Big South Football Preview: Coastal Carolina
The Big South continues its daily preview of the 2008 football season leading up to the season opening games on Aug. 28 with a look at each school. Today: Coastal Carolina, which was predicted to finish second in the annual preseason poll and kicks off the season Saturday against its first-ever FBS opponent -- Penn State.
2008 Season Outlook Courtesy of Coastal Carolina Sports Information
After a rebuilding year in 2007, the Coastal Carolina University football squad looks to return to its winning ways in 2008. The Chanticleers suffered some growing pains last year after losing 36 seniors from the 2006 squad that advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championships, as numerous freshmen and sophomores suffered growing pains and gained experience. That experience is what Coastal Carolina Head Coach David Bennett points to for this year, along with the crop of newcomers, that will make the difference between wins and losses.
“It is good not to lose that many seniors (36) after the 2006 season, as we lost two classes in one, which hardly anybody ever does,” Bennett commented. “But we still had a chance to win every football game we played last year with the exception of James Madison. So I think we’ve got the talent and the potential. We just have to use that experience, work a little bit harder, be more consistent, take care of the football and play better defense to get over that hump in those close games.
“We have a lot of young guys coming in that are going to have to play this season, especially at cornerback, linebacker and on the defensive line,” Bennett continued. “We will also utilize a couple of the youngsters at wide receiver, though we should be good at running back and offensive line. It is always an exciting time to start the school year and get football started.”
There will also be a noticeable change in the atmosphere at Brooks Stadium this year. The Coastal Carolina students will go from being split on the two sides to having all of them together on the visiting side of the field. Bennett believes this will make a difference in a variety of ways this season.
“I think we are all excited that our students will have a home on the visiting side of Brooks Stadium to gather, watch games and be an influence,” Bennett said. “It also gives our marketing department a great chance to do things with that area, whether it is t-shirt giveaways, thunder sticks and other events that a FCS school needs to do to create an exciting environment and atmosphere. Our students were fired up at the beginning of the season and we need to find a way to maintain that enthusiasm and excitement throughout the year. But if we are winning football games, that helps excite them more too, so that works hand-in-hand.”
In the end, the final determining factor is simple in Bennett’s mind. While the coaching is important in the game preparation, he knows that the players and the leadership among that group will be the determining factors in what happens during the 2008 campaign.
“The coaches have played and coached the game of football for quite a while now and it’s not about us now,” Bennett stated. “When you have more vocal leaders among the players on a team – in the locker room, on the field, in the weight room, in the classroom and even during the summer months – that’s where great teams are built. We need more of that vocal leadership this year to reach the goals this team has set for itself.”
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 2008 Chanticleers position-by-position.
Quarterbacks
The quarterback position will have a battle for the starting job for the second straight season. Senior William Richardson started all of last year and brings that experience into the season. However, redshirt freshman Jamie Childers has a year of practice under his belt and showed his skills in the spring, as he was named the starter heading into fall drills. Add to the mix redshirt sophomore Zach MacDowall, a transfer from Wake Forest, who showed his arm strength in the spring, and it made for an intriguing start to the fall.
“William was our starter last year and did a good job,” Bennett said. “He is a big guy who can see the field well and is a great young man. The last two games, he played his best games of the year. But the competition in the spring resulted in some shuffling entering the fall, as Richardson was third with transfer Zach MacDowall second and Jamie Childers as the starter. But that great competition will continue when camp starts and should make us better at the position this year with much improved depth.”
Running Backs
The running game has always been a staple of Coastal Carolina football and that will be one of the most experienced groups for the Chanticleers, even with the loss of All-Big South and now NFL running back Mike Tolbert. Sophomore Eric O’Neal showed his abilities some as a freshman and, along with senior Arthur Sitton, will be counted on to handle more of the load this year. Junior Racheed Gause and senior Vince Starr will step up and handle the fullback duties, but there could also be a few newcomers in the mix as well.
“I was very pleased with Eric O’Neal as he came on and was the starter at the end of the year and did a solid job, so we are excited to see what he can do this year,” the seventh-year leader said. “Tommy Fraser has had to work hard in the classroom so we hope to have them out there in the fall. Arthur Sitton showed a lot of leadership this spring so we will have him out there running the ball as well as possibly returning kicks. Racheed Gause is working to get his weight back down and will also figure into the mix as he is a talented back. Freshman D.J. McNeill could also see some time for us in the backfield, while Vince Starr adds some depth in at the fullback position, so we feel that this is one of our deeper positions starting the season.”
Wide Receivers
The wide receiving corps lost two of its starters from last year in NFL draft pick Jerome Simpson and Santini Washington, who ranks third on Coastal Carolina’s career receiving charts. Simpson, the Big South’s all-time leading receiver in yards and touchdowns, was taken in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals. But even with the losses, there is still some solid experience, including seniors Jon Greene and Trent Usher and junior Jamar Anderson, along with some young talent coming in for the coaching staff to draw on this year.
“We’ve lost possibly the best one we will ever coach in Jerome Simpson, as it isn’t often that we have a mid-second round pick in the NFL Draft,” Bennett said. “We will really miss his ability, but we have to spread the wealth out there. We have Jon Greene coming back from an injury last year, while Trent Usher had a very good spring, so those two will be factors in our success. Jamar Anderson played last season on a badly cracked foot that we really didn’t know about, so to have him healthy will give him the chance to regain his form. There is a lot of good depth, both among returners and incoming freshmen, at wide receiver, but we will have to see who steps up during the fall practices to block, catch and lead – all the things we ask of our receivers.”
Offensive Line
The offensive line returns all five starters that finished the season a year ago and will count on that to move the offense forward. Led by senior All-Big South selection Britt Leggett and two-year starter junior Ryan Boehm, the line spent last year growing as a group and showed improvement throughout the season and the spring. With that growth, there is still more that Bennett would like to see from this group.
“On the offensive line, they all return, which is a great thing, but we need to be better there,” Bennett continued. “I think Coach (Jamie) Snider did a great job with such a young group. We are probably more athletic on the offensive line than we have been in the past, but we also have to be tough. We are counting on senior Britt Leggett to be a leader on that line again, and we have asked him to be more vocal. Ryan Boehm is an experienced center now and we would like to see him lead as well. We just have to find some more toughness to go with that athleticism.”
Coastal Carolina also brings back its starter at tight end, as junior Scott Fambrough is back, along with sophomores Ben Collins, Joe Rogers and Myron Rogers. That group will be utilized in all facets of the offense and could be a difference maker by season’s end.
“At tight end, we will continue to use that position in a variety of ways, depending on who we play against,” Bennett said. “Scott Fambrough is very talented and if he will work hard, mature and realize that, if he went from 218 to 235 pounds, he would be a force to be reckoned with. Ben Collins had a good spring so we expect some good things from him, along with returners Joe Rogers and Myron Rogers.”
Defensive line
The defensive line will rebuild this year but still has some veteran ability on the front three. Gone is four-time All-Big South lineman Adrain Grady, but Coastal Carolina returns three seniors to the first line of defense - Ronnie Mason, Clarence Donley and Warren Jennings. Those three will make up the backbone of a defense that will be tested week in and week out.
“We lost some players on our defensive line that have been impact players for us,” Bennett commented. “When you lose a player like Adrain Grady, a four-time All-Big South selection, along with Will Durrett, Kerebi Gause and Chris Walker, it can be hard to fill those holes and that experience. But we have Clarence Donley, Ronnie Mason and Warren Jennings, who we need to be good leaders for us on that defensive front. We are also counting on some of the players coming in, including junior college transfer Robert Balkunas, to play immediately and give us strength and depth right away on the inside. I believe the old saying that if you can stop the running game, you have a chance to beat somebody, but if you can’t, you are in a world of hurt, as we found out at times last year. It all starts with that defensive line and I believe Coach Rivens will do a great job with them this fall.”
Linebackers
The Chanticleers linebacking group has a mix of veteran and youth talent, making this a dynamic position for Coastal Carolina starting the 2008 season. All-Big South linebackers senior D.J. Rice and junior Phillip Oboh return, along with one of last year’s top freshmen in the league, sophomore Derrick Frasier. Along with several other talented returners, the backers will have a significant bearing on what the defense can do to disrupt the flow of the opponent’s offense.
“The leader of our linebackers is D.J. Rice, though he is more a leader by example than vocal,” Bennett stated. “When he gets excited and plays hard, it sparks the whole defense, so hopefully he will have his best season at Coastal Carolina. Phillip Oboh, who can play at either defensive end or linebacker, is a very talented player who is finding out what it takes in college football both on and off the field. Chase Howe is a scrapper, and I love how he tackles low and strong. I thought Derrick Frasier had a solid season for a freshman and should be stronger and even better this year. Corey Hawkins was a player we redshirted last year due to a minor knee injury, but he showed in the spring he is ready to battle for playing time. Kent Harper also gives us depth at the linebacker slot and helps us on special teams.”
Defensive Backs
The last line of defense for The Chants- the defensive backs - is a group with a lot of experience along with some question marks entering the season. At the safeties, Coastal Carolina has four solid returners in First Team All-Big South selections senior Marrio Norman and junior Brandon Autry along with junior Dominique Davenport and sophomore Keon Cunningham. However, the cornerback slot is a question with senior All-Big South honoree Whittmin Reese the only returner with extensive experience. So filling those cornerback slots will be a key ingredient in the effectiveness in the pass defense.
“Whittmin Reese has been a mainstay for us the last three years at cornerback and showed his progression last year, earning All-Big South honors for the first time,” Bennett remarked. “We need to find some additional people there to step up and play cornerback for us. Marrio Norman is one of the top defenders in the Big South and has shown he can play at either corner or safety during his time. Brandon Autry has done a super job for us as well at safety. Dominique Davenport has developed into one of our most solid leaders, on and off the field, and we look for him to continue that growth this year as we would like him to take on a more vocal role. I thought Keon Cunningham had a chance to be the league’s Freshman of the Year last season and has worked hard since not getting the award to get ready for this season, as it has motivated him in the offseason. Brian Sanders needs to continue to develop both physically and in the game to give us depth there and could compete for a starting position.”
Special Teams
Last year, Coastal Carolina had to replace all of its key special teams positions due to graduation - kicker, punter, holder, short snapper and long snapper. This resulted in growing pains for the kicking game, as those positions were filled by freshmen. Now with a year under its collective belts, kicker Justin Durham, punter and holder Ben Erdman, short snapper Danny Bonifas and long snapper Jamie Perkinson should continue their growth and improvement in 2008. The Chanticleers will also have senior James Pallassino, who took over kickoff duties midway through the season and should compete for the kicking job this year.
“I feel better about our special teams heading into this season, as last year we had freshmen in four of the key slots – kicker, punter, long snapper and short snapper,” Bennett observed. “All of them are back with a year of experience under their belts, along with James Pallassino, who returned to the squad last year from an off-the-field injury and handled kickoffs for us. At the end of the spring, Pallassino was battling for the starting kicker’s job with Justin Durham, so that will only help us be better this year. We may have the option to utilize Pallassino on kickoffs and long field goals and Durham the point after attempts and shorter distances, but we will see what happens when they return in the fall as it will be another area of great competition. They should continue to grow together and improve as a group over the next three years and make an impact.”
The Schedule
The 2008 schedule will have a lot of new opponents for the Chanticleers, along with a new experience to start the season. Coastal Carolina will open the season with their first-ever Football Bowl Subdivision opponent and it is one of the most respected programs and coach in history, as the Chanticleers take on Joe Paterno’s Penn State team on Aug. 30. Following that, another newcomer to the schedule arrives at Brooks Stadium, as the Chants host Colgate Sept. 6. Three more new foes follow, with a road trip to Monmouth, Sept. 13, followed by a home contest with Towson, Sept. 20, and a road swing to North Carolina A&T, Sept. 27.
“It isn’t easy starting the season up at a school in Pennsylvania called Penn State in front of 107,000 people,” Bennett said. “We are used to playing in front of 7-8,000, so it will be a great challenge for our football program and our University. As I have told our coaches, we have to win the battles because you can’t win the war without winning the battles – getting first downs, scoring points, holding them on defense and forcing them to punt, doing the little things because Coach Paterno isn’t the second winningest coach in history for nothing. He is an icon to us coaches. We visited there in 1997, and our staff has so much respect for him, his program and what he has meant to this game. He is still a coach that makes his players take the earrings off, take the hat off when entering the building and doesn’t want to make the locker room too fancy or comfortable. He has also given back millions to build their library there at Penn State, so he has great appreciation for everything there.
“So it is a great challenge for us, but after that, there are 11 more after that since this is a 12-game season,” Bennett continued. “After that, we have Colgate coming here and they played for the National Championship in 2003. Then we go to Monmouth and we have a lot of respect their program and for Coach Kevin Callahan as he is the chair of the FCS Board of Directors. Then we come home for Towson, who has the best quarterback in the Colonial Athletic Association. Then we have North Carolina A&T, who has some phenomenal athletes. So that’s the first five games and it has us going ‘Wow – how many can we win?’ but we know that first one is the biggest challenge we will have faced in our time here.”
The first familiar opponent to Coastal Carolina also happens to be the Big South Conference opener, as the challenges continue by hosting defending league champion Liberty Oct. 6. After a trip to VMI Oct. 11 and a non-conference home game with North Carolina Central Oct. 18, the Chants welcome league newcomer Stony Brook to Brooks Stadium, Oct. 25. The Chants then get an off week before wrapping up the regular season road games at Presbyterian Nov. 8 and Gardner-Webb Nov. 15 with Senior Day coming Nov. 22 against instate-rival Charleston Southern.
“Big South Conference play will be challenging again,” Bennett concluded. “Liberty returns as the defending league champion and they will again be tough. VMI, with Sparky Woods taking that program over, will be a heck of a challenge there. Stony Brook will be really tough with a bunch of Northern kids and California JUCOs. Presbyterian continues to transition and showed what they can do last year, coming back and beating us after we had them down 24-7 at the half. We always have close games with Gardner-Webb, and Charleston Southern will be ready to play us here. So it will be another great opportunity.”
Tomorrow's preview: Liberty