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Liberty Flames at Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

Sep 24, 20266:30 PM CTConway, SC
By JR·1 min read
Liberty FlamesLIB(2-1)
Coastal Carolina ChanticleersCCU(1-2)
AT
6:30 PM CT

TLDR: Liberty heads to the South Carolina coast off one of its best offensive showings in years, while Coastal Carolina has to answer for a home loss before this near-even Thursday night matchup.

THU SEP 24, 6:30 PM CT
Spread
WIN
Total
Liberty
(2-1)
WWLLL
Coastal Carolina
(1-2)
LWLLL
Kickoff69°

Liberty travels to Conway off a 51-15 blowout of Ball State, while Coastal Carolina has to answer for a home loss to Delaware before this near-even Thursday night matchup. Coastal weather and which team's recent flaw shows up again figure to decide it more than name recognition.

Liberty
  • Blew out Ball State 51-15 on Sept 19
  • Ground game clicking under Chadwell's system
  • Hasn't left Lynchburg since that rout
  • Untested yet against a Sun Belt front
Coastal Carolina
  • Playing in front of its own crowd at Brooks Stadium
  • Still early enough to fix September mistakes
  • Let Delaware move the ball for 22 points at home
  • Defense has to answer for that outing fast

Liberty's offense looked like a different unit against Ball State on September 19, torching a MAC defense for 51 points behind Jamey Chadwell's ground game. Whether that carries onto the grass at Brooks Stadium against a Sun Belt front is the real question here, and it's set against a Coastal Carolina defense that just gave up 22 points at home to Delaware.

Neither side is walking in with a headline injury serious enough to move a number, so this comes down to which flaw resurfaces: a Coastal Carolina defense that let a CAA opponent move the ball for two full quarters at Brooks Stadium, or a Liberty group that hasn't left Lynchburg since the Ball State blowout. The market has this shaded about as close as two teams can be priced.

Drizzle and a steady coastal breeze are in the forecast for kickoff, which matters for two offenses that lean on tempo and the ground game rather than chucking it 40 times. Brooks Stadium tends to get loud regardless of record, and a wet football changes both game plans more than a pregame number can account for.

Liberty Flames
(2-1)
09/19WvsBall State51-15
09/12WvsGardner-Webb24-23
09/05L@James Madison13-20
11/29LvsKennesaw State42-48
11/22L@Louisiana Tech28-34
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
(1-2)
09/19L@Delaware14-22
09/12WvsFordham45-7
09/05L@West Virginia24-31
12/30L@Louisiana Tech14-23
11/29LvsJames Madison10-59

Liberty's identity under Chadwell has been physical, run-first football and forcing mistakes, and the Ball State tape backs it up — 51 points is 51 points no matter the opponent. Coastal Carolina still has to explain how a defense built to hang with Sun Belt contenders let Delaware move the chains for that long inside its own building.

Liberty Flames
(3)
  • QuestionableJ. Marshall (RB) — Marshall is hampered by leg injury, and it has yet to be established if he will be active against Ball St. on Saturday, September 19th.09/12
  • OutB. Burklow (TE) — Burklow is hampered with an undisclosed injury, and he is not expected to suit up against Ball St. on Saturday, September 19th.09/19
  • OutC. Wood (RB) — Wood is dealing with an undisclosed injury, and he is not expected to play against Ball St. on Saturday, September 19th.09/19
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries to report

Both teams are early enough in the season that Thursday will tell a lot about which direction each is actually trending. For Liberty, it's about proving the Ball State outburst wasn't a one-game mirage against a bad team. For Coastal Carolina, it's about answering for a home loss before conference play picks up in earnest.

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