Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009

Chanticleers look to salvage winning season

CONWAY -- Coastal Carolina has no chance to make the FCS playoffs and virtually no chance to win the Big South conference championship.

Yet, the Chanticleers (3-5, 1-2 conference) have plenty left to play for in the final three weeks of the regular season. Coastal has lost three straight games for just the second time in school history, and faces the prospect of the program's first four-game skid against Gardner-Webb at Brooks Stadium Saturday.

If Coastal loses any of its last three games - the Chants host Presbyterian and visit Charleston Southern in the final two weeks - it will finish with a losing record for the second time in three seasons.

"Through all the mishaps, we're still fighting for a winning record," Coastal coach David Bennett said Monday. "It's a three-game season. ... Our back is against the wall. We have to see if we'll come out fighting."

Bennett understands the momentum that a solid finish could create in recruiting, especially with a coveted field house nearing completion. But he also wants to play well down the stretch to buoy the mood in a program that has fallen on hard times.

At least one Coastal player, tight end David Duran, believes the direction of the program will be scripted over the next three weeks.

"How we end this season is what we'll carry into the spring and summer workouts as we prepare for next season," he said. "That impacts guy's attitudes and how people treat the offseason."

Tougher road

Coastal and Gardner-Webb (5-3) have played difficult schedules. Both have played two FBS schools and lost to members of the Mid-American and Atlantic Coast Conferences.

However, the Chants have played the much tougher schedule, according to the NCAA. Coastal's schedule so far is ranked 54^th in the nation - its opponents have a 27-30 record. Gardner-Webb's schedule is ranked 108^th (opponent record of 13-29).

Coastal faces the nation's 28^th ranked offense. Behind quarterback Stan Doolittle, the Bulldogs are averaging a Big South-best 382 yards per game this season. The Bulldogs are second in the league in scoring at 29.4 points per game, more than twice Coastal's average.

Not again

Coastal tailback Eric O'Neal was one of several players to miss practice with an injury Monday. It's become an all-too-familiar sight to see the talented junior on the sidelines.

O'Neal missed much of the build up to the season opener after suffering a high ankle sprain during the preseason. He's dealt with the injury all season long, but his ankle was rolled on Saturday by a Clemson player, reinjuring an ankle that was starting to heal. He was out for part of the 2008 season with the same injury on the other ankle.

"It's pretty frustrating going through the same injury over and over," said O'Neal, who could not give a timetable for his return. "It would be one thing if it was a different injury."

Also missing practice were offensive linemen James Sims (ankle) and Matt Manning (knee), quarterback Jamie Childers (unknown), receiver Adrian Sullivan (ankle) and kick returner Jake Owen (hamstring).

Down to the wire?

The race for the Big South championship could come down to the final week of the regular season. Stony Brook's win over Gardner-Webb improved the Seawolves, who are idle this week, to 4-0 in the league. Liberty can join them atop the standings with a win over VMI Saturday.

If Stony Brook (5-4) can win at Charleston Southern and Liberty can win at Gardner-Webb on Nov. 14, the Flames and Seawolves will meet on Long Island, N.Y., in a winner-take-all battle for the league crown the next week.

Two-time defending champion Liberty is 6-2 and ranked 16^th in the country by the Sports Network.