Trojans look for first FBS win against Chanticleers
After a heartbreaking loss in Jonesboro, Arkansas, the Trojans return home for this weekend’s homecoming game. Troy turns their attention to the visiting Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
Coastal Carolina has a record of 4-3 and 1-2 in conference. They are coming off a bye week after a loss to Louisiana a week before.
Over the bye week, Coastal Carolina fired their offensive coordinator and quarterback’s coach Travis Trickett. Head coach Tim Beck will take over play calling for the rest of the season and will call his first game against the Trojans.
“Coming off a bye week with a new play caller brings some uncertainty on how they will attack us,” said head coach Gerad Parker in an interview with Troy Athletics. “We have to control their attack and all the ways that they try to put you in space and throw shots.”
Coastal Carolina’s offense started the season highly explosive, averaging 38.4 points across their first five matchups. The Chanticleers started 4-1 in these games, before the offense fizzled out in the next two games.
Coastal Carolina scored seven against James Madison and 24 against Louisiana during its two-game losing streak.
What has been the issue for the Chanticleers? Well, their quarterback play has been inconsistent all season long.
Sophomore Ethan Vasko began the season as the Chanticleer’s starter. In his first game against Jacksonville State, Vasko looked unstoppable, going 12-for-19 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. In the next game against FCS William and Mary, Vasko went 8-for-23 for only 168 yards.
This inconsistency continued until the Chanticleers’ first Sun Belt game against Old Dominion. Vasko threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Monarchs, but in the next game against JMU, he only had 84 yards passing.
This led to a quarterback change. The Chanticleers appointed Michigan State transfer Noah Kim as their starter against Louisiana. Kim threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
The starter for this weekend’s matchup has not been determined, but what has been consistent for Coastal Carolina is their run game.
As a team, the Chanticleers have 1,272 rushing yards through seven games. Their leading rusher is senior Braydon Bennett with 322 yards and six touchdowns, but much like Troy, Coastal Carolina shares touches in the backfield. Sophomore Christian Washington has 313 yards and four touchdowns on the season.
The Chanticleers rely on explosive plays in the passing game. Junior transfer from Tyler Junior College Tray Taylor averages 15.4 yards per reception, which is 12th in the conference. The speedster is not the only big play receiver the Chanticleers have.
Jameson Tucker averages 19.3 yards per catch and Cameron Wright has 18.2 yards per catch. Tucker is the leading receiver for Coastal Carolina with 308 yards on the season.
Coastal Carolina’s defense has been shaky all season long.
They rank 12th in scoring defense -- giving up an average of 31.6 points per game, and 36.7 in conference play. They let up an average of 416.3 total yards per game, 224.4 passing yards per game and 191.9 rushing yards per game.
The defense does not produce many sacks or tackles for loss. Coastal Carolina only has 15 sacks and 28 tackles-for-loss on the year.
The Chanticleers’ leading tackler is senior linebacker Shane Bruce, who has 47 total tackles on the season. Bruce also leads in TFLs with 3.5. Another player to watch is safety Tobias Fletcher. Fletcher has 35 tackles, with 20 of them being solo tackles.
Another player in the secondary, corner Matthew McDoom, will most likely cover Devonte Ross the entire game. McDoom leads the Chanticleers with five pass deflections and one interception.
Where Coastal Carolina’s defense excels is forcing these turnovers -- something Troy’s offense has struggled with. The Chanticleers’ have forced 10 turnovers this season while only giving the ball up seven times themselves.
Another thing to note is kicker Kade Hensley. He’s 9-for-11 on the season with a long of 49 yards. The junior kicker has been consistent for the Chanticleers’ offense that has struggled to find the endzone as of late.
Kick off for the Homecoming matchup is set for 3 p.m. on Nov. 2. Coastal Carolina opened the week as a 4.5-point favorite with a 58.6% chance to win, according to ESPN analytics.
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