Football Season Kicks Off At West Virginia
9/4/2026 12:00:00 PM | Football
CONWAY, S.C. - Coastal Carolina begins its 24th season of football Saturday when the Chanticleers travel to Morgantown, W.Va., to face West Virginia. Kickoff is set for noon ET, with the game airing nationally on TNT and TruTV and streaming on HBO Max.
The matchup marks the debut of Coastal Carolina head coach Ryan Beard and the second meeting between the two programs. West Virginia won the first matchup, 31–0, in the 2010 season opener in Morgantown.
How To Follow
| Television / Stream | TNT / TruTV / HBO Max |
| Radio | Chanticleer Sports Network |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Game Notes | Coastal Carolina | West Virginia |
| coastalfootball | |
| X | @CoastalFootball |
| YouTube | Coastal Carolina Athletics |
Matchup Comparison
| Category | Coastal Carolina | West Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Record | 6–7 | 4–8 |
| Head Coach | Ryan Beard | Rich Rodriguez |
| Career Record | 21–14 (4th year) | 194–137–2 (29th year) |
| Record at School | 0–0 (1st year) | 64–34 (9th year) |
| Scoring Offense | 22.2 | 21.8 |
| Scoring Defense | 33.1 | 30.8 |
| Rushing Offense | 155.8 | 160.6 |
| Passing Offense | 169.5 | 188.9 |
| Total Offense | 325.4 | 349.5 |
| Total Defense | 443.8 | 409.2 |
| Third-Down Conversions | 33.0% | 29.8% |
| Red-Zone Scoring | 82.5% | 81.8% |
| Sacks | 19 | 28 |
Statistics are from the 2025 season. Offense and defense figures are per game unless otherwise noted.
Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars
- THE BEARD ERA BEGINS: Beard makes his Coastal Carolina debut after spending the previous three seasons as the head coach at Missouri State. He owns a 21–14 career record.
- A ROSTER REMADE: Coastal's 104-player roster includes 65 newcomers and 39 returners. The newcomers include 39 Division I transfers and 16 high school signees.
- ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Chanticleers will open the season on the road for the third consecutive year after beginning the 2024 campaign at Jacksonville State and the 2025 season at Virginia.
- LID LIFTERS: Coastal is 15–8 in season openers and owns an all-time record of 178–103 entering its 24th season.
- POWER OPPONENTS: Coastal Carolina owns a 3–11 all-time record against power-conference opponents. The Chanticleers'three victories all came against Kansas from 2019–21.
- FROM THE OZARKS TO THE BEACH: Although much of Coastal Carolina's roster will be new, several Chanticleers already have experience playing under Ryan Beard and members of his staff. Coastal's current roster features 12 players who previously played at Missouri State: Deuce Bailey, Dezmond Barnes, Tristian Gardner, Ryan Grayson, Jackson Kohl, Cristian Loaiza, Ahmad Poole, Donald Quist, Braxton Starnes, Mitchell Toney, Mitch Weisenborn and DJ Wesolak.
- A FAMILIAR STAFF: Ryan Beard brought several familiar faces with him to Conway while assembling his first Coastal Carolina staff, including his brothers-in-law, offensive coordinator Nick Petrino and defensive coordinator L.D. Scott. Petrino, Scott, special teams coordinator Nelson Fishback and inside linebackers coach Connor Benado all previously worked with Beard at Missouri State. That familiarity extends beyond Coastal's on-field coaching staff. Director of Football Performance Dr. Jackson Morris, Chief of Staff Max Franey and several additional members of the Chanticleers' support staff also spent time at Missouri State before making their way to Conway.
- RETURNING PRODUCTION: Dominic Lee-Knicely returns after leading Coastal with 388 rushing yards and four touchdowns last season. Robby Washington is back after posting a team-high 278 receiving yards.
Players Mentioned
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