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UTSA will make a little bit of history when they take the field at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina, to face Coastal Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Monday morning.

It will be the Roadrunners first time playing in the state of South Carolina and the first time in program history that UTSA plays a football game on a Monday. UTSA will be hoping that the result of their visit to the home of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers will be a second straight bowl victory.

Both UTSA and Coastal Carolina will be playing in their fifth straight bowl on Monday. It will be the Roadrunners sixth bowl game in program history. Coastal Carolina has gone 2-2 in its four previous bowl trips.

Coastal Carolina began as a school in 1954 when it was known as the Coastal Carolina Junior College in Conway. For its first four years, Coastal Carolina was an extension of the College of Charleston until that contract expired in 1958. In 1960, it became part of the University of South Carolina system and gained the name USC Coastal Carolina College. It remained a two-year college until 1973, when it added a third year, and in 1974, when it became a four-year university.

The school adopted the nickname Chanticleers not long after becoming an extension of the University of South Carolina. That mascot was chosen because of its similarity to the South Carolina mascot, the Gamecock. Coastal Carolina also was inspired by the Chanticleer character in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

In 1993, Coastal Carolina left the South Carolina system and became an independent university. Football came to Coastal Carolina 10 years later in 2003. The Chanticleers were members of the Big South Conference from 2003 to 2015 before becoming an FCS independent in 2016 and joining the Sun Belt in 2017.

Coastal Carolina won seven Big South championships, two outright and five shared. Since joining the Sun Belt, the Chanticleers have been co-champions once in 2020 after the conference championship game against Louisiana had to be canceled when a positive COVID test was found among the Chanticleers.

During their tenure in the Big South, Coastal Carolina had a moment of fame during the 2011 season when then-head coach David Bennett let it be known he wanted his players to "be more like a dog" and told the story of trying to get a stray cat out of his house. Bennett's clip made the rounds on sports shows for a week or so. At the end of that season, he was let go after going 63-39 in nine seasons.

The Chanticleers' program record is 172-95. Coastal Carolina has gone 116-60 since 2011.

Since the start of the 2020 season, UTSA and Coastal Carolina have been two of the better teams in the Group of Five. The Roadrunners go into the bowl game, having gone 45-20 this decade. Coastal Carolina has gone 45-18 in the 2020s.

This year has been tough for both teams. The Roadrunners and Chanticleers are both 6-6 going into the bowl game. Someone will have a run of four straight winning seasons come to an end on Monday.

UTSA has had an up-and-down year in 2024. The Roadrunners outscored opponents 387-376 (32.25 to 31.33 per game). Coastal Carolina also had an up-and-down season this year and didn't reach bowl eligibility until the final week of the regular season. The Chanticleers were outscored in their 12 games, 367 to 358 (30.58 to 29.83 per game).

On offense, UTSA racked up 5,352 yards this season (446 per game). The Roadrunners threw for 3,429 yards (285.8 per game) and ran for 1,923 yards (160.3 per game). Trying to stop that Roadrunner offense will be a Coastal Carolina defense that allowed 4,867 yards (405.6 per game) this season. Opponents of Coastal Carolina threw for 2,705 yards (225.42) and ran for 2,162 yards (180.2 per game).

Coastal Carolina's offense put up 4,587 yards this season (382.3 per game). Coastal threw for 2,443 yards (203.58 per game) and ran for 2,144 yards (178.7 per game). The Chanticleers will try their offense against a UTSA defense that has had opponents put up 4,606 yards this season (383.8 per game). Roadrunner opponents threw for 3,283 yards (273.6 per game) and ran for 1,323 yards (110.3 per game).

As far as turnovers go, UTSA has a plus-one turnover differential this season and has a streak of 22 straight games with a takeaway as well as 22 straight games with a quarterback sack. Coastal Carolina has a plus-five turnover differential.

NOTABLE PLAYERS

Normally, in this space, there is a comparison of individual players on both teams. That will continue for UTSA, but Coastal Carolina is in a unique situation as all of its top offensive statistical leaders have entered the transfer portal. UTSA will have quite a challenge on their hands going up against players for which there was not a whole lot of film compared to the regular starters. Coastal's defense will have to slow down a Roadrunner offense that seemed to get better as the season went along.

Much of that improvement is thanks to the growth of Owen McCown at quarterback. McCown stepped into the shoes of Frank Harris and continued his legacy of quality quarterback play. McCown completed 271 of his 437 pass attempts for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns. McCown was also third on the team in rushing yards with 303 and two rushing touchdowns on 82 carries.

Throughout the season, McCown had numerous receivers and tight ends to work with. Devin McCuin led the Roadrunners in receptions (40) and touchdowns (5) to go with 361 yards. Willie McCoy led the Roadrunners with 536 yards on 28 receptions and scored four touchdowns. Chris Carpenter (37 catches for 463 yards and a touchdown) was another notable receiver. Houston Thomas was the top tight end target with 32 catches for 443 yards and three touchdowns.

UTSA's top running back in 2024 has been Robert Henry. Henry has carried the ball 130 times for 706 yards and seven touchdowns. Brandon High has emerged as the second option at running back with 419 yards and seven touchdowns on 82 carries.

Last season, UTSA got its first bowl win in the Frisco Bowl against a Marshall team that had lost its quarterback to the transfer portal. The Roadrunners of 2023 were also unveiling a new quarterback in Owen McCown. On that cold night in Frisco, McCown helped lead the Roadrunners to the win.

It will be another cold bowl game this year, but this time on a Monday morning in Conway, South Carolina. UTSA and Coastal Carolina are both experienced in bowl games, having been in a bowl game every year since 2020.

Coastal Carolina will be in their home stadium, although UTSA will be the designated home team (much like the Roadrunners first-ever bowl game when UTSA faced New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl in 2016). Those Chanticleers who remain on the team will be energized to get the win on Monday.

UTSA will have to match that energy and take the momentum early. If the Roadrunners can get off to a better start, it could lead them down the beach road to victory. Adding another game to both the streak of games with a takeaway and the streak of games with a sack will also boost the Roadrunners chances of winning the Myrtle Beach Bowl.

Coastal will give them a good game, but the Roadrunners veteran players and some timely takeaways will help the Roadrunners make it two wins in a row in bowl games.

UTSA 35 Coastal Carolina 24

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