No. 15/15 Coastal Carolina visits Arkansas State on ESPNU to headline week 6 slate

Published 3:27 pm Wednesday, October 6, 2021

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No. 15/15 Coastal Carolina will compete in front of a national television audience for the third time this season when it visits Arkansas State at 6:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPNU.

The Chanticleers earned their first victory over the Red Wolves a season ago and will attempt to keep their 10-game conference winning streak alive Thursday.

The three-game Saturday slate features a West Division matchup between South Alabama and Texas State and an East Division tangle between Georgia Southern and Troy.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

TURN THE TIDE – Redshirt sophomore quarterback Grayson McCall—the national leader in completion percentage (80.2), passing efficiency (225.0) and yards per pass attempt (12.94)—will lead No. 15/15 Coastal Carolina into Jonesboro as it looks to turn the tide of its all-time series with Arkansas State at 6:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPNU. The Chanticleers will be the highest nationally-ranked opponent to visit Centennial Bank Stadium. The Red Wolves own a 3-1 mark against the Chanticleers, including a 2-0 record at home. Coastal Carolina got its first victory over Arkansas State last season with a 52-23 win in Conway. Defensively, Coastal Carolina is allowing just 130.8 yard per game—the third lowest in the nation—and is the lone FBS program to have yet to allow a passing touchdown this season.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE – When South Alabama visits Texas State at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+, it will attempt to become the first road team to win a game in the series. The Jaguars and Bobcats have split the all-time series, 3-3, with the home team proving victorious in the six prior matchups. A Jaguars victory would give the South Alabama back-to-back conference road wins for the first time since Sept 27 and Oct. 4, 2014.
RUNNING GAME – A Georgia Southern squad coming off a 503-yard rushing effort will square off against one of the nation’s premier defenses when it travels to Troy at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+. The Trojans are allowing just 266.2 yards per game—a total that sits fifth in the nation—with 97.8 of those yards coming on the ground, good for 21st in the FBS. The Eagles’ 291.0 rushing yards per game this season sits fourth in the nation. Troy leads the all-time series 13-7, though Georgia Southern is 7-5 since reinstating its program in 1984.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS – Georgia State will face its first conference road test of the 2021 campaign when it travels to ULM at 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN3. In the last two meetings, the Panthers have set a program record. In 2020, Georgia State tied the program record for points against an FBS opponent in a 52-34 victory. In 2019, the Panthers rushed for a program-record 414 yards in a 45-31 loss. The all-time series is tied at 3-3, though the Panthers have won three of the last four meetings.
MR. 2000 – With a 143-yard output against Louisiana on Oct. 2, South Alabama junior wide receiver Jalen Tolbert became the first player in Jaguar program history to amass 2,000 career receiving yards. Tolbert, a Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team selection, leads the Sun Belt and ranks seventh in the nation, averaging 115.0 receiving yards per game.

WHERE TO WATCH

Date	Game	Time	Broadcast
Thursday, Oct. 7	No. 15/15 Coastal Carolina at Arkansas State \| Game Notes \| Game Notes	6:30 p.m.	ESPNU
Saturday, Oct. 9	South Alabama at Texas State \| Game Notes \| Game Notes	6 p.m.	ESPN+
Saturday, Oct. 9	Georgia Southern at Troy \| Game Notes \| Game Notes	6 p.m.	ESPN+
Saturday, Oct. 9	Georgia State at ULM \| Game Notes \| Game Notes	7 p.m.	ESPN3