Game 11 Preview: Scouting the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

With a bowl game appearance out of the picture, South Carolina will now focus its efforts on winning the “state playoff” (as described by head coach Shane Beamer) over its final two games of the season.

The Gamecocks are set to take on their second in-state opponent of the campaign when they welcome Coastal Carolina to Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday.

Before the game kicks off at 4:15 p.m. on the SEC Network, here’s what the Chanticleers bring to the table.

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How they got here

Five games into 2025, the Coastal Carolina football program found itself in a much different situation than it had been 12 months prior.

The Chanticleers were 4-1 through five regular-season contests in 2024. One year later, their record stood at 2-3. Their loss to East Carolina (38-0 on Sept. 13) represented the smallest margin of defeat of the three.

Coastal Carolina head coach Tim Beck, in his third year at the helm, has since orchestrated a rapid turnaround. The team went on to win each of its next four games — against conference opponents UL Monroe, Appalachian State, Marshall, and Georgia State — to clinch bowl eligibility and give itself a chance to compete for the Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game.

Those hopes, however, were dashed this past weekend. The Chanticleers’ winning streak came to an end with a 45-40 defeat to Georgia Southern on the road in Statesboro, dropping their overall record to 6-4 and their conference record to 5-2. With the defeat, James Madison (9-1, 7-0 Sun Belt) won the conference’s East Division and clinched a spot in the championship game.

Last time out

Although Conway is a little ways away from Columbia along I-20, it’s been nearly a decade since the last time South Carolina and Coastal Carolina faced off against each other on the gridiron. Their most recent matchup, though, will elicit vividly positive memories in the minds of the Gamecock faithful.

The Gamecocks last played the Chanticleers at Williams-Brice Stadium in both teams’ 2018 season opener. The home team put their foot on the gas pedal and never took it off, dominating wire-to-wire in a 49-15 win on Sept. 1.

South Carolina’s offense was the star of the show, generating 557 total yards — more than double that of Coastal Carolina’s 238. Jake Bentley completed 22-of-29 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns, two of which went to future NFL wideouts in Deebo Samuel and Bryan Edwards. Rico Dowdle, who also caught a touchdown pass from Bentley, had a stellar day on the ground, with 105 yards and an additional score on 15 carries.

Where they sit in the rankings

The Chanticleers are not ranked in either the AP or US LBM Coaches polls. They also did not receive any votes in either poll, despite Beck being a voter for the latter ranking.

In ESPN’s College Football Power Index (FPI), Coastal Carolina is ranked No. 111 with a -11.4 FPI. Its projected record is 6.2-58, and it has a 0.5 percent chance of winning out the regular season.

In ESPN’s SP+ rankings, the Chanticleers check in at No. 102 with a rating of -8.6. Bill Connelly gave Coastal Carolina a 25.9 rating on offense (74th in FBS), a 34.5 rating on defense (121st), and a 0.0 rating on special teams (73rd).

The Chanticleers sit 94th in the Massey Ratings. It ranks 95th in offense and 114th in defense.

ESPN gives Coastal Carolina a 5.8 percent chance to win this weekend. The Chanticleers head into the contest as 24-point underdogs, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

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Players to watch

Chanticleers’ quarterback room — There is some uncertainty about who will be under center for Coastal Carolina come game time on Saturday. Samari Collier, the team’s starter in recent weeks, exited with a leg injury in the second quarter of last week’s game against Georgia Southern. Details regarding his status have yet to emerge, and the Chanticleers’ depth chart includes three players listed as a potential starter:

• Collier (redshirt senior): 38-of-78 passing (48.7 percent), 918 combined passing/rushing yards, 14 total touchdowns, two interceptions
• Tad Hudson (redshirt sophomore): 71-of-131 passing (54.2 percent), 620 passing yards, three touchdowns, four interceptions
• MJ Morris (redshirt junior): 35-of-60 passing (58.3 percent), 304 passing yards, one touchdown, four interceptions

Ja’Vin Simpkins (Junior, running back) — Simpkins heads into this weekend as Coastal Carolina’s leading rusher. After missing most of last season due to injury, he has bounced back to the tune of 537 yards and two touchdowns on 101 carries.

Xamarion Gordon (Redshirt senior, safety) — Wherever the ball goes, so does Gordon, who is in the second season with the program after transferring from Southern Cal. In addition to being the Chanticleers’ top tackler, he has a team-high three interceptions, five pass breakups and three fumble recoveries on the season.

Path to victory

It’s been a while since the Gamecocks last headed into a game as betting favorites (home against Kentucky on Sept. 27). As a result, it’s looking very likely, on paper, that South Carolina will snap its five-game losing skid.

The Gamecocks, however, do have an unfortunate history of losing buy games late in the season. The most recent occurrence of that phenomenon took place in 2019, when Appalachian State upset South Carolina 20-15. Four years earlier, The Citadel — which was then and remains an FCS program — defeated the Gamecocks by a score of 23-22.

Running up the score early, though, should put Saturday’s game against Coastal Carolina away before any upset chances emerge. Diversifying play calls should help in that regard. It may behoove primary playcaller Mike Furrey to save parts of the playbook for next week’s Palmetto Bowl against Clemson, but orchestrating South Carolina’s offense this weekend like he did on the opening drive against Texas A&M last weekend will keep the Chanticleers’ defense on its heels all evening.

This may also be another game in which the Gamecocks rely heavily on the run game. Coastal Carolina’s defense has struggled to limit offensive firepower throughout the campaign, surrendering 29.7 points per game and ranking 128th in FBS in total yards allowed per game (437.6). Broken down further, the Chanticleers rank 98th in pass defense (239.3 yards per game) and 127th in run defense (198.3 yards per game). That’s a weakness South Carolina can exploit with its four-headed running backs corps (Matthew Fuller, Rahsul Faison, Jawarn Howell, and Oscar Adaway) and some designed runs from LaNorris Sellers.

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