CCU falls to the University of Virginia as old problems cost Coastal. What went wrong

Coastal Carolina entered its second home game of the season undefeated, with an opportunity to finish out-of-conference-play 4-0.

CCU’s ACC foe, the University of Virginia, presented a dangerous opponent. Still, head coach Tim Beck seemed like he expected a competitive game at his regular midweek news conference.

Before kickoff, Brooks Stadium seemed alive with energy, a school-record sellout, as the Chants appeared ready to fight for a victory on their own teal turf.

Instead, Coastal fumbled the opening kickoff, a throwback to one of CCU’s chief problems in 2023. UVA pounced and scored a touchdown with the gifted short-field position, and Coastal spent the rest of the game trailing and unable to overcome its own mistakes.

By the end of the game, with both teams’ starters pulled, most Brooks Stadium seats were empty, fans choosing not to return after halftime. The pregame energy and excitement had disappeared from the Chanticleer faithful.

The Cavaliers (3-1) beat the Chants (3-1) 43-24 in a frustrating game for Coastal. Despite seemingly being remedied, the special teams miscues and red zone offense issues that cost CCU in 2023 returned. Meanwhile, CCU’s issues with the passing game continued as UVA’s defense shut down Coastal’s rushing attack, too.

Meanwhile, UVA, which entered the game with a prolific passing offense, chose to beat Coastal Carolina on the ground, finishing the game with almost 400 yards rushing to just 141 through the air. Despite some initial stops, CCU’s defense couldn’t subdue UVA’s offense, allowing the Cavaliers to go 9-18 on third down.

CCU linebacker Shane Bruce, after the game, acknowledged the CCU defense’s inability to get off the field.

“We got to tackle better. That’s what it is,” Bruce added. “I remember a specific one, the quarterback was running right at me, and I didn’t make the play. That’s what it comes down to.”

Beck said after the game that the initial turnover put Coastal in a hole and forced it to play catch-up. However, the early mistakes proved to be too much to overcome.

“You’re slugging away with them, and then it just kind of snowballed and (we) got behind,” Beck said.

Here’s what we learned from CCU’s first loss of the season:

Turnovers and red zone offense cost Coastal. How did CCU get out of sync?

CCU muffed several kickoffs and punts in 2023, but those near-disasters rarely resulted in a turnover. However, against UVA in 2024, Tray Taylor’s mishandled kickoff ended up in the hands of the Cavaliers.

Beck said after the game that CCU didn’t expect Virginia’s kicker to give them a chance to make a return heading into the matchup.

“We were preparing like this guy’s probably going to put the ball in the end zone, and then he hits a knuckleball down to the 8-yard line, bouncing,” he added. “It kind of caught us off guard a little bit.”

The turnovers didn’t stop there, as a first-quarter pass from Ethan Vasko was intercepted after a UVA defender jumped wide receiver Jameson Tucker’s route and deflected the ball. Tucker bobbled the redirected pass, and the ball ended up in the hands of a UVA defender.

Turnovers weren’t the only problem that cost the Chants in 2023 and reappeared to hurt them again. Before the season, offensive coordinator Travis Trickett emphasized improving in the red zone and finishing drives, and before UVA journeyed to Conway, S.C., Coastal had done just that.

But against a Cavaliers defense intent on stopping them, CCU’s offense stalled once it got close to its end zone. CCU scored on three of four trips but managed 17 points instead of a possible 28, as a field goal and a turnover on downs kept Coastal from staying in the game.

“It wasn’t our night. We didn’t play good. I sit in here every week and talk about winning the turnover battle. Everybody says that’s coach talk. It’s real,” Beck said. “We lost it, and how did the game go? You got to win third down. You got to win in the red zone.”

Coastal’s offense was inconsistent against UVA. Is it a troubling sign for in-conference play?

Throughout the game, Coastal’s offense appeared off. CCU running backs, previously able to fight past the offensive line and dominate the time of possession battle, were repeatedly stopped short. Coastal could not impose its will on the ground, and for the first time this season, CCU couldn’t consistently rely on running the ball in critical situations, finishing the game rushing for less than four yards per carry.

Beck said after the game that the loss probably won’t change CCU’s offensive philosophy and commitment to running the ball, but added that an early deficit and plays that resulted in losses led CCU to move away from the passing game.

“I don’t know what the true handoff rushing the ball was, but when we got all that stuff into your rushing yards, it’s going to look bad,” Beck said.

The passing game, which had struggled to generate consistent explosive plays in the first three games, again proved inconsistent. Coastal has shown it can dial up big plays and complement its running attack, but with each glimpse of potential, there’s been a pass broken up or nearly intercepted.

At times against the Cavaliers, though, CCU did manage explosive plays, as Vasko connected with Tucker, Taylor and tight end Kendall Karr for significant chunk plays. Vasko even made a pressure 29-yard throw to a well-covered Tucker on fourth down for a touchdown in the second quarter that seemed to provide hope for CCU, beleaguered by mistakes earlier in the game.

Indeed, Coastal garnered 294 of its 384 total yards on nine plays, less than 16 percent of the 57 total Coastal ran on offense. However, for most of the game, Vasko and backup Noah Kim seemed unable to connect with receivers consistently, as CCU finished the game completing less than 50 percent of its passes.

Beck said after the game that he wasn’t sure whether the problems with the passing game were because of CCU’s mistakes or the UVA defense. One drive served as a microcosm of CCU’s struggles on offense.

With more than 12 minutes left in the third quarter, CCU faced a crossroads. Down 30-10, CCU’s offense took the field, needing to score to get back in the game. Vasko did find Taylor with a swing pass; Taylor made several Cavalier defenders miss before being brought down at the Cavaliers’ 17-yard line.

Taylor has emerged as a versatile player on offense for Coastal, providing explosive plays receiving and running, similar to what Jared Brown did for CCU in 2023.

But for the rest of the drive, Coastal managed to gain just 9 yards, and UVA’s defensive line disrupted a Christian Washington rush on fourth-and-short almost immediately.

The resulting turnover on downs was reminiscent of some of CCU’s struggles early in 2023.

Regardless, the inconsistency on offense resembled some of the difficulties the Chants faced in Beck’s first year in Conway. In 2023, CCU’s offense would sometimes go cold, allow untimely turnovers, stall in the red zone or show an unreliable running attack. In 2024, despite being explosive and effective running the ball early, Coastal’s offense has again shown a propensity for losing momentum.

It’s unclear which version of CCU’s offense will be the norm entering Sun Belt Conference play. CCU could be an offense that puts opponents away early by running the ball and controlling the game, complemented by explosive passes that throw off defenses. But Coastal might be an offense that struggles to get the ball down the field and loses momentum.

Reality could reside somewhere in the middle.

The Chants will have more than a week to recalibrate. CCU will face Sun Belt Conference rival Old Dominion on Oct. 5 at a time to be determined. Coastal managed a fourth-quarter rally to take the away victory in 2023. The game was Vasko’s first as a starter.

Beck said the time off comes at the perfect time, as CCU faces injuries up and down its roster.

“We’re beat up. This is a good time,” Beck added.