CLEMSON | Easily put, Clemson is going to win. Big. Four touchdowns? Five? Six? It doesn't really matter, because Coastal will march out of Death Valley with a check and a 3-5 record tomorrow afternoon. It does matter if the Chants have some pride when they get back on the bus.
There are two things that Coastal needs to accomplish: Stay healthy and do something -- anything -- to give this team some confidence and a spark for the final three weeks of the regular season. The way the Chants have played recently, there is no guarantee they'll beat Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian or Charleston Southern to finish the year. That would mean a program that averaged 9.3 wins per year between 2004 and 2006 could realistically finish 3-8 or 4-7. Any more injuries, which have already started to mount in alarming fashion, would hamper their chances to finish well.
But there is no better stage to create some momentum. Sure, Clemson's starters will likely string together some big plays, a number of sacks and romp behind their Homecoming crowd in the early going. But the talent gap will lesson at some point in the second half, when, with the result sealed, the Tigers will send in their reserves. If I'm Coastal, I leave the starters in as long as I can -- unless Clemson is physically beating them up -- in order to make some plays in the second half.
A touchdown or two for Coastal against Clemson's third stringers would still do wonders for the Chants, who've had very little identify and no cohesion on offense in recent weeks. Plus, the defense, which has been solid all year outside of the Liberty debacle, would feel even better about itself heading into the Gardner-Webb game. The Bulldogs arguably feature the Big South's best offense, though it's hard to believe they'll play better than the Flames did a few weeks back.
As inconsistent as Coastal has been offensively over the past few weeks, I think the Chants will have an opportunity to make some plays late in the game. They'll score at least one touchdown and add a field goal, perhaps at the buzzer like they did last year in State College. Of course, Clemson is going to score eight touchdowns in a big win. But a 56-10 loss might not feel too bad for the Chants.
There are two things that Coastal needs to accomplish: Stay healthy and do something -- anything -- to give this team some confidence and a spark for the final three weeks of the regular season. The way the Chants have played recently, there is no guarantee they'll beat Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian or Charleston Southern to finish the year. That would mean a program that averaged 9.3 wins per year between 2004 and 2006 could realistically finish 3-8 or 4-7. Any more injuries, which have already started to mount in alarming fashion, would hamper their chances to finish well.
But there is no better stage to create some momentum. Sure, Clemson's starters will likely string together some big plays, a number of sacks and romp behind their Homecoming crowd in the early going. But the talent gap will lesson at some point in the second half, when, with the result sealed, the Tigers will send in their reserves. If I'm Coastal, I leave the starters in as long as I can -- unless Clemson is physically beating them up -- in order to make some plays in the second half.
A touchdown or two for Coastal against Clemson's third stringers would still do wonders for the Chants, who've had very little identify and no cohesion on offense in recent weeks. Plus, the defense, which has been solid all year outside of the Liberty debacle, would feel even better about itself heading into the Gardner-Webb game. The Bulldogs arguably feature the Big South's best offense, though it's hard to believe they'll play better than the Flames did a few weeks back.
As inconsistent as Coastal has been offensively over the past few weeks, I think the Chants will have an opportunity to make some plays late in the game. They'll score at least one touchdown and add a field goal, perhaps at the buzzer like they did last year in State College. Of course, Clemson is going to score eight touchdowns in a big win. But a 56-10 loss might not feel too bad for the Chants.
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