MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
COASTAL CAROLINA……………………………………………………………. vs……………………………………………………………………..EAST CAROLINA
9-3 (6-2 Sun Belt)…………………………………………. 2022 Record………………………………………………..7-5 (4-4 AAC)
Conway, S.C. …………………………………………………….Location………………………………………………..Greenville, N.C.
1954 ………………………………………………………………….Founded………………………………………………………………….1907
10,473……………………………………………………………. Enrollment……………………………………………………………..27,152
Chanticleers……………………………………………………. Nickname…………………………………………………………….. Pirates
Teal, Bronze, and Black ……………………………………..Colors………………………………………………… Purple and Gold
Sun Belt (East Division) …………………………………Conference………………………. American Athletic Conference
Brooks Stadium (20,000)…………………………. Stadium (Capacity)……………..Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (50,000)
Chad Staggs (Interim) ……………………………………Head Coach………………………………………………..Mike Houston
0-0 (Interim)…………………………………..Head Coach’s Record at School ……………………. 21-24 (Fourth season)
same………………………………………………… Head Coach’s Overall Record…………………………101-49 (12th season)
0-0 vs. East Carolina ………………………. Head Coach Versus Opponent …………………..1-1 vs. Coastal Carolina
Spread Option………………………………………………….Basic Offense …………………………………………… Multiple Pro Style
29.1 (6th/60th)……………………. Points Per Game (Conference/National Ranking)…………………….30.8 (7th/47th)
162.2 (6th/58th) ……………Rushing Yards Per Game (Conference/National Ranking)…………….170.5 (5th/55th)
249.0 (6th/52nd)……………Passing Yards Per Game (Conference/National Ranking)…………… 288.5 (3rd/16th)
411.2 (6th/49th) ………………Total Yards Per Game (Conference/National Ranking) ……………..459.0 (4th/24th)
Multiple ………………………………………………………….. Basic Defense………………………………………………………….. Multiple
30.1 (10th/101st)…………. Points Allowed Per Game (Conference/National Ranking)…………….27.0 (5th/72nd)
130.3 (7th/38th) …….Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game (Conference/National Ranking)…….111.4 (2nd/18th)
282.0 (14th/124th)….Passing Yards Allowed Per Game (Conference/National Ranking)….298.5 (11th/131st)
412.3 (11th/97th)……..Total Yards Allowed Per Game (Conference/National Ranking)……….409.9 (7th/94th)
- at the end of the season (Dec. 5)
COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS NOTES:
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record (Streak):………………………………………………………………………………………..First-Ever Meeting
at Coastal Carolina (Streak):…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. N/A
at East Carolina (Streak):………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. N/A
Neutral Sites (Streak):………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. N/A
Last Meeting:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. N/A
COASTAL CAROLINA BY THE NUMBERS
2 – Coastal won the Sun Belt Conference East Division Championship for the second time in the last three seasons (2020 and 2022).
3 – The Chanticleers will be playing in their thirdstraight postseason bowl game on Dec. 27 after not reaching a bowl in their first three years as a full-time FBS member in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
7 – With a win in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl, the Chanticleers will finish the 2022 season with 10 wins. The 10-win season will mark the seventh double-digit win season in the program’s 20-year history.
10 – Coastal has posted two-straight 10-plus win seasons over the last two years, going 11-1 in 2020 and 11-2 in 2021, and will be looking for its third consecutive 10-win season with a win over East Carolina in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.
31 – Since the start of the 2020 season, the Chants have won 31 games, going 31-6 overall. The 31 wins are tied for the third-most in all of FBS during that span with Cincinnati (31-5). (Alabama – 36-4; Georgia – 35-3).
A COASTAL WIN WOULD …
• give CCU a 10-3 overall record on the year;
• extend the Chants’ double-digit wins streak to three consecutive seasons;
• push the Chants’ record to 2-1 overall at neutral sites;
• put Coastal at 1-0 all-time versus East Carolina on the gridiron;
• be the Chants’ second postseason bowl win (2-1) in the program’s young FBS history
A COASTAL LOSS WOULD …
• drop Coastal to 9-4 overall to finish the season;
• mark the first time the Chants have lost three consecutive games since losing three straight games twice in 2019;
• knock CCU to 1-2 in neutral site contests;
• put Coastal at 0-1 all-time versus East Carolina;
• drop the Chants to 1-2 all-time in bowl games in the program’s young FBS history.
WE’RE BACK AMERICA!
• For the third straight year, the Coastal Carolina football program was ranked in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Top 25 polls, as the Chanticleers came in at No. 23 in both national polls in week 12 and 13 of this season.
• The two top-25 national rankings on Nov. 13 were the first for the Chants this season and marked the first time that CCU was ranked nationally in both polls since Nov. 7, 2021, when the Chants were No. 21 in the Coaches poll and No. 22 in the AP poll.
• Coastal was ranked in both top 25 polls for 11-straight weeks in 2020 and 11-straight weeks in 2021.
• The Chants were one of just three Sun Belt Conference teams to earn a spot in the top 25 polls. James Madison was ranked No. 25 in the AP Top 25 poll in week 6 (Oct. 9) and Troy came in at No. 23 (AP) and No. 24 (USA Today) in the latest polls on Dec. 5.
RECEIVING VOTES
• Coastal Carolina has received votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches polls all season long. Coastal in the National Rankings in 2022
DATE AP COACHES CFP
Preseason – RV N/A
Sept. 6 – – N/A
Sept. 11 – – N/A
Sept. 18 – RV N/A
Sept. 25 – RV N/A
Oct. 2 RV RV N/A
Oct. 9 RV RV N/A
Oct. 16 – RV N/A
Oct. 23 – RV N/A
Oct. 30 RV RV –
Nov. 6 RV RV –
Nov. 13 #23 #23 –
Nov. 20 #23 #23 –
Nov. 27 RV RV –
Dec. 5 – RV –
SUN BELT’S – HIGHEST CALLING
• The Chanticleers made Sun Belt history several times in 2020, with the last being ranked in the top 10 nationally. CCU’s No. 9 ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 11 ranking in the Amway Coaches Poll (USA Today) on Dec. 20, 2020, are both SBC highs.
BEST SEASON IN SUN BELT HISTORY
• Coastal’s undefeated run through the Sun Belt Conference regular-season slate in 2020 was tied for the best conference regular-season in Sun Belt Conference history.
• With the win at Troy (Dec. 12, 2020) in the regular-season finale, Coastal became the only team in Sun Belt Conference history to finish the regular season undefeated at 11-0 overall.
Undefeated Conference Seasons in the SBC
Year Team Conf. Reg. Season
2021 Louisiana 8-0 11-1
2020 Coastal Carolina 8-0 11-0
2015 Arkansas State 8-0 9-3
2014 Georgia Southern 8-0 9-3
2011 Arkansas State 8-0 10-2
2009 Troy 8-0 9-3
2004 North Texas 7-0 7-4
2003 North Texas 7-0 9-3
2002 North Texas 6-0 7-5
ELITE COMPANY
• With their 11-2 overall record last season, the Chanticleers were one of just 28 teams in all of FBS to post double-digit wins in 2021.
• Having won 11 games in each of the last two seasons, CCU was one of just six teams in all of FBS to post back-to-back double-digit win seasons in the last two years (2020 and 2021).
Teams with Double-Digit Wins – Last Two Years
Team 2020 2021
Alabama 13-0 13-2
BYU 11-1 10-3
Coastal Carolina 11-1 11-2
Clemson 10-2 10-3
Notre Dame 10-2 11-2
Louisiana 10-1 13-1
• With a win in the Birmingham Bowl game (Dec. 27), the Chants will become one of the few teams to notch three-straight double-digit win seasons in each of the last three years.
Teams Trying for 10-plus Wins Again in 2022
Team 2020 2021 2022
Alabama 13-0 13-2 10-2
Clemson 10-2 10-3 11-2
Coastal Carolina 11-1 11-2 9-3
Notre Dame 10-2 11-2 8-4
BYU 11-1 10-3 7-5
Louisiana 10-1 13-1 6-6
20-PLUS VICTORIES
• Entering the 2022 season, the Chants were also one of just 10 teams in all of FBS to total 20-plus wins combined over the last two years (2020 and 2021).
Teams with 20-plus Wins – Last Two Years
TEAM 2020 & 2021 RECORD
Alabama 26-2
Louisiana 23-2
Cincinnati 22-2
Coastal Carolina 22-3
Georgia 22-3
Notre Dame 21-4
BYU 21-4
Oklahoma 20-4
Oklahoma State 20-5
Clemson 20-5
*entering the 2022 season
HASHTAG #WINNING
• With their 9-3 slate this season, the Chants are 31-6 since the start of the 2020 season.
• The 31-6 record since the start of the 2020 season is tied for the third-best record in all of FBS football with Cincinnati and behind only
Alabama and the defending 2021 National Champions in the Georgia Bulldogs.
Best Record Since 2020
TEAM OVERALL
Alabama 36-4
Georgia 35-3
Cincinnati 31-5
Coastal Carolina 31-6
Clemson 31-7
Notre Dame 29-8
Louisiana 29-8
BYU 28-9
Oklahoma State 27-10
Oklahoma 26-10
*since the start of the 2020 season
NO RESPECT FOR THE #FUNBELT
• The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers were the LAST Group of 5 program with just one loss on the season and are one of only eight G5 programs to have just three losses or less on the year entering bowl season.
Fewest Losses in Group of 5
TEAM OVERALL
14/17 Tulane (AAC) 11-2
22/22 UTSA (C-USA) 11-2
23/24 Troy (SBC) 11-2
South Alabama (SBC) 10-2
Coastal Carolina (SBC) 9-3
Air Force (MWC) 9-3
Cincinnati (AAC) 9-3
James Madison (SBC) 8-3
ANOTHER ONE
• Coastal will once again be on national television with the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl set to air on ESPN on Tuesday, Dec. 27, at 6:45 p.m. ET.
• The contest will mark the Chants’ eighth game this season that will be broadcasted nationally.
FIRST (GROUP OF 5 TEAM) AGAIN
• Last season, the Chanticleers became the first team to become bowl eligible in all of FBS with a 52-20 road win at Arkansas State on Thursday night, Oct. 7, 2021.
• This season, Coastal became the first Group of 5 program to become bowl eligible and one of only nine programs to accomplish the feat in just the sixth week of the season.
CHANTS GOING BOWLING
• With the win at ULM (Oct. 8), the Chanticleers became bowl eligible for the third-consecutive season.
NEUTRAL PLAY
• Coastal did not play its first neutral site contest until 2020, the program’s 18th year of existence.
• Overall, the Chants are 1-1 in contests played at a neutral site, both of which were bowl games in Orlando, Fla.
TUESDAY NIGHT TILT?
• For the first time in CCU’s 20-year history, the Chanticleers will play a game on a Tuesday.
• Overall, the Chants are 13-6 in games not played on Saturdays, including having won each of their last five non-Saturday matchups over the last two seasons.
SCOUTING THE ECU PIRATES
• The East Carolina Pirates are 7-5 this season and went 4-4 in American Athletic Conference play on the year. One of the Pirates’ wins on the year was a 39-21 victory versus Sun Belt Conference foe Old Dominion on Sept. 10.
• Picked to finish sixth in the 2022 American Athletic Conference Preseason Media Poll, the Pirates won their last contest, a 49-46 win at Temple on Nov. 26.
• East Carolina sophomore running back Keaton Mitchell was named to the 2022 All-American Athletic Conference first team for the second-straight season. He was the first Pirate since Justin Hardy (2012-14) to earn first-team honors in multiple seasons.
• Junior cornerback Malik Fleming and junior wide receiver C.J. Johnson were also tabbed to the second team, while graduate wide receiver Isaiah Winstead earned honorable mention accolades.
• The Pirates’ offense enters the bowl game seventh in the AAC and 47th nationally in scoring at 30.8 points per game. They have done it by averaging 459.0 total yards of offense per game, which is fourth in the American and 24th in all of FBS.
• Leading the way for the offense is quarterback Holton Ahlers, as he has completed 67.1 percent of his passes (289-of-431) for 3,408 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions. ECU’s 288.5 passing yards per game ranks third in the AAC and 16th nationally.
• Behind Ahlers is the American’s top running back in Mitchell. He leads the team and league with 1,325 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 179 carries. He is averaging 7.4 yards per rush on the year, which is second nationally.
• Six different Pirates have totaled 20 receptions are more this season, led by a team-high 82 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns from Winstead. C.J. Johnson has hauled in 60 receptions for 933 yards and a team-high nine scores, while Ryan Jones has totaled 41 catches for 413 yards and four touchdowns.
• ECU’s defense ranks fifth in the AAC in points allowed this season at 27.0 per game. The Pirates are holding opponents to just 111.4 rushing yards per game this season, which ranks second in the AAC and 18th nationally.
• The defense is led by safety Julius Wood with a team-high 82 tackles, while five other Pirates have totaled 50 tackles or more on the year, led by fellow safety Gerard Stringer’s 63 stops.
FIRST-EVER MEETING WITH THE PIRATES
• Coastal Carolina and East Carolina meet for the first time on the gridiron at the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 27).
THE AMERICAN
• Coastal Carolina will not only play East Carolina for the first time ever at the bowl game, but it will also be the Chanticleers’ first-ever game versus an opponent from The American Athletic Conference.
BROTHER VS. BROTHER
• The contest between Coastal Carolina and East Carolina will feature a matchup between two brothers, as CCU defensive backs coach Bryant Foster’s younger brother Chris Foster is the recruiting coordinator and running backs coach at East Carolina.
• The brothers coached against each other twice in the last three years, as the two coached against each other in 2019 and 2020 when the Chants played the Georgia Southern Eagles.
EAST CAROLINA PIRATES NOTES:
THE GAME
East Carolina will play in its first bowl game since the 2014 season when it faces off against Sun Belt member Coastal Carolina in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at Protective Stadium … The Pirates will also attempt to secure their eighth win of the season, ECU’s highest single-season victory total since 2014 … The Birmingham Bowl will mark the second consecutive bowl appearance for ECU following the 2021 Military Bowl, which was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Boston College Program, a first since a run of three consecutive appearances from 2012-24.
EAST CAROLINA RECORDS, STREAKS & TRENDS
Earned bowl eligibility for second-straight year under Mike Houston (first since 2012-14) …
Has won 8 of last 13 non-conference games dating back to 2019 …
Has not had an offensive TO in six-straight contests (longest streak in program history) …
Has not had an offensive TO in 8 of 12 games (most games w/o in program history – season) …
Has allowed only 12 4th-quarter offensive TDs in the last 18 games dating back to ‘21 …
Has surrendered just 20 points in the fourth quarter in the last five contests …
Has outscored its opponents 186-156 in the second half and in OT this year (+30 in points) …
Has forced at least one turnover in 28 of the last 32 games (and in 39 of the last 44) …
Snapped more offensive plays than their 12 opponents (835-798/+37) …
Has averaged 508.3 total yards and 330.7 passing yards in its last three bowl games …
FAST FACTS
Record – 7-5 (.583); AAC Record/Standing – 4-4 (.500)/t6th; Last 5 Games – 3-2; Last 10 Games – 6-4; Last 15 Games – 9-6; Streaks – East Carolina will play the 46th game of the Mike Houston Era when the Pirates face off against Coastal Carolina. ECU’s contest against the Chanticleers will be the Pirates’ 917th since the start of football in 1932 (461-444-11/.509).
THE COACHES
MIKE HOUSTON (Mars Hill ‘94) is in his 12th year as a collegiate head coach with a 101-49 (.673) mark, while he is 21-24 (.467) during four seasons at East Carolina. When he officially became the Pirates’ 22nd all-time head football coach on Dec. 4, 2018, Houston finished a three-year stint directing the James Madison program. Houston signed a contract extension with the Pirates securing his position through the 2026 season. Houston guided the Dukes to a 37-6 mark, which included three NCAA FCS postseason appearances (2016 national champions, 2017 national runner-up, 2018 second round) and a pair of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) titles. He was named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS National Coach-of-the-Year in 2016 after JMU turned in a 14-1 campaign. The appointment to the top Dukes’ football position followed brief head coaching assign- ments at Lenoir-Rhyne (2011-13) and The Citadel (2014-15). He led the Bears to a 29-8 ledger and a pair of NCAA Division II playoff showings before guiding the Bulldogs to a 14-11 record, a Southern Conference co-championship and a venture into the FSC playoffs in 2015. Houston, a Franklin, N.C. native, began his collegiate coaching career as defensive coordinator at Brevard College in 2006 before serving in a similar capacity at L-R from 2007 to 2010.
CHAD STAGGS (USC Upstate ‘00) will serve as the interim head coach for Coastal after being elevated to the position following Jamey Chadwell’s departure on Dec. 4, 2022 … No stranger to coaching in the state of South Carolina, Staggs, who from 2013-16 guided some of the nation’s top defensive units at Charleston Southern under Chadwell, joined the Coastal football staff as the linebackers coach in February 2019. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in July of 2019 … Since coming to Coastal, Staggs has helped mentor three All-Americans on the defensive side of the ball in Tarron Jackson (2020), C.J. Brewer (2020), and Josaiah Stewart (2021) … In 2021, he switched to overseeing the safeties group after coaching the inside linebackers in 2019 and 2020.
THE SERIES
The 2022 TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl will be the first-ever meeting (0-0) between Coastal Carolina and East Carolina in the sport of football … On the diamond, the Pirates are 6-8 and the two clubs recently played in the 2022 Greenville Regional Championship where ECU took the title game 13-4 advancing and hosting the Greenville Super Regional … The Pirates own a 5-3 record in men’s basketball.
MIKE HOUSTON AGAINST THE CHANTICLEERS
Mike Houston has faced off against Coastal Carolina two prior times in his 12-year coaching career where he owns a 1-1 all-time record … As the head coach at The Citadel, Houston’s squad lost to the Chanticleers 31-16 in 2014, but avenged the loss the following year during the opening round of the FCS Playoffs with a 41-38 victory over ninth-ranked Coastal Carolina.
CHAD STAGGS AGAINST THE PIRATES
Tuesday’s tilt will mark the first time Chad Staggs has faced the Pirates.
EAST CAROLINA AGAINST THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE
East Carolina has compiled an all-time record of 49-62 (.441) against current members of the Sun Belt Conference … The Pirates are 12-20 against Appalachian State, 2-0 vs. Arkansas State, 3-0 Georgia Southern, 0-1 vs. Georgia State, 0-1 vs. James Madison, 4-7 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, 1-1 vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 11-5 vs. Marshall, 3-0 vs. Old Dominion, 12-27 vs. Southern Miss and 1-0 vs. Texas State … ECU has enjoyed a recent run of relative success against the SBC, winning eight of the last 12 matchups (dating back to Sept. 1, 2012).
THE MONARCHS: A COMMON 2022 OPPONENT
Both East Carolina and Coastal Carolina had Old Dominion on its schedule this season … The Pirates defeated the Monarchs in early 2022 coming away with a 39-21 victory, while the Chanticleers dropped their October contest 49-21.
AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
The Pirates have produced a 43-59 (.422) regular season non-league record, which includes an 3-1 clip in 2022 … Last year the Pirates split their four non-conference games falling to Appalachian State and South Carolina to open the season before rallying back to post victories against Marshall and Charleston Southern … During his first season as head coach at ECU in 2019, Mike Houston led the Pirates to a 3-1 record – the program’s first winning non-conference ledger since 2014.
HOUSTON IN THE POST-SEASON
The 2022 TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowll marks the second consecutive bowl appearance for Mike Houston and his staff at East Carolina … While the 2021 Militaty Bowl served as his first FBS post-season game, it was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Boston College program … Houston does own an impressive 12-5 (.706) mark in post-season matchups at the NCAA Division II and NCAA FCS levels with three different p
programs – Lenoir-Rhyne (DII/4-2), The Citadel (FCS/1-1) and James Madison (FCS/7-2)
NON-SATURDAY MAYHEM
East Carolina is 22-30 in non-Saturday games since 2000 … Oddly, the Pirates have fared better on the road (15-15; 7-15 at home) … In terms of days (including bowls), ECU is 5-1 on Sundays, 1-1 on Mondays, 2-1 on Tuesdays, 0-3 on Wednesdays, 8-12 on Thursdays and 6-12 on Fridays … Most recently, ECU is 11-15 when deviating from the normal Saturday routine since 2010 … In 2022, ECU has played a pair of non-Saturday contests posting a 1-1 ledger (win at BYU/27-24; loss at Cincinnati/27-25) … With their win in Provo, Utah the Pirates became bowl eligible for the second-straight year under Mike Houston.
ON THE ROAD
Since becoming a conference member in 1997, East Carolina is 65-99 (.396) when playing away from DowdyFicklen Stadium … The Pirates have a 3-2 road slate in 2022 (wins at South Florida/Boca Raton, BYU and Temple; losses to Tulane and Cincinnati) … From a non-conference standpoint, ECU snapped a seven-game skid when it topped Old Dominion 24-21 on Sept. 28, 2019 but has only played four road non-AAC tilts since (2-2).
