It’s been nine years since Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern have met on the gridiron, and that 2016 matchup in Conway was quite the battle. In fact, it was the highest scoring game between two teams in the history of Brooks Stadium, with the Bucs blocking a Coastal extra point at the end of the second overtime to win 59-58. That game also marked the third time in four years that then CSU head coach Jamey Chadwell had beaten Coastal and was a major factor in then Coastal head coach Joe Moglia’s decision to bring Chadwell to Conway three months later as associate head coach and offensive coordinator.
The overall series between Coastal and CSU is 8-6 in favor of the Chants and all but the last one of those battles took place in Coastal’s FCS days, specifically as rivals in the Big South Conference. The 2016 game occurred as the Chants were still technically FCS but were no longer in the BSC and at the time ineligible for the FCS playoffs with the transition to FBS taking place.
For those who may not remember (as I do), Coastal and Charleston Southern had some other classics over the years, some joyous and others not. For those who would like a trip down memory lane, here are some that come to my mind.
2003 at Charleston Southern: On a warm day in late November, Coastal wrapped up its first season of football as winners, scoring early and often as they romped over the Bucs 48-14. Aundres Perkins scored a pair of TDs and HOF linebacker Maurice Simpkins had 3 sacks to key the victory. The win capped a 6-5 inaugural campaign for head coach David Bennett and troops, sending them into 2004 with a lot of momentum.
2004 at Coastal: With a win the Chants would wrap up the outright Big South title and finish 10-1 in just year two, and this was a good football game for about 3 quarters. With Matt Hogue doing TV for this game, Layne Harris and I had the radio call as Coastal HOF running back Patrick Hall rushed for 195 yards and 2 scores while the Chants dropped 28 fourth quarter points on CSU to win going away 56-28. It was a great scene on the field afterwards, with Coastal celebrating and holding the trophy to wrap up a championship season. But the scene would be much different just a year later.
2005 at Charleston Southern: It’s painful to write about this game to be honest. For those who don’t know or remember, this was the “Super Safety” game. Once again with Matt on TV, Layne and I had the radio duties, as the Chants came in 9-1 overall, 3-0 in the BSC, ranked #8 in I-AA (as it was still called at the time) and with a win, would have received an at-large berth in the upcoming playoffs. The Chants had won four games that year either in the last minute of the game or in overtime showing the resilience of that team.
CSU wasn’t bad at 6-4, 2-1 but this was a game Coastal should have won, and really had won, until they didn’t. The Chants led 17-10 in the fourth quarter and after an interception by Simpkins, Coastal ran a fake punt on 4th and four from the CSU 46-yard line. Aundres Perkins took a direct snap, rambled all the way for the score, and with just 2:49 remaining in the game, Coastal seemingly had this one wrapped up at 24-10. However, CSU took the ensuing possession and zoomed 70 yards in just four plays, cutting the lead to 24-17 and leaving valuable time on the clock.
After CSU failed to recover an onside kick, Coastal was able to bleed the clock down all the way to 10 seconds left in the game and it was 4th down from the Coastal 38. Rather than punt, the Chants tried to have WR Jerome Simpson take the snap and run all the way through the Coastal end zone for a safety to kill the clock and end the game.
Unfortunately, Simpson stepped out of bounds at the 4-yard line with 1.5 seconds left. CSU had time for one play, and they hit the game-tying TD pass making it 24-24. With all the momentum, the Bucs eventually won in the second OT 34-27, ending Coastal’s hopes of the playoffs, another 10-win season and the outright Big South title. To this day, 20 years later, to me personally, with everything that was on the line that day and everything that team did to fight its way into that position, it is one of the most difficult defeats in Coastal Football history.
2006 at Coastal: One year later it was redemption time for the Chants, as they welcomed in a hot CSU team coming to Conway with a 9-1, 2-1 record and looking to once again dash Coastal’s hopes of the outright Big South title and spot in the FCS playoffs. The Chants were equally hot at 8-2, 3-0 in the Big South and riding a 7-game winning streak. However, the way this game started was like last year in Charleston hadn’t ended, with CSU jumping out to a 17-3 lead and we were wondering what the heck was going on out there. But HOF QB Tyler Thigpen hit Simpson with a 57-yard scoring strike late in the first half, cutting the halftime deficit to 17-10 and that was a play that seemed to ignite the Chants.
Coastal outscored CSU 21-0 in the second half and rolled to a 31-17 victory, exorcising the demons of the 2005 game, winning the outright Big South championship (and at least a share for the third straight season) and this time, earning an at large spot in the FCS playoffs. Marrio Norman had three PBUs and an interception (which set up a score) as the Coastal defense was a huge story in this win.
2010 at Coastal: The Chants had a wild 2010 campaign, one that started 2-5 and was going nowhere fast until a 30-27 overtime win at Gardner-Webb in late October. Dominque Davenport had the key play of the season in that game, getting a pick 6 to tie the game at 17 early in the 4th and the Chants rode that momentum to win in OT. That victory was followed by blowouts of VMI on the road and #12 Liberty at home 45-31, maybe the most improbable win in that series. CSU came to Conway at 3-7, 1-5 while the late season run had Coastal (5-5, 4-1) in position to forge a three-way tie for the conference title with Liberty and Stony Brook, who had beaten Coastal earlier in the season.
On Senior Day it was all Coastal, as the Chants romped to a 70-3 win. QB Zach MacDowell tossed a school-record 5 TDs passes, punt returner Niccolo Mastromatteo returned a punt 91 yards for a score and the Bucs never threatened.
Later in the day, Liberty routed Stony Brook 54-28 in Lynchburg, and with the three teams tying for the conference title, the playoff spot tiebreaker at that time was defensive points allowed in conference games. With Coastal allowing just three to CSU as the Flames lit up the Seawolves for 54, the Chants, with Liberty’s help ironically enough, won the tiebreaker and earned the league’s first auto bid to the FCS playoffs.
That’s just a handful of memories from a series that was closer than many may remember. When these two programs meet once again Saturday night in Conway, both will be in much different places than they were a decade ago. I am expecting a Chanticleer win and a bounce back from the massive disappointment at Virginia last weekend. But in this crazy game of college football, you never know – do you?
CHANTS UP!