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The clock is ticking on some of Coastal Carolina鈥檚 goals and milestones for the 2024 season.

The Chanticleers need to win one of their remaining two games to become eligible for a bowl game for the fifth consecutive year, and need to win both to avoid having a losing record in Sun Belt Conference play for the first time in five seasons.

Coastal (5-5), which is 2-4 in the Sun Belt Conference, is 2-5 since a 3-0 start and is coming off a 31-19 loss at Marshall, in which it outgained the Thundering Herd by 137 yards but was felled by mistakes including three turnovers.

Coastal hosts Georgia Southern (6-4, 4-2) in its final home game of the season at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at Brooks Stadium as it celebrates Senior Day and a Salute to Service military appreciation.

鈥淭he seniors know this is their last year so they鈥檙e going to make it count,鈥� said CCU defensive lineman Deamontae Diggs, a redshirt senior transfer from Youngstown State. 鈥�. . . We鈥檙e trying to get somewhere now. We鈥檙e not waiting for next year or the year after, none of that. So we鈥檙e just trying to get to a bowl game.鈥�

College

'He has those opportunities ahead of him.' Is CCU's Clev Lubin bound for the NFL?

• By Alan Blondin blondinfreelance@gmail.com

While the Chants are battling to salvage some achievements in their season, Georgia Southern (6-4, 4-2) is playing for bigger prizes.

GSU was in control of the race for the East Division title entering its game last week based on its improbable 20-point come-from-behind win over Marshall on Oct 12.

Both teams entered their games last week tied for the division lead at 4-1, but the Eagles lost 28-20 at home to Troy while Marshall defeated Coastal.

The Eagles are now a game behind Marshall (7-3, 5-1) and tied for second in the division with James Madison (8-2, 4-2), but have beaten both 鈥� Marshall 24-23 and James Madison 28-14 on Oct. 19. So they still have a good chance to win the division and play in the conference title game if they beat Coastal and win next week at home against Appalachian State.

In its win over Marshall, GSU erased a 23-3 deficit in the fourth quarter with a safety, then three touchdowns in the final 6:32 with the help of three Marshall turnovers in that time on drives that lasted a combined total of 55 seconds.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had an ultimate goal of a championship,鈥� said third-year GSU coach Clay Helton. 鈥淥ur first two years here we鈥檝e been a postseason team in bowl games and we are again this year. We know our destination and I think the biggest thing is to concentrate on the journey, and the journey is in Myrtle Beach.鈥�

Coastal hasn鈥檛 had a losing record in the Sun Belt 鈥� or even a .500 record 鈥� since going 2-6 in each of its first three seasons in the league from 2017-19.

CCU rallied last season to win five of its final six conference games to finish 5-3 in the league, and went 20-5 in the Sun Belt regular season during its impressive run from 2000-02, when it won two East Division titles under head coach Jamey Chadwell.

鈥淲e have opportunities too,鈥� CCU coach Tim Beck said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got an opportunity to go to a bowl game. We鈥檝e got an opportunity to send the seniors out the right way. We鈥檝e got an opportunity to play the great game of football one more time.

鈥淵ou look at some of the guys that are injured, some of the guys that aren鈥檛 playing football. I bet (injured center) Zac Elam would do anything to play one game. So I remind guys of that. God has blessed them with an incredible gift, don鈥檛 waste it. Don鈥檛 waste the moment, don鈥檛 waste the opportunities. . . . That鈥檚 kind of been our approach all week.鈥�

Coastal had won three straight over Georgia Southern from 2000-22 before losing 38-28 last year in Statesboro, Georgia, when quarterback Grayson McCall had perhaps his worst game at CCU with a career-high four interceptions, and CCU allowed a fourth-and-15 fake punt at the Eagles鈥� 20 that led to a touchdown.

Georgia Southern has an overall 6-4 advantage in the series that dates to 2006, with the teams 3-3 in Conway.

Scouting the Eagles

Two of the Eagles鈥� four losses have come to teams ranked in the top 12 in the College Football Playoff. They fell 56-45 to Boise State in the season opener at home and 52-13 at Mississippi.

Following each of its three previous losses, the GSU has rebounded with a road win the next week. It won at Nevada in Week 2, won at Georgia State following the Ole Miss loss, and won at South Alabama following an Oct. 24 loss to Old Dominion.

The Eagles are coming off the loss to Troy.

Offensively, GSU is 51st in the country in passing at 242 yards per game, 106th in rushing at 120 yards per game, 91st in total offense with 362 yards, and 61st in scoring with 28.3 points per game.

鈥淭hey have a balanced offense, run and throw,鈥� Beck said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to play everything. You鈥檝e got to stop the run, you鈥檝e got to play the pass, you鈥檝e got to play the vertical game, you鈥檝e got to play the quick game. They鈥檙e able to do a lot of different things on offense.鈥�

Redshirt sophomore quarterback JC French (6鈥�1鈥�, 210 pounds) has completed 65% of his 320 passes with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions, including three in the same game against James Madison that the Eagles overcame to win by 14.

鈥淭he quarterback is playing at a really high level,鈥� Beck said. 鈥淗e takes care of the football and understands the offense. He knows it well.鈥�

GSU has three productive wideouts, as Josh Dallas (6鈥�2鈥�), Dalen Cobb (5鈥�10鈥�) and Derwin Burgess Jr. (5鈥�11鈥�) all have between 34 and 47 receptions, between 486 and 514 receiving yards, and either three or four TDs apiece.

Fifth-year senior running back Jalen White is a load at 6鈥�1鈥� and 220 pounds and will get the ball around the goal line, as he has eight rushing TDs while gaining 504 yards at 4.2 yards per carry.

Redshirt senior linebacker Marques Watson-Trent (5鈥�11鈥�, 225) will likely be around the ball all game, as he has at least 10 tackles in five games this season and 15 games in his career. He also has four forced fumbles and seven tackles for loss this year, and he was disruptive last year against CCU with a game-high 14 tackles, an interception and a quarterback hurry.

The Eagles are more than solid in the kicking game, as they rank first in the Sun Belt and 15th in FBS in net punting at 42.27 net yards per kick behind sophomore punter Alex Smith of Australia, who has five punts over 50 yards and a long of 63. Fifth-year senior kicker Gavin Stewart has made 9 of 11 field goals, including 5 of 6 of at least 40 yards with a long of 53.

Diggs believes the Chants match up well with the Eagles.

鈥淚 feel like we鈥檝e probably seen teams better,鈥� Diggs said. 鈥淛ust go out there and play like it鈥檚 our last game. We鈥檙e just trying to stay together and block out everything else. Stay together as a brotherhood. We鈥檙e going to play our hardest no matter what.鈥�

CCU notes

Since allowing the defensive statistics over the past two weeks, maybe the 2H vs. App State and full game vs. Marshall.

The Chants suffered significant losses off the defense last week when linebackers Shane Bruce and Wyatt Gedeon left the game with injuries and were scheduled to undergo MRI鈥檚 this week to discover the extent of their injuries.

If they can鈥檛 play, CCU will rely on redshirt senior Barry Brown, redshirt sophomore Tray Brown and true freshman Se鈥橵on McDowell to make plays at linebacker.

CCU has already had to replace a couple starters along the defensive line this year in graduate students Emmanuel Johnson and Will Whitson, who is redshirting after playing in three games and missing others with an injury.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had a lot of injuries [on defense] and we鈥檝e had to play a lot of different guys, and those guys continue to get better, and you keep starting to see it each and every week, and we鈥檙e figuring out what those guys can do,鈥� Beck said. 鈥�. . . We鈥檙e finding out what they play better and then we鈥檙e putting together a really good package and really good plan, and our guys are playing hard.鈥�

Beck enters his fourth game since firing offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Travis Trickett and largely taking over his duties, and he has worked closely with passing game coordinator and tight ends coach Kriss Proctor and running game coordinator and offensive line coach Derek Warehime on play-calling during games.

CCU has averaged about 370 yards of offense in its past two games, with 417 passing and 327 rushing, with 155 of that coming from senior running back Braydon Bennett.

鈥淚 think they鈥檙e kind of in transition,鈥� Helton said. 鈥淭hey still have some aspects of the Coastal Carolina spread option that they鈥檝e known in the past, but they鈥檙e also bringing that pro style offense that coach Beck knows. You can see a mixture of both, which makes it hard.

鈥�. . . Coach Beck has always created balance within his offense, where you just can鈥檛 hone in on one thing. He takes what the defense gives him and you can see that starting to come to play. You can see a shift and his fingerprints on the offense. So you鈥檝e got to kind of marry up both schemes right now, which makes it a hard day for [defensive coordinator Brandon] Bailey.鈥�

Beck said he has broached the subject of reaching a bowl game as motivation for his squad.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 before last week,鈥� Beck said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got two guaranteed games left. Every game in the conference is winnable. I expect us to be ready for the challenge on Saturday and to play really hard. That鈥檚 my hope and when you can get that out of your team anything can happen.鈥�

As part of its Salute to Service recognition, CCU is offering tickets at no charge to military members and first responders through or by contacting the Chanticleer Athletics Ticket Office at 843-347-8499 or tickets@coastal.edu and using the promo code 鈥渕ilitary.鈥�