CONWAY, S.C. – The No. 24 nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina football team (6-1, 2-1 Sun Belt) will return home to host the Troy Trojans (4-3, 2-1 Sun Belt) for a "Black Out", Thursday night, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. ET inside Brooks Stadium. The game will be nationally televised live on ESPN2.
Fans are encouraged to show up early, be loud, be proud, be respectful, and wear black!
NATIONALLY RANKED CHANTICLEERS
• The Chanticleers were ranked in both top 25 national preseason polls to start the season for the first time in program history.
• The Chants were ranked again in both the AP and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches polls this week (Oct. 24), which marks 20-straight polls (weeks) that Coastal has been ranked since breaking into the polls in October 2020.
Coastal in the Rankings in 2021
Date AP Coaches CFP
Preseason 22 24 N/A
Sept. 7 17 19 N/A
Sept. 12 16 18 N/A
Sept. 19 17 17 N/A
Sept. 26 16 16 N/A
Oct. 3 15 15 N/A
Oct. 10 15 15 N/A
Oct. 17 14 16 N/A
Oct. 24 24 24 N/A
• Coastal was ranked in the top-25 in both polls for 11-straight weeks last season.
ELITE COMPANY
• Since the start of the 2020 season, the Chanticleers have put themselves in an elite company going 17-2 overall entering this week of play.
Record Since the Start of the 2020 Season
Rank Team Record
1. Alabama 20-1
2. Coastal Carolina 17-2
3. BYU * 17-3
4. Cincinnati 16-1
5. Georgia 15-2
*One of BYU's losses came to Coastal Carolina
BOWL BOUND
• With the Chanticleers' 52-20 win at Arkansas State (Oct. 7) in week six, Coastal became the first team in all of FBS to become bowl eligible with six wins.
• With their six wins, the Chants are headed to a bowl for the second-straight season and only their second bowl in program history since moving to the FBS level full-time in 2017.
CCU FBS Bowl History
YEAR BOWL
2020 FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl
HOME. SWEET. HOME.
• Coastal Carolina's winning percentage of .730 (81-30) at home in Brooks Stadium ranks 27th among all FBS schools in regards to winning percentages at their current home stadium. *
*courtesy of Jason Corriher, Marshall
• The Chanticleers have won 11-straight home games, which dates back to the 2019 season.
• Coastal's last loss at home on the "Surf Turf" was to Louisiana (48-7) on ESPN2 on Nov. 7, 2019.
• CCU's record for most consecutive home wins is 13-straight victories from 2012-14.
HOME WINNING STREAK
• Coastal will head into its next home game on Thursday, Oct. 28, versus Troy riding an 11-game home winning streak.
Winning Streak at Home
DATE OPPONENT RESULT
11/30/19 Texas State W, 24-21
9/18/20 Campbell W, 43-21
10/3/20 Arkansas State W, 52-23
10/24/20 Georgia Southern W, 28-14
11/7/20 South Alabama W, 23-6
11/21/20 Appalachian State W, 34-23
12/5/20 #8 BYU W, 22-17
9/2/21 The Citadel W, 52-14
9/10/21 Kansas W, 49-22
9/25/21 UMass W, 53-3
10/2/21 ULM W, 59-6
SERIES VERSUS TROY
• CCU is 2-2 all-time versus Troy on the gridiron with the two teams meeting each year since Coastal joined the Sun Belt in 2017.
• The Chants have won each of the last two meetings between the two Sun Belt East Division teams after the Trojans won the first two meetings.
DATE OPPONENT RESULT
11/11/17 Troy L, 17-42
9/29/18 at Troy L, 21-45
11/2/19 Troy W, 36-35
12/12/20 at Troy W, 42-38
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
• The Troy Trojans enter this week's contest at Coastal Carolina at 4-3 overall and 2-1 in Sun Belt play following an open week last week.
• After dropping two straight games on the road at ULM (Sept. 25) and South Carolina (Oct. 2), the Trojans have bounced back to win each of their last two games versus Georgia Southern (Oct. 9) and at Texas State (Oct. 16).
• The Troy offense is averaging 354.6 yards of total offense per game this season, including 241.7 passing yards and 112.9 rushing yards per game.
• The Trojans have used two quarterbacks this season in Taylor Powell (119-178-5, 1171 yards, 7 TDs) and Gunnar Watson (51-70-0, 521 yards, 3 TDs), with Watson taking every snap in the shotgun offense the last two games.
• A trio of backs in Kimani Vidal (93 carries, 449 yards, 4 TDs), B.J. Smith (53 carries, 240 yards, 3 TDs), and Jamontez Woods (36 carries, 209 yards, 4 TDs) carry the load on the ground in the rushing attack for the Trojans, while seven different players have recorded double-digit receptions on the season led by Tez Johnson and his team-high 45 receptions for 418 yards and two touchdowns.
• However, it has been the defense that has led the Trojans this season, as Troy leads the Sun Belt in total defense at 286.9 yards allowed per game.
• The Troy defense also leads the Sun Belt and ranks first nationally in both sacks per game (4.43) and tackles-for-loss per game (9.0), and ranks third nationally in interceptions with 12 picks on the year.
• All-Sun Belt performer Carlton Martial leads the Troy defense again this season with 64 total tackles, 7.0 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 sack, one interception, and one forced fumble.
EXPECT SOME POINTS
• You can expect a lot of points to light up the scoreboard when Coastal and Troy get together, as the two teams have combined for 59 points or more each time that they have met.
• In fact, the winning team has scored 36 or more points in each contest, including 40-plus points in three of the four meetings.
• Each year since first meeting in 2017, the two teams have increased their combined points total each season, including combining for 80 points in last year's meeting.
Combined Points in Each Game
DATE OPPONENT POINTS
11/11/17 Troy 59
9/29/18 at Troy 66
11/2/19 Troy 71
12/12/20 at Troy 80
EVEN STEVENS
• Over the Chanticleers' 19-year history, CCU has played exactly the same number of home games as road games heading into this week's contest versus Troy (Oct. 28).
• The Chanticleers have played exactly 111 games both at home and on the road since the program's inception in 2003. CCU is 81-30 all-time at home inside Brooks Stadium and 63-48 in true road contests.
YARDS PER PLAY IN 2021
• Coastal's offense this season is averaging 8.54 yards per play, which leads all of FBS and is the highest average in CCU single-season history.
Highest Avg. Yards Gained/Per Play in NCAA
Rk Team Avg. Yards
1. Coastal Carolina 8.54
2. Ohio State 8.44
3. Baylor 7.29
4. Western Kentucky 7.25
5. Florida 7.07
6. Oklahoma 6.99
7. Virginia 6.98
8. Michigan State 6.96
9. TCU 6.94
10. Cincinnati 6.89
LEADING AFTER THREE QUARTERS
• The Chanticleers have been unbeatable as of late when leading after three quarters of play, as the Chants have won 24-straight games when leading after three quarters of play. The last time the Chants lost a game after leading going into the fourth quarter was at Arkansas in 2017.
Record When Leading After Three Quarters
YEAR RECORD
2021 6-0
2020 8-0
2019 4-0
2018 4-0
2017 2-0 (2 games after losing to Arkansas)
MAS' MASSIMO
• With his two made field goals in the loss at Appalachian State (Oct. 20), a 50 and 46-yarder in the second quarter, four-year kicker
Massimo Biscardi became Coastal's all-time career leader in field goals made with 43.
• A two-time All-Sun Belt selection, earning second-team honors in 2020 and third-team accolades in 2018, Biscardi has made 43-of-53 field goal attempts over his CCU career, including making 15-of-19 attempts from 40 yards or longer.
Field Goals Made - Career
Rank Chant (Years) Made
1. Massimo Biscardi (2018-present) 43
2. Justin Durham (2007-10) 42
3. Josh Hoke (2003-06) 40
4. Ryan Granger (2013-16) 38
5. Alex Catron (2011-14) 34
For complete coverage of CCU football, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalFootball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUSports.com.
