Coastal Football Hoping to Be Anything But Average in 2009
By Terry Massey
Photo by Keith Jacobs
There are many words to describe Coastal Carolina University football coach David Bennett, and by extension his football program - tough, hard-nosed, old school, driven.
But there's one word he doesn't want to stick to his Chanticleers - average. After posting winning seasons and taking conference titles right out of the starting gate at CCU, the Chants have fallen dangerously close to the mediocrity over the past two football seasons.
"I don't think anyone likes to be average and we've been very average the last two years," said Bennett, who is 10-12 over that span. "Hopefully we can not be average this year."
That won't be easy, with a schedule that includes two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents for the first time in school history (Coastal competes in the Big South Conference of the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division 1-AA). CCU opened at Kent State last night, and missed out on a golden opportunity to make some noise against an FBS opponent in the season opener, suffering a frustrating 18-0 defeat on the road. The Chants trailed just 2-0 at halftime, but the offense's inability to consistently move the ball and some special teams miscues derailed Coastal's shot at making school history.
Coastal's second FBS contest occurs late next month, as the Chanticleers visit Atlantic Coast Conference power Clemson on Oct. 31.
Those contests aside, the Chants also face a steep climb to get back to their glory days of winning the Big South, due to the improvement of league foes Liberty, Gardner-Webb and VMI.
"The rest of the league has gotten better as it truly is a league where you have to be ready to play every week," Bennett said. "We need to do an outstanding job of promoting our five home games and getting our students excited and into the game. It really helps us."
The task of returning Coastal to its above-average days falls on every facet of the game for CCU. After allowing as many points as it scored in 2008, the gap must swing in the Chants' favor.
"There are several keys for us,'' Bennett said of his '09 squad. "Last year we scored 24 points a game, but we gave up 24 points a game and we can't do that. We can't give up 24 points a game and be a good football team. I don't care what level you play in, from the pros to the little league ranks. And offensively we've got to score more points than 24."
Offensive output should improve with another year of experience at quarterback for both junior Zach McDowell and sophomore Jamie Childers (pictured, red jersey), who should share snaps. Both have missed time due to injury and must rebound to get the passing game off the ground.
The receiving corps also must step up its game after a subpar 2008 campaign. Junior wide receivers Brandon Whitley and Marquel Willis and tight end Ben Wells, along with sophomore wideout Keith Graham, must perform this season to help the passing game.
The Chants have a strong backfield returning in junior tailback Eric O'Neal and freshman Jeremy Height, and senior fullbacks and local products Tommy Fraser (Carolina Forest) and Racheed Gause (Conway) can pound the ball on the ground as well as lead block.
The offensive line will be the key to the ground game, and CCU returns starting seniors Ryan Boehm, Matt Manning and James Sims on the interior line. Tackles Tim Franklin and Seth Smalls tip the scales at more than 300 pounds, giving the O-line some size.
"We are still young overall on the offensive line but we're getting better," Bennett said. "We need to mature and get better as a unit for the line to reach its full potential."
The same is true on the other side of the ball, where the Chants are looking to replace several lost starters. Defensive end Phillip Oboh is the lone senior up front, flanked by junior Robert Balkunas, sophomore Dexter Holman and freshman Quinton Davis.
The Chants will have another young but solid core of linebackers, led by juniors Derrick Frasier, E.J. Brown and Chris Walls, sophomore Desmond Stewart and several freshmen.
Marcus Lott, Tarvorris Jolly and Marcus Norman provide some depth at cornerback, and the secondary is solid with senior Brandon Autry and junior Dominique Davenport returning.
Time will tell what this season will hold, but the Chants hope it is anything but average.
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