Football To Open Big South Conference Play at VMI
10/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
More Information:
COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL
CHANTICLEERS vs. KEYDETS
VMI's Alumni Memorial Field (10,000) ~ Lexington, Virginia
Saturday, October 14, 2006 ~ 1 p.m.
|www.GoCCUSports.com
Traveling to Lexington: Coastal Carolina will go on the road again, traveling to Lexington, Va. to take on Big South-rival VMI, Sat., Oct. 7. The contest is the Big South Conference opener for both squads.
Chanticleers in the Big South: There is no doubt that Coastal has quickly become one of the top teams in Big South play. In three years of league play, the Chanticleers are 8-4 overall, going 1-3 in the program's inaugural year, 4-0 and Big South Champions in 2004 and then Co-Champions with a 3-1 mark last season.
All-Time Against The Keydets: Coastal holds a 2-1 advantage in the three meetings with the Keydets. VMI took the first meeting on CCU's inaugural Homecoming in 2003, 19-10. The Chanticleers won the first meeting in Lexington during the 2004 season, 21-14, on wide receiver Perry Parks first-ever touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. CCU followed it up with a 38-14 Homecoming victory last year.
The Coaches: Coastal Carolina Head Coach David Bennett (Presbyterian, '84) is in his fourth season at Coastal with a 29-10 record at CCU and 92-27 overall in his 11th year as a head coach. At Catawba, he led the Indians to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs, including a run into the national semifinal round in 2001.
VMI Head Coach Jim Reid (Maine, '73) is in his first season as head coach of the Keydets, posting a 1-5 record at VMI and an 85-87-3 mark in his 16th year as a head coach overall.
Last Time Out: Coastal Carolina trailed on two separate occasions but rallied late for a thrilling 29-27 victory over No. 3 Furman, Oct. 7.
Coastal scored on its first two possessions of the game and never looked back, outgaining the host Rams 443-311. CCU was solid on third-down conversions throughout the night, going 8-for-12.
Quarterback Tyler Thigpen was 19-for-26 for 279 yards and a school-record four touchdowns, while also adding a team-high 57 yards on the ground. Wide receiver Chris Noble picked up five receptions for a game-high 92 yards and one score, while wide receiver Jerome Simpson had seven catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns. (Complete game recap and stats on Page 19.)
Last Season's Meeting With the Keydets: Coastal Carolina posted a resounding 38-14 Homecoming victory over VMI, Oct. 29. Coastal overcame a slow start by scoring on five consecutive possessions late in the first half and early in the second to build a 31-7 lead.
The Chanticleers had season-highs of 315 rushing yards and 472 yards of total offense. Coastal outgained VMI 472-294, limited VMI’s rushing attack to just 39 yards on 35 attempts and sacked VMI’s Wilson six times.
Thigpen ran for a career-high 112 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries while going 10-for-18 for 157 yards and one touchdown through the air. Simpson had three receptions for 55 yards and one touchdown. For VMI, Burden had 98 receiving yards and one touchdown on four catches, while Wilson was 16-of-31 for 215 yards. Safety Robert Mason recorded a game-high 19 tackles for the Keydets. (Complete recap and stats on page 18.)
Chanticleers Move Back Into Rankings: The Chanticleers moved to 4-2 with their thrilling 29-27 win over the visiting Paladins and are now ranked 24th in the College Sporting News Coaches' Poll. Coastal also is receiving votes in The Sports Network poll and would rank 26th if the poll listings were extended. CCU is also rated 19th by Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette and 21st by College Sports Report.com.
Thigpen Added To Walter Payton Award Watch List: Senior quarterback Tyler Thigpen has been named to the revised Walter Payton Award Watch List, The Sports Network announced Oct. 11. The list consists of 16 players who are under consideration for I-AA football's version of the Heisman Trophy as the top player in I-AA football and will be presented Thursday, December 14th in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The first ever Big South Conference player on the list, Thigpen has totaled a new school record of 1,668 yards in the first six games of the 2006 season, an average of 278.0 yards per game, ranking third in I-AA. He also became the fastest passer to 1,000 yards in a season in Big South history this year. On the season, Thigpen leads I-AA in total offense at 331.33 yards per game, while also ranking fourth in passing efficiency at 170.7. He surpassed the 4,000-yard career mark in the game at No. 24 Georgia Southern, and is just 30 yards from reaching the 5,000-yard passing mark, a total currently at 4,970 career passing yards. He also surpassed the career total offense 6,000-yard total in the win over Furman, Oct. 7, now at 6,260 yards.
Coastal Players Earns National Honors: The awards also followed the televised victory over Furman, Oct. 7. The squad was named National Team of the Week by The Sports Network. Junior wide receiver Jerome Simpson was named National Co-Offensive Player of the Week by The Sports Network, while senior quarterback Tyler Thigpen was honored as CollegeSportsReport.com's Division I-AA Performer of the Week.
Simpson, also the Big South Offensive Player of the Week, had a big effort with nine receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns and make key plays to lift Coastal Carolina to a 29-27 upset over Furman. He caught a three-yard TD pass to tie the score at 21 early in the fourth quarter, then notched the game-winning touchdown with an eight-yard reception with 5:41 to play in the game. Simpson had three catches for 20 yards or more and seven first-down receptions.
Thigpen connected on 21 of 33 passing for 274 yards and three scores. He also added 57 yards and a score on 16 rushes on the ground. Thigpen opened the game’s scoring with a four-yard toss to Perry Parks. He then put the Chants up 14-7 following a 12-yard scamper. However, it was in the fourth quarter where Thigpen shined, tossing a pair of scores to Simpson. His second touchdown pass went to knot the game at 21, and his third of the game gave CCU the huge win.
Three Chanticleers Earn Weekly Big South Accolades: Coastal Carolina wide receiver Jerome Simpson and linebacker Jamar Leath have been named the Big South football Choice Hotels Offensive Player of the Week and New Balance Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for games played during Week Six of the 2006 season, it was announced by the Conference office. In addition, Coastal Carolina defensive back Sean Lundy was selected as Special Teams Player of the Week.
Simpson had one of his best games of the season Saturday in Coastal's 29-27 upset win over No. 3 Furman, recording a team season-high of nine catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Additionally, of Simpson's catches, three of them were for 20 yards or more during the game and seven went for first downs. On CCU's opening scoring drive, the junior had two catches for 64 yards to get the Chanticleers in position for their first score of the game. He later scored the game-tying touchdown (21-21) early in the fourth quarter, then added the game-winning score (29-27) with 5:48 left to play. Most of Simpson's nine catches were acrobatic and timely, and went for distances of 42, 22, 34, 8, 16, 8, 3, 10 and 8.
Leath recorded a season-high 14 tackles (one off his career best) to lead the Chanticleers to a win over No. 3 Furman. The senior had five solo tackles, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble in the win. He also had a hand in stopping a crucial fourth-and-nine late in the game that gave Coastal the ball back, as he defended the intended receiver. With his 14 tackles, he became just the fourth player in Big South history to record 300 career tackles and currently sits in second-place all-time at 307, needing one to tie the Big South career record and two stops to take over the career lead.
Lundy made the special teams play of the night in the thrilling 29-27 win over No. 3 Furman Saturday. With Furman taking a 27-21 lead at 9:35 in the fourth quarter, senior Quinton Teal blocked the extra point attempt and Lundy scooped up the ball and scampered 85 yards to the end zone for two points -- which ended up being the difference in giving CCU the win. It was the first-ever two-point PAT return in the history of the Chanticleers’ program.
A Good Road Squad: The Chants have proven to be a good road squad in their first three-plus seasons of play. Overall, Coastal has a 13-5 road mark, including going 4-2 last season and 2-1 this season.
Daylight Hours: Out of 39 games in its history, Coastal Carolina has played 18 in the day light hours. Coastal is 13-5 in day games, and the numbers are good away from home, as CCU is 7-4 in day games away Conway.
Winning at Halftime: CCU is impressive when leading at the half with a 23-2 mark. Coastal is a perfect 13-0 at home when taking a lead into the intermission, while posting a 10-2 mark when leading at the half on the road. The only losses have occurred at Liberty in 2003 and last year's double-overtime thriller at Charleston Southern.
Going Long and Far: Coastal has not been afraid to chew up the yardage en route to putting points on the scoreboard. This season, 25 of 28 scoring drives have been at least 48 yards, with 21 of them going 60 yards or more. All six scoring drives in the win at Wofford, each resulting in a touchdown, were at least 61 yards, with four of the drives going 80 yards or more. At Winston-Salem State, four of the five scoring drives were 56 yards or more, with three of them going at least 71 yards.
Also, CCU has had 12 of 24 scoring drives go seven plays or more. In the home victory over then No. 3 Furman, all four scoring drives were at least 65 yards, with the longest going 83 yards.
Of last season's 46 scoring drives, the Chanticleers have had 24 scoring drives (20 touchdowns, four field goals) of 50 yards or more, including 15 of 70-plus yards, and only 15 of 35 yards or less (seven touchdowns, eight field goals - including the overtime game winners against Gardner-Webb (FG) and Liberty (TD)). Additionally, Coastal had 14 scoring drives of nine plays or more.
Winning When Scoring First: Coastal has been a stellar team when scoring first, holding an 20-1 mark in three-plus seasons of play. Last season, Coastal was 4-0 when lighting the scoreboard first. The Chants were 8-0 in 2004 when scoring first, including a perfect 6-0 when scoring first on the road.
When Its Natural: Coastal has played 35 of its 39 games in its history on natural grass. CCU is 27-8 on natural grass, with its only games on artificial turf at Liberty in 2003 in a tough loss, the 2004 season opening win at Morehead State, an early 2005 season loss at Appalachian State and the triple-overtime win at Liberty last season.
Back-To-Back: The Chanticleers will be looking to become the first Big South school to capture three league titles in the brief history of the conference. Gardner-Webb won the first two championships, while Coastal won the 2004 crown and shared the 2005 title with Charleston Southern.
Returning In The Fourth Year: The Chanticleers return 73 letterwinners and 21 starters (seven offense, nine defense, five special teams) to the squad this year.
So This Is Senior Leadership: Coastal returns more seniors than any program in I-AA football this year. After spending the first season practicing, the Chanticleers start the 2006 season with not one, but two classes of seniors, as the 2002 and 2003 recruiting classes will wrap up their eligibility this year. Among the 32 seniors on the roster, 30 of them are in at least their third year with the program and 14 are starting on offense or defense, along with four starting specialists.
The Magic Number is 200: The magic answer to the question for Coastal is 200, as the Chanticleers are now 20-1 lifetime when rushing for 200 yards or more in a game. The only loss came in last season's finale at Charleston Southern, when Coastal ran for 222 yards in the double-overtime loss.
Working the Balancing Act: Coastal has worked, since the first season, on becoming a more balanced attack and has shown that early in the 2006 season. Currently, the CCU offense ranks third in the nation in total offense at 436.3 yards a contest and has given up just six sacks in the first six games. In the win at Wofford, CCU put together 288 yards through the air and 222 yards on the ground for a total of 510 offensive yards, the fourth most in school history. Then in the victory over S.C. State, Coastal amassed 240 yards on the ground and 199 through the air. Against Furman, Coastal posted 274 passing yards and 108 rushing.
Red Zone Making Opponents See Red: Or see more lights for Coastal on the scoreboard in this case. Coaches often say that red zone execution is a key to success for a football team, and Coastal Carolina follows that philosophy. For the season, Coastal is now 20-for-25 (80.0 percent) in the red zone, 14 of which are touchdowns, while limiting opponents to 17-for-25 (68.0 percent) inside the 20.
Making the Aerial Assault Fly: Senior quarterback Tyler Thigpen grew in the passing game last season. Thigpen opened the 2006 season with a record-setting performance against Elon, going 23-for-43 for 312 yards and one touchdown. The 312 yards were the first-ever 300-yard passing game in school history, while the 43 attempts are also a new school record. The passing yards are also the second-highest total in Brooks Stadium annals. He followed that up with the second most passing yards in school history with 288 in the win at Wofford, Sept. 9. In that game, Thigpen connected with Santini Washington for an 80-yard touchdown strike, the longest offensive play in Coastal history. Thigpen then broke the single-game passing record at No. 24 Georgia Southern, throwing for 316 yards and two touchdowns.
He has totaled a new school record of 1,668 yards in the first six games of the 2006 season, an average of 278.0 yards per game, ranking third in I-AA. He also became the fastest passer to 1,000 yards in a season in league history this year.
On the season, Thigpen leads I-AA in total offense at 331.33 yards per game, while also ranking fourth in passing efficiency at 170.7. He surpassed the 4,000-yard career mark in the game at No. 24 Georgia Southern, and is just 30 yards from reaching the 5,000-yard passing mark, a total currently at 4,970 career passing yards. He also surpassed the career total offense 6,000-yard total in the win over Furman, Oct. 7, now at 6,260 yards.
Making the Catch: Junior wide receiver Jerome Simpson continues to show his ability to make the catch with his play on the field. He became the first CCU player ever to eclipse the 200-yard receiving mark in a single game, posting a record 207 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches at No. 24 Georgia Southern. The total was just three yards shy of the Big South record of 210.
This season, Simpson continues to improve, as he has already had two games of more than 100 yards receiving, as well as three games with seven or more receptions. He has already broken the school record for single-season yardage with 546, surpassing his own previous record of 527 last year. He also has 31 catches, two shy of his record from 2005, and eight touchdowns, just one behind last year's record total.
Simpson has already taken over on the CCU career chart, currently leading in all three categories with 90 catches for 1,492 yards and 25 touchdowns. The 1,492 yards rank eighth in the history of the Big South, as he was the 10th receiver in league history to hit the 1,000-yard receiving mark in his career. Those 25 touchdowns are the new Big South career lead in touchdown catches, surpassing William Andrews, Jr. of Gardner-Webb at 21. Additionally, Coastal is a stellar 13-2 in games that Simpson has a touchdown reception.
He also showed his skills last season on the field. Against No. 1 James Madison last season, the Reidsville, N.C. native tied a school record with 10 receptions and set a new mark with 162 receiving yards. He also had two touchdown receptions, but his most memorable catch was an acrobatic, one-handed 27-yard catch that put CCU at the JMU 13 and led to the game-winning score. Additionally, Simpson surpassed his own single-season school records last season in the three main receiving categories. Last year, he had 33 receptions for 527 yards and nine touchdowns, bettering his freshman marks of 26 receptions for 419 yards and eight touchdowns.
In the National Rankings: Coastal Carolina continues to make itself known in the national rankings, both as a team and individually. CCU’s passing offense is ranked fifth in the nation at 280.33 yards per game and third in total offense at 436.33 yards per contest. The Chanticleers rank fifth nationally in passing efficiency at a 168.31 rating. CCU also leads the Big South and is tied for 13th nationally in sacks allowed at 1.00 per game and 23rd in the country at 29.17 points per game.
The defense has also had its recognition, as Coastal is seventh in pass defense at 123.83 yards per game and 19th in pass efficiency defense with a 106.50 rating.
Individually, several players rank in the top 50 nationally in the statistics. Quarterback Tyler Thigpen leads all of I-AA (and second in Division I overall) in total offense at 331.33 yards per game and fourth in passing efficiency at a 170.7 rating and passing yards per game at 278.80 yards per contest. Wide receiver Jerome Simpson is 14th at 91.00 receiving yards per game, while ranking 30th in scoring at 8.00 points per game and 37th in receptions per game at 5.17. Kicker Josh Hoke is tied for 21st in field goals per game at 1.00 and tied for 69th in scoring at 6.17 per game. Defensively, linebacker Jamar Leath is 23rd in tackles at 9.83 per game, while safety Quinton Teal is tied for 70th at 0.33 interceptions a contest.
Just Tell Him You Don't Want To Do The Bootleg: However, the bootleg didn't hurt senior quarterback Tyler Thigpen against VMI, Oct. 29, 2005, as he scampered a school-record 77 yards for final score in the Homecoming victory over the Keydets. Thigpen rushed for a career-high 112 yards, the ninth-best performance and 14th 100-yard game in Coastal history. In addition, the 77-yard touchdown run was the third longest rushing play from scrimmage in Big South history.
Earlier this season, Thigpen became just the second quarterback in league history to reach the milestone with his 94 yards of rushing at Wofford, Sept. 9, and is now at 1,290 career yards. He became the Big South’s all-time leading quarterback rusher in the win at Winston-Salem State, passing Gardner-Webb’s Nick Roberts (1,182).
He Makes The Stops: The answer is definitely yes in the case of senior linebacker Jamar Leath. In 2005, Leath ranked third in the Big South and tied for 31st in I-AA nationally in total tackles at 9.82 tackles per game, while setting a new school record with 108 total tackles, the second CCU player to record 100 tackles in a single season. He set a new career best with 15 tackles and has then tied it twice more during the season. He also tied for 29th nationally with three forced fumbles in 2005.
This season, Leath is leading the team lead with 59 and has posted 307 career tackles, just becoming the fourth player in Big South history to record 300 career tackles. He now is just two tackles away from becoming the all-time leading tackler in Big South history, as he trails Justin Huggard and Todd Baldwin, both of VMI, at 308. In the win over then No. 3 Furman, Leath posted a season-best 14 tackles, just one off the school record he shares. In the game at No. 24 Georgia Southern, Sept. 16, Leath posted a season-best 11 tackles and passed Coastal's former all-time leader in tackles, Maurice Simpkins, at 272.
Finding The Promised Land: Senior running back Aundres Perkins has shown he has a nose for the end zone in his career. In just three seasons, Perkins already is the Big South Conference's career touchdown leader with 41 scores. In 2005, Perk scored 12 touchdowns to match his 2004 total, while he tallied 14 scores his freshman season.
He also became just the fourth rusher in Big South history, and second from Coastal, to reach the 2,000-yard mark in his career. He posted 78 yards in the home win against South Carolina State, Sept. 23, to pass the mark and now sits at 2,068. He ranks fourth all-time in league history and trails former teammate Patrick Hall by 136 yards for third place.
I Will Pick Your Pocket: Defensive back Quinton Teal has been cashing in on quarterback 'checks', having picked off a league-leading five passes last season, including one at Savannah State that he returned for a school-record 74 yards to set up CCU’s first score. Last year, he tied for 15th in the country in interceptions (0.45 per game) and was also tied for 32nd in passes defended per game at 1.09. The senior led the league in picks in 2004 with a league-record six INTs, as well as being the Big South's all-time interception leader with 15.
Teal picked up his second pick of the season in the win at Winston-Salem State to end WSSU's last drive of the first half. Teal also had a pair of breakups and a blocked punt in the home win over South Carolina State, helping him earn Big South Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Kicking/Kickoffs: And that is what kicker Josh Hoke did for the Chanticleers again in 2005 and in an improved fashion. Out of 57 kickoffs last year, Hoke has had 28 go for touchbacks, a very impressive 49.1 percent. He also hit 14 field goals on the year, tying for 12th in I-AA football at 1.27 made per game. He had three from 45 yards or beyond, with a career-long 49-yarder in the home win over Delaware State.
Hoke hit four of five field goal attempts in the opener against Elon and followed it up by going 5-for-5 on point after attempts in the win at Wofford. He had a current streak of 85 consecutive PATs made snapped as the line blocking didn't hold, resulting in a blocked PAT in the home win against Furman, Oct. 7, 2006. For his career, he is 147-of-153 in PATs and 36-for-56 on field goal attempts.
The Leader of the Pack: CCU Head Coach David Bennett has continued where he left off at Catawba with his winning ways now at Coastal. Bennett had gone 34-5 his final three seasons at Catawba, making him now 63-15 (80.8 percent) in his last 78 games as a head coach.
The Streak Continues: In its brief history of 39 games, the Chanticleers have yet to be shutout on the scoreboard, the longest current streak in the Big South Conference. In fact, CCU's lowest single game point total was last year at Appalachian State, with just a lone field goal.
Leading the Nation in Attendance: Coastal has been one of the standouts in I-AA in attendance based on capacity in its first three seasons. Ranking in the top seven in the nation in each of the first two years, the Chanticleers set a new Brooks Stadium record in the home opening win over No. 1 James Madison, packing 8,533 fans into a stadium that seats 6,408. Coastal finished the season as the top I-AA team in attendance based on capacity at 114.3 percent.
Coastal has continued that tradition early in 2006, including setting a new Brooks Stadium record with 9,287 fans in the home win over South Carolina State, Sept. 23. The Chanticleers then surpassed it with 10,013 fans in the home win over then No. 3 Furman. The Chanticleers had 8,169 fans in the first contest at Elon and now rank second in I-AA in attendance based on percentage of capacity at 125.22.
Big South In Action This Week: All five Big South schools are in action this week, including the league opener between Coastal and VMI. Liberty hosts William & Mary, Gardner-Webb hosts Glenville State and Charleston Southern is home against Edward Waters.
This Week's Injury Report: On this week's injury report for the game at VMI, Brandon Autry (neck), Clarence Donley (right ankle), Jamie Fordham (right forearm) and Marrio Norman (left calf) are probable. Kenneth Joshen (left finger), Chris McDonald (right hamstring) and Trent Usher (right hamstring) are questionable, while Arthur Sitton (left ankle) is doubtful. Ren McKinnon (right ankle), Racheed Gause (right knee) and Chris Walker (right ankle) are out for the contest. Brandon Whitley (knee), Louie Brock (knee), James Sims (foot), and Adrain Grady (knee, shoulder) are out for the season.
Record Setting Night: The Chanticleers had two Big South Conference records set in the win at Winston-Salem State, Sept. 30. Quarterback Tyler Thigpen took over as the all-time leading quarterback rusher, passing Nick Roberts of Gardner-Webb and finishing the night with 1,233 career yards. Wide receiver Jerome Simpson had a pair of touchdown receptions and became the Big South career touchdown receptions leader with 23, moving ahead of William Andrews, Jr., also of Gardner-Webb, with 21.
Thigpen Earns Second Big South Weekly Honor: Quarterback Tyler Thigpen has been named the Big South football Choice Hotels Offensive Player of the Week for games played during Week Five of the 2006 season, it was announced by the Conference office. This is the second time this season and sixth time in his career that Thigpen has earned the weekly honor.
Thigpen was 19-of-26 passing (73.1 percent) for 279 yards and a school-record four touchdowns in Coastal’s 31-12 win at Winston-Salem State. He finished with a 213.98 passing efficiency against the Rams, while his 73.1 completion percentage is seventh-best in League history. Thigpen also rushed for a team-high 57 yards and finished the day with 336 yards of total offense – his fourth game this season over 300 total yards, a Big South single-season record. He had a long rush of 50 yards in the third quarter, and became the Big South’s all-time leading quarterback rusher during the contest, finishing with 1,233 to pass Gardner-Webb’s Nick Roberts (1,182).
Teal Earns Defensive Honor: Senior safety Quinton Teal was honored as Big South Conference Football Choice Hotels Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Sept 25. Teal posted eight tackles, including six solos, and two pass break-ups in Coastal’s 33-14 home win over South Carolina State. Playing on a defense without five starters Saturday, Teal had five stops and one break-up in the second half that led the Chanticleers to limiting the visiting Bulldogs to just 46 yards of total offense in a dominating second-half performance. One of his pass break-ups kept SCSU out of the end zone, as he dislodged the ball with a hit at CCU’s three-yard line and SCSU was not able to cash in on the drive for points. He also stepped in on special teams by blocking a punt and returning kicks -- the first time he has been a returner since his senior year in high school.
Grady Sending Them Backwards: Senior Adrain Grady makes sure that he sends the opponents back towards their own end zone. Of Grady's 14 tackles this year before his season-ending injury, 4.5 of them were for loss, including two sacks. Grady is currently CCU's all-time sacks leader with 17.0 and second in career tackles for loss with 30.5 for 150 yards.
Pair Earn Weekly Big South Honors: Coastal Carolina's junior wide receiver Jerome Simpson was named Big South Conference Football Choice Hotels Offensive Player of the Week, while wide receiver Jamar Anderson earned Freshman of the Week honors, the league announced Sept. 18. This is the second consecutive week a CCU player has earned a Big South award, as senior quarterback Tyler Thigpen was Co-Offensive Player of the Week last week.
Simpson posted one of the best games in Big South history at No. 17 Georgia Southern. He recorded eight catches for a school-record 207 yards and two touchdowns (30 and 58 yards). His 207-yard game is only the second 200-yard receiving game in League history (three shy of the record), while his two touchdowns move his career total to 21, tying him with William Andrews, Jr. (Gardner-Webb) for the Big South career touchdown receptions lead. During a second-quarter drive, Simpson caught a pair of passes, the first for 50 yards and the second for 30 to complete the two-play, 80-yard touchdown drive in 0:36. Seven of his eight catches were at least 10 yards (14, 10, 23, 50, 30, 14, 58) while six went for first downs.
Anderson was Coastal’s second-leading receiver Saturday at Georgia Southern. He had four catches for 52, a season best for the freshman. In just his second game of collegiate action, Anderson had two catches that gave the Chanticleers first downs, and he hauled in three passes and 47 yards during one drive, including a personal-best 33-yard reception. His four catches were the third-most by a CCU receiver this year.
He Was Offensive To The Terriers: Senior quarterback Tyler Thigpen was named the Big South Conference's Co-Offensive Player of the Week, announced by the league, Sept. 11. This is the fifth time in his career that Thigpen has been awarded the weekly honor, sharing that week's with Charleston Southern quarterback Collin Drafts. Thigpen was also honored by CollegeSportsReport.com as its I-AA National Performer of the Week and by Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette as a I-AA National Offensive Player of the Week.
Thigpen was key for the Chanticleers in their dramatic 41-38 road victory at No. 27 Wofford. He was 13-of-20 through the air for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and added 10 carries for a team-high 94 yards and one score on the ground. Thigpen, whose 382 yards of total offense is the fourth-highest single-game performance in Big South history, directed the Chanticleers on six scoring drives of 61 yards or more, including four of 80 yards or more. He connected with receiver Santini Washington for an 80-yard touchdown pass, the longest play in CCU history and third-longest in Big South history. His 288 yards were then the second most single-game passing yards in school history, while his 94 rushing yards are sixth-most in a game by a Big South quarterback. Thigpen also became the second quarterback in League history to surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his career.
Stadium Expansion: Sept. 2 marked the first game with the new seating capacity of CCU's Brooks Stadium. The school added 914 seats to the facility to bring seating capacity up to 7,322 for the 2006 season.
Too Much Drama: Coastal Carolina had a flair in 2005 for the dramatic in making the most of its opportunities. The Chanticleers have four wins after they were trailing by eight or more during the final quarter, two against nationally-ranked opponents, along with the first two conference games.
CCU put together three fourth-quarter rallies for the history books in 2005. In the home opener Sept. 10 against defending national champion and current top-five James Madison, the Chanticleers came back from a 27-17 deficit, scoring 14 points in the final 5:54, including the game winner with just over 30 seconds remaining for a 31-27 victory.
To only outdo themselves, the Chants scored 14 points in the last 9:51 at then No. 17 South Carolina State, Oct. 1, to steal a dramatic 24-23 win over the host Bulldogs. In that contest, Coastal scored with just 17 seconds to play for the win.
In the Big South opener, Coastal came from behind in the fourth quarter against Gardner-Webb, including driving 41 yards in the final 22 seconds. That set up a 45-yard, game-tying field goal with no time remaining to send it to overtime, where the Chanticleers eventually pulled out the 34-31 victory.
Add the Liberty game, Oct. 22, which ranks up there, as the Chanticleers fought through three overtimes to escape with a 27-21 win. Coastal trailed 14-6 with just under 10 minutes left in the game. CCU scored twice in the final quarter of regulation and found itself in overtime after a LU drive late in the contest. After a combined three missed field goals and a turnover, Coastal won on a five-yard touchdown run and a forced turnover by the CCU defense.
Working Overtime in 2005: After playing its first-ever overtime game in the Big South opener against Gardner-Webb, Oct. 15, Coastal Carolina came back the next week for a second, even larger helping with a triple-overtime win at Liberty, Oct. 22. The team then played its third extra-period game at Charleston Southern, going double overtime in that one. The amazing part about it is that the Chanticleers held their opponents to just 10 points in the six overtimes, forcing three turnovers and one missed 42-yard field goal. Coastal played more overtime games (3) and more overtime periods (6) than any team in I-A or I-AA football last season.
Weekly Big South Teleconference: Each Tuesday during the 2006 season, all five Big South head coaches will participate in a one-hour teleconference call, beginning at 10:30am ET. CCU Head Coach David Bennett is on from 11:20-11:30 a.m. each Tuesday. Each call will be recorded and available for playback beginning Tuesday afternoons on the Conference’s website, www.Big SouthSports.com. THIS CALL IS OPEN TO MEDIA ONLY. If you would like information to tune in live and ask questions, please contact either John Martin (jamartin@coastal.edu) or Mark Simpson (marks@bigsouth.org) for the dial-in phone number and code.
