Troy runs over Coastal Carolina. Is CCU’s season slipping away? What we learned

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers seemed to know they needed to do something. They’d lost four of their last five games.

But Troy had other plans.

The Trojans (2-7) upset CCU (4-4) 38-24 on Saturday in Troy, Alabama. CCU has lost three straight games and has put its 2024 season in jeopardy.

Head Coach Tim Beck said in his midweek news conference that he felt he needed to do something and help his team. CCU had a bye week to assess its struggles this season and regain momentum.

Quarterback Ethan Vasko, who previously had been benched after struggling, once again started for the Chants and played better, while Beck directly oversaw a somewhat improved offense. However, CCU’s efforts proved fruitless, and now Coastal faces a dilemma.

Beck said after the game that Coastal dug itself a hole early that it couldn’t overcome.

“I hate losing, and I’m trying to figure out how to help our guys to have success,” he said.

If CCU continues to struggle, the Chants could miss out on postseason play. It would be the first time CCU hasn’t played in a bowl game since joining the FBS in 2019.

Here’s what went wrong for Coastal Carolina against Troy and what it means for the rest of its season.

CCU’s defense is struggling. Here’s why and what it means

CCU’s hope of resetting the narrative around its season was dashed during the second quarter. Troy rattled off 21 points that put the game nearly out of reach. The formula the Trojans used to dominate the Chants during the period was uncomplicated. Troy wanted to run the ball, but Coastal could not stop the straightforward approach.

An indicator of Troy’s control could be seen in the way each of the Trojans’ drives started. The Trojans completed 99-, 89- and 82-yard efforts on three of their first four scoring drives. On a third-and-4 at the 17, the Trojans scored an 83-yard touchdown after a quick Matthew Cadwell throw to running back Gerald Green out of the backfield.

Green, the East Carolina transfer, accounted for half of Troy’s touchdowns and more than 170 of the Trojans’ total yards.

Each end zone trip served as a reminder of how CCU’s season has faced difficulty since its 3-0 start. The defense that provided points and cushion has lost some effectiveness. Injuries have taken away the Chants’ potency, particularly along the defensive line.

Emmanuel Johnson and Will Whitson’s exits from the season because of injury were felt in rush defense against Troy. The Trojans were the Sun Belt conference’s second-worst run offense entering their first game against the Chants since 2022.

Troy racked up nearly 200 yards rushing before the end of the second quarter. On its first touchdown drive, Troy started at its 1-yard line and rode seven straight rushes to the Coastal Carolina end zone, with several successful runs attacking the Chants in the heart of their defensive line.

After the game, linebacker Shane Bruce said that Coastal had a good game plan and executed well in practice, but it didn’t translate on the field. Bruce added that he felt good entering the game but “was wrong about some guys.” Bruce declined to say which guys he was referring to, but added that he meant the defensive unit.

“We didn’t execute well, and and even the things that we didn’t see, we’ve got looks for,” Bruce said. “So that’s no excuse.”

It’s a problem that’s gotten worse as the season has progressed. Coastal has surrendered at least 200 yards rushing in two of its last three outings.

Even as Coastal’s offense got activated in the third quarter, the defense couldn’t keep the Chants in the game, giving up costly penalties and more explosive running plays.

While injuries have hurt CCU’s ability to contain opposing offenses, there’s also precedent in Coastal’s recent history for being dominated on the ground.

During defensive coordinator Craig Naivar’s tenure at CCU, the Chants have had several games where they’ve been dominated on the ground. In 2023, Georgia State and Army outclassed CCU’s run defense and the bend-but-not-break unit broke.

CCU’s season is on the brink. What does the Troy loss mean for the rest of 2024?

The problems on defense served as a reminder of how CCU’s season has deteriorated from a 4-1 start. The slide from atop the Sun Belt Conference began in October and hasn’t slowed. CCU’s mistakes have stymied its efforts to stem the tide and shift the momentum.

In each of its losses, Coastal surrendered a large deficit early that its offense couldn’t make up after facing initial struggles. CCU offenses have slowly regained form as those games progressed, but these efforts have fallen short as the Chants’ defense couldn’t hold the line.

CCU’s offense can’t sustain momentum for consecutive drives, and the firing of offensive coordinator Travis Trickett didn’t change that.

The small details that hurt Coastal in 2023, the ones coaches stressed addressing before the season, have remained. CCU is one of the most penalized teams in the Sun Belt Conference, and wide receivers dropping passes have sometimes negated the work of the quarterbacks.

One play summed up these struggles. With less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Vasko found wide receiver Tray Taylor streaking down the middle of the field. Taylor got behind the defensive secondary and had a clear path to the end zone. But Taylor bobbled the ball, dropped the likely touchdown.

These problems have sapped CCU’s chances of returning to the Sun Belt Conference title game — a feat it was one win away from in 2023. It also jeopardized Coastal’s chances of making a bowl game, as CCU needs at least two more wins and must maintain at least a .500 winning percentage to earn a berth.

Troy entered the game tied for the worst record in the Sun Belt, but Coastal couldn’t capitalize. Before the season’s end, the Chants will face the two best teams in their division — Georgia Southern and Marshall.

Bruce added that the final stretch of the season was critical and that Coastal needed to forget about its recent struggles.

“We got to get guys really prepared in these next four games,” Bruce said. “That’s what it comes down to an elite level of focus, and that’s what we got to get guys to do.”

The Chants have less than a week to try and reset once more. CCU will face Appalachian State in Conway, South Carolina, on Thursday, Nov. 7. The game will start at 8 p.m. and air on ESPN.

Last Oct. 10, CCU beat the Mountaineers 27-24 in Boone, North Carolina, on a last-second field goal. Some Mountaineer fans threw cans and trash at CCU players as they left the field.