Countdown to Kickoff: Coastal Carolina to visit Bobcat Stadium

Coastal Carolina was in an extraordinary amount of close games last season, with seven being decided by seven points or less.

The Chanticleers went 3-4 in those games, just missing out on bowl eligibility with a 5-7 overall record, including a 2-6 record in Sun Belt play. One of the wins was in the final game of the season against Texas State in Conway, South Carolina on Nov. 30.

The Bobcats trailed 14-7 entering the final quarter of the game. Coastal Carolina made a 47-yard field goal with 11:30 left on the clock. Texas State drove 67 yards on four plays during the next drive, ending with an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Vitt to wide receiver Hutch White. The hosts responded with a touchdown of their own on the next drive to go up 24-14. Vitt cashed in for a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jacoby Hopkins to cut the lead back to three, but the Chanticleers ran out the final 1:30 remaining on the clock to earn the 24-21 victory.

CCU should have the same ground-and-pound identity in 2020 with multiple key starters returning. Senior running back C.J. Marable paced the team with 1,085 yards and 11 touchdowns on 201 carries last year (5.3-yard average) and was the team’s third-leading pass-catcher, nabbing 38 receptions for 295 yards and three scores. This year, he’ll run behind an offensive line that’s collected over 100 starts, led by senior All-Sun Belt Third Team selection Trey Carter.

The passing game still needs work. Junior quarterbacks Bryce Carpenter and Fred Payton split time behind center, combining to complete 212 passes on 329 attempts and throwing for 2,348 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Payton proved to be the more efficient passer, averaging 7.6 yards per passing attempt, but Carpenter showed dual-threat capabilities throughout the year, finishing as the Chants’ No. 2 rusher with 309 yards and a score on 109 carries (3.6-yard average). The QBs will still have their top two targets from a year ago in junior wide receiver Jaivon Heiligh, with 46 catches for 497 yards and three touchdowns, and junior all-conference Third Team tight end Isaiah Likely, with 32 catches for 431 yards and five touchdowns.

Coastal Carolina should also see plenty of defensive playmakers back on the roster, headed by redshirt All-Sun Belt First Team defensive end Tarron Jackson, who led the league with 10 sacks to go along with 58 tackles and two forced fumbles. He’ll be joined by senior linebacker Teddy Gallagher, the team’s top tackler with 87 stops, and redshirt junior safeties Kameron Burton and Alex Spillum, who combined for 85 tackles, three interceptions and one forced fumble.

The Bobcats and Chanticleers all-time series is currently tied at 1-1, with the maroon and gold winning the first meeting 27-7 on the road on Oct. 28, 2017. Texas State is scheduled to host Coastal Carolina for the first time in the 2020 regular season finale on Nov. 28 inside Bobcat Stadium.

ESPN staff writer Bill Connelly's SP+ projections ranked the Chanticleers 111th in the FBS, ahead of the Bobcats at No. 123, and predicted a 5-7 season for CCU, including a 3-5 record in Sun Belt play, before the team had its games against South Carolina, Eastern Michigan and Duquesne canceled, added Campbell and Liberty to its schedule and converted its home game against Kansas to a road game.