Saturday, September 12
Conway, S.C.
7:30 PM
Coastal Carolina University
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Fordham
Football Hosts Fordham In Home Opener
9/11/2026 12:31:00 PM | Football
CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina opens its 2026 home schedule Saturday when the Chanticleers welcome Fordham to Brooks Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with the game streaming live on ESPN+.
The home opener will mark the first game at Brooks Stadium of the Ryan Beard era and the first meeting between Coastal Carolina and Fordham. Saturday's game will also feature Coastal's annual White Out and Beach Bash.
How To Follow
| Television / Stream | ESPN+ |
| Radio | Chanticleer Sports Network |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Game Notes | Coastal Carolina | Fordham |
| coastalfootball | |
| X | @CoastalFootball |
| YouTube | Coastal Carolina Athletics |
Matchup Comparison
| Category | Coastal Carolina | Fordham |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Record | 0-1 | 0-2 |
| Head Coach | Ryan Beard | Joe Conlin |
| Career Record | 21-15 (4th year) | 32-54 (9th year) |
| Record at School | 0-1 (1st year) | Same |
| Scoring Offense | 24.0 | 7.0 |
| Scoring Defense | 31.0 | 31.0 |
| Rushing Offense | 52.0 | 46.0 |
| Passing Offense | 373.0 | 116.0 |
| Total Offense | 425.0 | 162.0 |
| Total Defense | 413.0 | 403.5 |
| First Downs | 22 | 20 |
| Time of Possession | 27:04 | 24:24 |
Statistics are from the 2026 season. Offense and defense figures are per game unless otherwise noted.
Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars
- HOME SWEET HOME: Coastal Carolina owns a 19-4 all-time record in home openers and has won six consecutive home openers dating back to the 2020 season. The Chanticleers have outscored their opponents 216-100 during the streak and won by an average of 19.3 points per game.
- BEARD AT BROOKS: Ryan Beard will coach his first game at Brooks Stadium on Saturday. Each of Coastal's previous four head coaches won his first home game leading the Chanticleers. David Bennett defeated Newberry in 2003, Joe Moglia beat North Carolina A&T in 2012, Jamey Chadwell defeated UMass as interim head coach in 2017 and Tim Beck earned a victory over Jacksonville State in 2023.
- TWO STARTS, TWO HONORS: Deuce Bailey was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns at West Virginia. Bailey has received a conference weekly award following each of his first two collegiate starts. He was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week after his first career start at Missouri State in 2025.
- A RECORD-SETTING DEBUT: Bailey's 373 passing yards at West Virginia matched Grayson McCall's performance against App State in 2023 for the most by a Chanticleer during Coastal's FBS era. The two performances are tied for fourth on the program's single-game passing list.
- SPREADING THE WEALTH: Bailey completed passes to eight receivers in the season opener. Seven Chanticleers recorded at least 30 receiving yards, while six finished with at least three receptions.
- TWICE AS NICE: Clayton Coppock caught four passes for a team-high 83 yards and two touchdowns in his Coastal debut. Coppock hauled in touchdown passes of 34 and 37 yards and was the only Sun Belt receiver with multiple touchdown receptions during the opening week.
- QUICK STRIKES: Two of Coastal's three touchdown drives at West Virginia lasted fewer than 70 seconds. The Chants covered 71 yards in 33 seconds on Colton Hinton's touchdown reception and later traveled 75 yards in 1:07 for Coppock's second score.
- FCS SUCCESS: Coastal Carolina has won 10 consecutive games against FCS opponents, with the streak dating back to 2016. The Chanticleers are 9-0 against FCS competition since becoming a full FBS member in 2017. Fordham is Coastal's lone FCS opponent during the 2026 regular season.
- FIRST-TIME FOES: Coastal Carolina and Fordham will meet for the first time. Former Coastal head coach Joe Moglia is a Fordham graduate and member of the school's Athletics Hall of Fame. The Rams play their home games at Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field.
- SCOUTING THE RAMS: Fordham enters Saturday with an 0-2 record after falling to Colgate 24-14 and North Dakota State 38-0. Gunnar Smith has passed for 232 yards and one touchdown, while Trey Louis leads the rushing attack with 60 yards. Linebacker Andrew Osmun has recorded a team-high 23 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one interception.
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Players Mentioned
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