CONWAY, S.C. – The No. 21 nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (7-1, 3-1 SBC) will hit the road for a Sun Belt East Division matchup with the Georgia Southern Eagles (2-6, 1-4 SBC) this Saturday, Nov. 6, in Statesboro, Ga. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET.
 
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. The game will also be carried live on the radio at WRNN Hot Talk 99.5 FM and on the WRNN 99.5 FM Myrtle Beach TuneIn App.
 
  • 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. 31), which marks 21-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
Oct. 31                    21           21                       -
 
• Coastal was ranked in the top-25 in both polls for 11-straight weeks last season.
 
  • Coastal finished the 2020 regular season at 8-0 in conference play, posting their best conference record since joining the Sun Belt as a full-time member in 2017.
 
• Prior to last season (2020), Coastal had not won more than two conference games in any season since joining the Sun Belt in 2017 and just six total conference games in the program's history in the Sun Belt.
 
YEAR                              CONFERENCE                       OVERALL
2017                                  2-6                                           3-9            
2018                                  2-6                                           5-7            
2019                                  2-6                                           5-7            
2020                                  8-0                                         11-1            
2021                                  3-1                                           7-1            
 
  • Since the start of the 2020 season, the Chanticleers have put themselves in an elite company going 18-2 overall entering this week of play.
 
Record Since the Start of the 2020 Season
Rank         Team                                        Record
1.                 Alabama                                  20-1    
2.                 Coastal Carolina                    18-2    
3.                 BYU *                                       18-3    
4.                 Cincinnati                                17-1    
5.                 Georgia                                    16-2    
*One of BYU's losses came to Coastal Carolina
 
  • 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 is 2-5 all-time versus Georgia Southern on the gridiron with the two teams meeting four times as Sun Belt Conference members since 2017 and three times prior to that as FCS foes.
 
• Coastal is 2-1 versus Georgia Southern under head coach Jamey Chadwell with wins over the Eagles in 2017 and 2020.
 
• The Chants have won two of the last four meetings between the two teams, however, both of those wins came at home inside Brooks Stadium.
 
• CCU is 0-2 all-time in Statesboro, Ga., with the last loss at Allen E. Paulson Stadium coming in triple overtime in a torrential downpour in 2019.
 
DATE         OPPONENT                   RESULT
9/16/06       at Georgia Southern            L, 21-38
9/15/07       Georgia Southern                L, 34-42
9/18/10       Georgia Southern                L, 26-43
12/2/17       Georgia Southern               W, 28-17
11/17/18     Georgia Southern                L, 17-41
10/19/19     at Georgia Southern    L, 27-30 (3OT)
10/24/20     Georgia Southern               W, 28-14
 
• Georgia Southern has one of the best home-field advantages in the FBS as the Eagles have an official NCAA record of 205-44 at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. That .823 winning percentage is the second-best in the FBS heading into this week's game.
 
  • Georgia Southern is 2-6 overall and 1-4 in Sun Belt play this season, having lost each of its last three games after defeating Arkansas State 59-33 on Oct. 2.
 
• The Eagles are led by interim head coach Kevin Whitley who took over the program following the firing of Chad Lunsford in September.
 
• With their Gun/Pistol Option offense again this season, the Eagles are second in the conference behind only Coastal Carolina in rushing at 230.9 yards per game, which also ranks 12th nationally.
 
• Logan Wright leads the triple-option style offense with 100 carries for 654 yards and six touchdowns, while fellow backs Gerald Green and Jalen White have run for 391 and 219 yards on the ground this season, respectively, with Green finding the end zone five times.
 
• The Eagles defense has struggled this season in keeping teams out of the end zone, as GS has allowed 32.2 points per game this season, which is seventh in the Sun Belt Conference.
 
• However, last time out in a loss to Georgia State, the Eagles allowed a season-low 21 points to the Panthers for the contest.
 
• GS is allowing 322.4 passing yards per game which is dead last in all of FBS but has held opponents to just 155.1 rushing yards per game this season.
 
• Safety Anthony Wilson leads the team with 46 total tackles, including 27 solo stops, and six pass breakups, while true freshman linebacker Eldrick Robinson II has 41 tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, 0.5 sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery this season.
 
• The game could come down to possession as both teams on average have the ball over 31 minutes on offense - Coastal is second in the league at 31:29 while Georgia Southern is third in the Sun Belt at 31:05.

  • Coastal's offense this season is averaging 8.45 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                              8.45            
2.        Ohio State                                         8.24           
3.        Oklahoma                                         7.25            
4.        Western Kentucky                             7.24            
5.        Baylor                                                7.10            
6.        Virginia                                             7.07            
7.        North Carolina                                  6.88            
8.        Michigan State                                 6.84            
9.        Wake Forest                                     6.82            
10.      Alabama                                           6.78            
  • Coastal's offense is averaging 522.6 yards per game this season, which leads the Sun Belt and ranks sixth nationally.
 
Highest Avg. Yards Per Game in NCAA
Rk      Team                                            Avg. Yards
1.        Virginia                                           548.6        
2.        Ohio State                                       548.1        
3.        Western Kentucky                           534.5        
4.        Ole Miss                                          531.5        
5.        Pittsburgh                                       529.2        
6.        Coastal Carolina                            522.6        
7.        SMU                                                504.1        
8.        Marshall                                          503.4        
9.        Wake Forest                                   495.4        
10.      Alabama                                         494.0        
 
• The CCU offense has recorded 455 yards or more of total offense in seven of their eight games this season, including 610 yards in the season opener versus The Citadel (Sept. 2).
 
  • The Chanticleers have been unbeatable as of late when leading after three quarters of play, as the Chants have won 25-straight games when leading going into the fourth quarter. The last time the Chants lost a game after leading after three quarters of play was at Arkansas in 2017.
 
Record When Leading After Three Quarters
YEAR                                                 RECORD
2021                                                               7-0
2020                                                               8-0
2019                                                               4-0
2018                                                               4-0
2017       2-0 (2 games after losing to Arkansas)
  • Coastal's offense averaged 37.2 points per game last season in 2020, which led the Sun Belt and ranked 18th nationally.
 
• The Chants scored 30 or more points in nine of their 12 games last season.
 
• Thus far this season in 2021, the Chants have scored 49 points or more four times and lead the Sun Belt and rank third in the nation in scoring at 44.4 points per game behind only Ohio State (49.3 ppg) and Alabama (45.9 ppg).
 
Points Per Game this Season - NCAA
Rk       Team                                       Points Per Game  
1.         Ohio State                                        47.2              
2.         Alabama                                          45.9                
3.         Coastal Carolina                             44.4              
4.         Pittsburgh                                        43.9               
5.         Wake Forest                                    43.4                
6.         Oklahoma                                        42.9                
7.         SMU                                                 42.0                
8.         Western Kentucky                           40.5                
9.         Cincinnati                                         39.9                
10.       Texas                                                39.4               
            UTSA                                                39.4               
 
  • The Coastal Carolina offense did not have a single touchdown play over 50 yards over the first five games of the season with its longest scoring play from the line of scrimmage being a 49-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Carpenter to Xavier Gravette in the season opener versus The Citadel (Sept. 4).
 
• Over their last three games, the Chanticleers have totaled eight touchdown plays of 50-plus yards either through the air or on the ground.
 
 • In the win over Arkansas State (Oct. 7), the Chants had four touchdown plays go over 50-plus yards en route to the 32-point win.
 
• Coastal posted one 50-plus yard touchdown play in the loss at Appalachian State (Oct. 20) the next time out and then recorded three touchdown plays for 50 yards or more in the win last week over Troy (Oct. 28).
 
Big Play Touchdowns for CCU this Season
at Arkansas State (Oct. 7)
Play                                                             Yards
Grayson McCall pass to Isaiah Likely              99
Grayson McCall pass to Isaiah Likely              64
Reese White rush                                            64
Bryce Carpenter rush                                      67
 
at Appalachian State (Oct. 20)
Play                                                             Yards
Grayson McCall pass to Kameron Brown       74
 
vs. Troy (Oct. 28)
Play                                                             Yards
Grayson McCall pass to Jaivon Heiligh           66
Grayson McCall pass to Braydon Bennett      71
Shermari Jones rush                                       54
 
  • The Coastal defense once again ranks in the top 50 nationally in several defensive categories again this season.
 
STAT                                                      #        NCAA    
Scoring Defense (ppg)                      18.5           16th    
First Downs Defense                         131           14th    
Passing Yards Allowed (per game)  185.1          17th    
Red-Zone Defense (pct.)                   76.2           25th    
Fourth-Down Conv. Pct. Defense      40.0           26th    
Total Defense (ypg)                        331.0            30th    
Team Passing Effic. Defense         123.46          40th    
Third-Down Conv. Pct. Defense        36.0           40th    
Team Sacks (per game)                    2.50           46th    
Tackles-for-Loss (per game)               5.4            49th    
 
  • The Coastal defense had a streak of 10-straight quarters or two-and-a-half games of not allowing a touchdown to its opponents earlier this season.
 
• Following a fourth-quarter touchdown by Buffalo (Sept. 18), the Chants did not allow a touchdown over the next two games versus UMass (Sept. 25) and ULM (Oct. 2), nor did they allow a touchdown over the first half of the road win at Arkansas State (Oct. 7).
 
No Touchdowns Allowed
GAME            Opponent                            Quarter    
9/25/21           UMass                                    1st         
                        UMass                                   2nd        
                        UMass                                    3rd        
                        UMass                                    4th        
10/2/21           ULM                                        1st        
                        ULM                                       2nd        
                        ULM                                       3rd        
                        ULM                                       4th        
10/7/21           at Arkansas State                   1st        
                        at Arkansas State                  2nd        
 
  • Coastal's top-six tacklers from last season returned in 2021 including the top two tacklers on the team in Silas Kelly (The Sheriff) and Teddy Gallagher (The Mayor).
 
• Kelly, who was named a 2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year last year, returned after missing the majority of the 2019 season to lead the Chanticleers with 80 tackles in 2020. He also added 6.5 tackles-for-loss, 5.0 sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
 
• Gallagher was tied for second on the team with 76 tackles to go along with 4.0 tackles-for-loss, 0.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery last year.
 
• The linebacker duo is 1-and-2 in total tackles again this season, as Kelly leads the way with 58 total stops, including 3.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks, while Gallagher is second on the team with 51 tackles, including 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.0 sacks.
 
  • Canadian Enock Makonzo has been everywhere on the defensive side of the ball this season for the Chanticleers, as he ranks among the team leaders in several defensive categories.
 
• Makonzo is third in total tackles with 44, fourth in solo tackles with 17, second in tackles-for-loss with 6.0, and leads the team with two forced fumbles.
 
• The third-year Chant is coming off a career game, in which he totaled 11 tackles and two QB hurries in the win over Troy (Oct. 28).
 
  • Named to Bruce Feldman's 2021 College Football Freaks List (The Athletic), bandit end Jeffrey Gunter has lived up to the billing once again this season.
 
• This season, Gunter has done a little bit of everything for the CCU defense, as he has recorded 29 total tackles, including 14 solo stops.
 
• The redshirt senior also has a team-high 9.0 tackles-for-loss and a team-leading 6.5 sacks, which both rank in the top-five among all Sun Belt defenders.
• On top of that, the 6-4, 240-pounder, has four quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, and blocked a kick this season.
 
• Perhaps his best game of the season to date came last week in the win over Troy (Oct. 28), as Gunter totaled five tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, forced a fumble, recovered another fumble, and added one quarterback hurry.
 
• Last season in 2020, Gunter led all of FBS with six forced fumbles, finished fourth in the Sun Belt with 6.5 sacks, and seventh in the league with 12.5 tackles-for-loss, while also picking off a pass in the road win at Kansas (Sept. 10, 2020) in the season-opening Power 5 win.

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.