior defensive end Roderick Holder, who had a team-high six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in the win, said he thinks Saturday was a sign of things to come for the defense.

“We definitely just wanted to focus on having a complete game all four quarters, and I feel like we did that today,” he said. “We’re only going to get better, I feel like.”

And senior safety Kelvin Deveaux, who had his second interception of the season Saturday, furthered that notion.

“I don’t feel that’s as well as we can play. There’s definitely things we can improve on, some things that will hinder [opponents even more]. That just comes with preparing diligently each week,” he said. “I definitely thought our effort today was a great effort and it was a good team effort, but there’s definitely things we can improve. ...

“I definitely do not think that’s the best we can do or the best that we’re capable of.”

This story was originally published October 4, 2015 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Moglia encouraged by Chants’ improvement in shutout win."