Coastal Carolina-Monmouth Matchup Preview
Coastal Carolina (6-0, 1-0 Big South) at Monmouth (3-4, 1-1)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Kessler Field at Monmouth Stadium, West Long Branch, N.J.
TV/Online: ESPN3.com
Radio: WSEA-FM 100.3
Weather Forecast: 57 degrees and cloudy
Series History: Coastal Carolina leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Coastal Carolina totaled 550 yards of offense while holding Monmouth to 309 in a one-sided 52-21 win. Quarterback Alex Ross was 21-of-34 passing for 255 yards, three touchdowns and added 66 rushing yards. De’Angelo Henderson rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown in just 13 attempts and John Israel caught eight passes for 111 yards and a score.
Chanticleers Breakdown
Coastal Carolina returns fresh from its bye week, having used the break to heal up and hone in on areas coaches feel the Chants can improve upon over the second half of the season.
Senior quarterback Alex Ross had extra time to rest his injured ankle, but it’s yet to be seen how active he’ll be in the running game going forward. Senior defensive end Calvin Hollenhorst, meanwhile, is expected to return from a shoulder injury that kept him out the last three games.
The emphasis during the bye week was improving offensively in the red zone, preaching consistency and focus on defense and eliminating anything that hasn’t worked to this point.
Players and coaches on both units are eager to see how that translates to the field Saturday.
Hawks Breakdown
Monmouth’s collective confidence is no doubt at a high this week coming off a 20-17 overtime win over No. 22 Liberty last Saturday for the program’s first-ever victory against a top-25 opponent.
The week before, though, the Hawks lost 37-7 at Charleston Southern, so they still have many of the same vulnerabilities the Chants took advantage of last season.
Offensively, Monmouth ranks fifth in the Big South in scoring at 21.3 points per game and fifth in total offense at 324.1 yards per contest.
Redshirt-freshman quarterback Cody Williams has shown potential while passing for 1,235 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions and rushing for 215 yards and three scores, but he’s also had his struggles at times. He threw three interceptions in the Hawks’ loss to Fordham and was held to 9-of-19 passing for just 46 yards in the loss to Charleston Southern, but the game-tying drive he led against Liberty last week stood out for the Coastal Carolina coaches as they reviewed film.
Junior Lavon Chaney, meanwhile, is a capable running back, with 502 rushing yards and five touchdowns this fall.
Defense is more of the problem for the Hawks in general, though, as they rank last in the conference in allowing 29.4 points per game and fifth in terms of total defense, giving up 390 yards per game.
Key Matchup
Monmouth’s secondary vs. Alex Ross and company: Coming off a season-low 24-point effort against Presbyterian before the bye week, it’s no secret the Chants are eager to pile up points and show they are just as good as the elite offenses from the past two seasons. And a big part of that is getting the passing game going. If Ross’ ankle is close to 100 percent as the coaches say, he could be in line for a big day against a Hawks defense that ranks next-to-last (just ahead of Coastal Carolina) in the conference against the pass, giving up 249.7 yards per game through the air.
Spotlight Players
Coastal Carolina running back De’Angelo Henderson: “Hop” is tied for the FCS record with touchdowns in 20 straight games and will look to claim the mark as his own with a touchdown Saturday. He ranks fourth in the FCS with 126.3 rushing yards per game this season.
Coastal Carolina defensive tackle Jabarai Bothwell: The junior has been great this season while ranking fourth on the team with 26 tackles and could be an interior force for the Chants against the Hawks’ respectable rushing attack and young quarterback.
Coastal Carolina defensive end Calvin Hollenhorst: The senior is expected to return to the starting lineup after missing three games with a shoulder injury. As his final season winds down, the two-time second-team All-Big South defender may want to make up for lost time in his return to the field.
Monmouth wide receiver Darren Ambush: Ambush ranks second in the conference with 407 receiving yards and could be a frequent target for the Hawks if this game turns into an offensive shootout or if the Chants build a comfortable early lead.
Monmouth strong safety Mike Basile: The sophomore leads the Big South with 11.1 tackles per game and has five tackles for loss, three pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a blocked kick so far. He’s the Hawks’ best defensive playmaker.
Monmouth kicker/punter Matt White: The reigning Big South special teams player of the week kicked a game-tying 35-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter against Liberty last week and then converted a 37-yard field goal in overtime for the win. He is 8-of-12 on field goals this season and also handles punts, averaging a league-best 38.3 yards per attempt.
Scouting Reports
Coastal Carolina offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude: “They had a great plan [in the win over Liberty], I thought they executed the plan exceptionally well. They knew exactly what they wanted to do, they forced them to do some things they really didn’t want to do. I was very impressed with how they tackled. They forced them to have to throw the ball and took the run game away. ... So I was really impressed with the plan, the execution of the plan and they mixed things up really well. I’ve known those guys for a long time. They’re going to be well coached, and like we tell the guys, [they’re] playing the No. 1 team in the country, you’re going to get their best effort. Especially coming off that win. They’re going to be excited and confident in what they do, and we have to come out and get off to a good start.”
Coastal Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton Carlin: “Their quarterback is really, really good. He extends plays, and the drive he led at the end of that game last week [against Liberty] was impressive to me. That’s a redshirt-freshman, in my opinion, playing like he’s been starting for the last three years. He’s the guy that stands out to me, and they’ve got a couple of really nice receivers. So we’ll see. But the quarterback, I think, is really, really good.”
Notes
It just so happens that Henderson will be looking to break that FCS record for most consecutive games with a touchdown at Monmouth, where co-record holder David Sinisi starred from 2006-08.
And, coincidentally, Sinisi had already planned to attend the game. Speaking to The Sun News on Thursday, he acknowledged he’ll be rooting for the Hawks to keep Henderson out of the end zone Saturday, but he added that all records have an expiration date.
“The competitive nature in me has never gone away. I’ll definitely be rooting for Monmouth to win and to keep him out of the end zone, but at the same time, as cliche as it sounds, records are made to be broken,” he said. “It’s cool that it has stood for this long, and if he eclipses it he eclipses it and hopefully he sets the mark [high] for someone else [to chase].”
...
Coastal Carolina offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude said Ross’ injured ankle is back to “98.5” percent after the week off.
“We’re excited about his status right now. He’s moved around better than he’s moved around since the second week of the season,” Patenaude said. “He’s able to do everything that we need him to do. It should be a great second half for him.”
...
This is the Chants’ second trip all-time to Monmouth, having visited the Hawks in 2008 well before they joined the Big South as an associate member.
Coastal Carolina won that game 26-7 and has an average margin of victory of 15.7 points in the teams’ three meetings so far.
...
Monmouth’s second-leading receiver is Reggie White Jr. (26 catches for 317 yards and three scores), and is in fact related to a former NFL player – but not the Hall of Famer.
His father played four seasons in the NFL for the San Diego Chargers (including Super Bowl XXIX) and New England Patriots after being drafted in the sixth round out of North Carolina A&T.
By The Numbers
0: Coastal Carolina still has not had an opponent attempt to return a punt this season. The Chants are one of just three schools at any NCAA level that can claim that to this point of the season.
1: This marks the first time Monmouth has ever hosted back-to-back ranked opponents after defeating No. 22 Liberty last week. The Chants, meanwhile, are the highest-ranked opponent to ever play at Kessler Field.
2-5: The Hawks’ record in conference games since joining the Big South last season.
9: Coastal Carolina has won a Big South-record nine consecutive regular-season road games.
10-2: The Chants’ all-time record when coming off a bye week.
31: De’Angelo Henderson has scored 31 touchdowns over his 20-game scoring streak, the same total that Monmouth’s David Sinisi piled up in initially setting the record with his 20-game touchdown streak from 2006-07.
207.1: Monmouth quarterback Cody Williams ranks fourth in the Big South in total offense, averaging 207.1 yards per game, and is looking to become the first freshman or redshirt-freshman quarterback in conference history to average at least 200 yards of offense.
Prediction
Coastal Carolina 45-17
The Chants are rested and motivated to start the second half of the season with a thorough performance on both sides of the ball. Monmouth allowed a season-high 54 points in a loss to a ranked Fordham team, and Coastal Carolina should be able to break things open offensively in this one.
This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Coastal Carolina-Monmouth Matchup Preview."