Coastal Football on the Road at South Alabama on Friday

CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina football team will wrap up the 2021 regular season on Friday, Nov. 20, as the Chanticleers (9-2, 5-2 Sun Belt) will travel to Mobile, Alabama to take on South Alabama (5-6, 2-5 Sun Belt) at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

ELITE COMPANY

• Since the start of the 2020 season, the Chanticleers have put themselves in an elite company going 20-3 overall entering play this week at South Alabama (Nov. 26).

Record Since the Start of the 2020 Season
Rank             Team                         Record
1.                     Alabama                      23-1
2.                     Cincinnati                    20-1
3.                     Louisiana                     20-2
4.                     Coastal Carolina      20-3
                        BYU *                         20-3
6.                     Georgia                       19-2
7.                     Oklahoma                   19-3
8.                     Oklahoma State         18-4
9.                     UTSA                         18-5
10.                   Appalachian State     18-6
*One of BYU's losses came to Coastal Carolina

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

• Each one of the Chanticleers' three losses since the start of the 2020 season has come by three points or less and have come by a combined eight points overall.

Last Three Losses for CCU
Date             OPPONENT                           RESULT
12/26/20          vs. #23 Liberty                      L, 34-37 (OT)
10/20/21          at Appalachian State             L, 27-30
11/13/21          Georgia State                         L, 40-42

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 nine wins this season, 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

SERIES VERSUS SOUTH ALABAMA

• Coastal is 1-1 all-time versus South Alabama including having met just twice in cross-divisional Sun Belt Conference play.

• The two teams will be playing for the first time in back-to-back years this week at South Alabama (Nov. 26)

DATE                                                  RESULT
11/23/18          at South Alabama      L, 28-31
11/7/20            South Alabama           W, 23-6

SCOUTING THE JAGS

• South Alabama enters the final week of play at 5-6 overall and 2-5 in Sun Belt Conference play under first-year head coach Kane Wommack.

• The Jaguars have dropped each of their last three games, all of which were on the road where they are 1-5 this season.

• On the flip side, the Jaguars are 4-1 at home this year with wins over Southern Miss (31-7), Alcorn State (28-21), Georgia Southern (41-14), and Arkansas State (31-13). The lone loss at home came to the SBC West Division Champions Louisiana, 20-18 (Oct. 2).

• The South Alabama offense is averaging 369.1 total yards of offense per game this season, including 247.1 yards through the air and 122.0 yards per game on the ground.

• Former South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley leads the Jags' offense, as he has completed 70.2 percent of his pass attempts (184-for-262) for 2,122 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions.

• Bentley has perhaps the best wide receiver in all of the Sun Belt in Jalen Tolbert, as he has a league-leading 72 catches for 1,283 yards and seven touchdowns. Behind Tolbert is Jalen Wayne with 44 receptions for 519 yards and two touchdowns.

• The running game is led by a trio of running backs in Terrion Avery (132 att., 497 yards, TD), Bryan Hill (85 att., 335 yards, 3 TDs), and Kareem Walker (77 att., 286 yards, 4 TDs).

• Defensively, the Jaguars have been solid all season long, as they are allowing 26.4 points and 342.3 yards per game this season.

• However, they have taken advantage of their opponents' miscues, as the Jags have recorded 14 interceptions and recovered eight fumbles for a total of 22 turnovers which has led directly to 68 points.

• The South Alabama defense is led by veteran Keith Gallmon Jr. who has a team-high 51 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, one interception, and one fumble recovery, while A.J. DeShazor Jr. has 50 total tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, 0.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

• USA's Darrell Luter Jr. has team-high four interceptions, one ahead of Tre Young and his three picks, while eight different Jaguars have at least one interception on the year.

NON-SATURDAY GAMES

• Coastal has played a total of five non-Saturday games this season, going 4-1 overall, and has improved to 9-6 all-time in non-traditional Saturday contests.

CCU in Non-Saturday Games All-Time
DATE             OPPONENT                           RESULT
9/25/03            at North Greenville                 W, 49-39
9/7/08             Colgate                                    L, 19-23
9/3/09             at Kent State                         L, 0-18
11/19/15          at Liberty                                 L, 21-24
11/17/16          Liberty                                     W, 42-7
9/12/18            at Campbell                            W, 58-21
11/23/18          at South Alabama                   L, 28-31
11/7/19            Louisiana                                 L, 7-48
9/18/20            Campbell                                 W, 43-21
10/14/20          at #21 Louisiana                     W, 30-27
9/2/21             The Citadel                             W, 52-14
9/10/21            Kansas                                    W, 49-22
10/7/21            at Arkansas State                  W, 52-20
10/20/21          at Appalachian State             L, 27-30
10/28/21          Troy                                         W, 35-28

CCU in Non-Saturday Games in 2021
DATE             OPPONENT                           RESULT
9/2/21             The Citadel                             W, 52-14
9/10/21            Kansas                                    W, 49-22
10/7/21            at Arkansas State                  W, 52-20
10/20/21          at Appalachian State             L, 27-30
10/28/21          Troy                                         W, 35-28

FAMILY REUNION IN MOBILE

• The Bentley family will be having a family reunion of sorts in Mobile, Ala. on Friday, Nov. 26, when the Chanticleers take on the Jaguars.

• Coastal Carolina's Shuler Bentley is an offensive analyst and the brother of South Alabama quarterback Jake Bentley.

• Shuler, who played quarterback at both Old Dominion and Murray State, and Jake both have a brother Chas who played quarterback at Rutgers.

• Their father, Bobby Bentley, has coached at Auburn, South Carolina, and Presbyterian, and is currently the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at South Florida.

OFFENSE WINS THE TURKEY BOWL

• The 2021 Turkey Bowl Trophy went to the scout team offense on Sunday, Nov. 21, as the offense led by Tyler Keane and Jason Randall defeated the defense 3-1.

• The Turkey Bowl features the scout team offense versus the scout team defense in a head-to-head battle on the "Surf Turf". The two teams played four drives with the offense scoring on three of the four possessions.

PROTECT THE BALL
• While Coastal's offense is scoring at a high clip, the Chants have also protected the ball this season having committed just seven turnovers on the season.

• CCU's seven turnovers are tied for second in all of FBS with three other teams.

Fewest Turnovers Lost - NCAA
Rk       Team                         Fum.   int      Total
1.         Toledo                         4          2          6
2.         Coastal Carolina 4          3          7
            Colorado                     4          3          7
            Kent State                   5          2          7
            Navy                           4          3          7
6.         Six Schools                                         6

YARDS PER PLAY IN 2021

• Coastal's offense this season is averaging 7.70 yards per play, which is second in 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.         Ohio State                              7.99
2.         Coastal Carolina                  7.70
3.         Western Kentucky                 7.15
4.         Oklahoma                               6.96
5.         Virginia                                    6.93
6.         Georgia                                   6.91
7.         Alabama                                  6.90
8.         Florida                                     6.89
9.         North Carolina                        6.84
10.       BYU                                        6.82

REACHING FOR 1,000

• This season, Jaivon Heiligh is on the verge once more of reaching the 1,000-receiving yards mark, becoming only the second player in CCU history to reach that mark.

• In 2021, Heiligh has a team-high 947 receiving yards on the season entering the regular-season finale at South Alabama (Nov. 26) this week.

• Last season in 2020, Heiligh came up just two yards short, finishing the year with 998 receiving yards.

Most Receiving Yards in a Single Season
Rk       Chant (Year)                                 Yards
1.         Jerome Simpson (2006)                    1,077
2.         Jaivon Heiligh (2020)                       998
3.         Matt Hazel (2013)                              990
4.         Bruce Mapp (2014)                            959
5.         Jaivon Heiligh (2021)                       947
6.         Matt Hazel (2012)                              799
7.         John Israel (2014)                              798
8.         Isaiah Likely (2021)                          795
9.         Malcolm Williams (2017)                   793
10.       Bruce Mapp (2015)                            769

SINGLE-SEASON GREATNESS

• Freshman Josaiah Stewart and redshirt senior Jeffrey Gunter are both in a race for single-season greatness, as both defensive standouts are chasing the CCU single-season sacks and tackles-for-loss records.

Most Sacks in a Single Season at CCU
Rank   Chant (Year)                          Sacks
1.         Tarron Jackson (2019           10.0
            Josaiah Stewart (2021)       10.0
3.         Tarron Jackson (2020)          8.5
4.         Alex Scearce (2016)              8.0
5.         Kelvin McIver (2004)              7.0
6.         Jeffrey Gunter (2021)          6.5
            Jeffrey Gunter (2020)            6.5
            C.J. Brewer (2020)                 6.5
            Three others                           6.5

Most TFLs in a Single Season at CCU
Rank   Chant (Year)                          TFLs
1.         Maurice Simpkins (2003)      16.0
2.         Tarron Jackson (2020)          14.0
            Jeffrey Gunter (2018)            14.0
4.         Alex Scearce (2016)              13.5
5.         Tarron Jackson (2019)          13.0
6.         Jeffrey Gunter (2020)            12.5
            Roderick Holder (2014)         12.5
            Adrain Grady (2005)              12.5
9.         Andrae Jacobs (2010)           12.0
            Kelvin McIver (2004)              12.0
            Josaiah Stewart (2021)       12.0
12.       C.J. Brewer (2020)                 11.0
            Tarron Jackson (2018)          11.0
            Roderick Holder (2015)         11.0
-           Jeffrey Gunter (2021)          10.0

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.

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Players Mentioned

C.J. Brewer

Jeffrey Gunter

Jaivon Heiligh

Tarron Jackson

Isaiah Likely

Josaiah Stewart

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