Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Big South
Coach Joe Moglia stepped into a very good situation at Coastal Carolina. Many were not sure if he was the right hire for the program, but the results do not lie. The Chanticleers had a rough four game stretch after starting the year 2-0. They lost to Eastern Kentucky, Toledo, Appalachian State and Stony Brook. They should have lost all of those games, but they did keep some of them close. Unlike many teams from “smaller” conferences, this is a CCU squad that has played quality competition.
2012 Record: 7-4, 5-1
Coach: Joe Moglia
Big Wins: 9/8 at Furman (47-45), 10/27 Liberty (36-12)
Bad Losses: 9/15 Eastern Kentucky (17-35), 10/13 Stony Brook (21-27)
Strengths:
Coastal Carolina has a very balanced and effective offense. The team ranks in the top 30 in the nation in rushing offense and passing offense and in the top 16 in the country in total offense and scoring offense. It all starts with quarterback Aramis Hillary. Hillary can get the job done with his feet, but he is a quality passer as well. Hillary threw for over 2,000 yards on the season and has done a much better job taking care of the ball this season compared to the 2011 campaign. The ground game is making huge strides right now thanks to Marcus Whitener. He missed most of the season, but Whitener is adding another dimension to the ground attack now that he is getting touches. Even without Whitener CCU could rely on Jeremy Height and Lorenzo Taliaferro to keep the chains moving. Whitener does more than move the chains; he can get into the end zone on any attempt. Hillary has been even more efficient since Whitener stepped in and this is an offense that is has improved greatly during November. They are still getting better and that could surprise the opposition in the playoffs.
Weaknesses:
The defense ranked towards the bottom of the Big South in pass defense and total defense. The tough schedule has skewed the numbers a bit as Coastal Carolina gave up 35 points to EKU, 55 points to Appalachian State, 27 points to Stony Brook and 38 points to Toledo, which is not all that bad considering what the Rockets can do. But those are the types of teams the Chanticleers could run into during the playoffs, so the defense needs to do a bit better than they did during that stretch. The defense does do a pretty good job of garnering sacks or at least pressuring the opposing quarterback. Defensive end Quinton Davis is a very good player, but CCU will mix up their blitz packages and just about anybody on the field can get to the quarterback. They will need to keep up the pressure against any decent passing team they run into during the playoffs. Cornerback Dontavious Johnson is very good, but the rest of the secondary can be a little inconsistent.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Jeremy Height, RB, 754 yards
Passing: Aramis Hillary, QB, 2,133 yards
Receiving: Matt Hazel, WR, 615 yards
Tackles: Quinn Backus, LB, 123
Sacks: Quinton Davis, DE, 4.5
Interceptions: Dontavais Johnson, CB, 4
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 194.80 (25th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Passing Offense: 246.70 (28, 1)
Total Offense: 441.50 (16, 2)
Scoring Offense: 34.60 (15, 2)
Rushing Defense: 179.70 (82, 3)
Pass Defense: 225.90 (76, 6)
Total Defense: 405.60 (88, 5)
Scoring Defense: 27.20 (62, 4)
Turnover Margin: 0.40 (33, 1)
Sacks: 1.90 (56, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 1.60 (37, 3)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
2010 First Round Lost to Western Illinois
2006 First Round Lost to Appalachian State
*all team stats through 11/10
