2025 WEEK 1 NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
2025 WEEK 1 SUN BELT PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
2025 WEEK 1 SUN BELT PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
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Ronnel Johnson of Missouri State catches the winning touchdown pass in overtime.
Johnson then proceeds to act a fool for simply doing his job.
Coastal Carolina running back Jalen John scores on a 7-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Coastal Carolina receiver Colton Hinton grabs a pass that he took for six.
Coastal Carolina linebacker Shane Bruce returns an interception 48 yards for a touchdown.
CHANTS CHOKE
Coastal Carolina blows lead in
OT loss to lowly Missouri State
CONWAY, S.C. — Are the Carolinas where coaching legends come to die?
We’ve seen Bill Belichick’s reputation take a major hit at North Carolina as the elderly sugar daddy seems more preoccupied with being serviced by his young play thing than coaching football.
B-Dawg doesn’t have that kind of distraction (that we KNOW of!), but hasn’t exactly met expectations in his first two games at Coastal Carolina.
He got a mulligan for being trounced by Virginia in the 2025 season opener, given the fact the Cavaliers have a much higher team rating and were playing at home.
But how do you excuse losing at home to a Missouri State team that is 64 OVR and playing its first season as an FBS team?
It certainly looked like B-Dawg had things in hand, building a 21-6 lead late in the first half. However, a meltdown to close out the half got Missouri State back in a game it eventually won 38-31 in overtime on Sept. 4, 2025.
The Chanticleers’ defense helped turn 71 OVR junior receiver Ronnel Johnson into a star. Johnson caught a five-yard touchdown pass with 1:03 left in regulation time to force overtime, then caught a three-yard scoring strike on the first series of overtime for what proved to be the winning touchdown.
Johnson caught 13 passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns, as the Bears (1-1) got their first victory as an FBS member.
On Coastal Carolina’s possession in overtime, B-Dawg fell in love with running fullback Deshawn Bush out of FB Sting in the wishbone. Bush ran the ball on all seven plays of the possession, giving the Chanticleers second-and-goal from the two-yard line. He nudged the ball to the one-yard line but was stopped twice for no gain to end the game.
On fourth down, Bush appeared to have an opening to the end zone, but it was immediately closed by 59 OVR sophomore middle linebacker Tray Hunter-Bell, who made his only solo tackle of the game to break the hearts of Coastal Carolina fans.
“The fullback dive out of the wishbone looks like it will be a promising play for us, but we overdid it,” B-Dawg said. “It’s also hard to run a fullback against a goal-line defense when everyone in the stadium knows it’s coming.”
B-Dawg brushed aside notions that, at age 62, the game has passed him by.
“I just won a natty at Northwestern at the age of 62,” B-Dawg said. “My mind is as sharp as ever. Once I discover the same three or four money plays that I can use over and over and over again, we’ll be fine.”
The Chanticleers took a 21-6 lead on Colton Hinton’s 15-yard touchdown catch from Roquan Barber with 1:37 left in the first half, but the Bears had a strong finish to the half.
Johnson scored on a 55-yard pass play when he broke a couple of tackles on a catch down the middle for a touchdown that looked predetermined by the game with 1:14 left in the half.
Coastal Carolina mounted a promising drive before halftime, but Khalil Anderson intercepted a pass with 10 seconds left, returning the ball to the Chanticleers’ 41-yard line. After Jacob Clark broke free from a sack and scrambled to the 37, Missouri took the gift 53-yard field goal as time expired.
COASTAL CAROLINA BLOCKING: Heston Edwards 8-0; Thomas Johnson 7-0; Joseph Hanson 5-0; Julius Tate 5-0; Nick Del Grande 4-0; Deshawn Bush 3-1; Brooks Johnson 2-0; Tray Franklin 1-0; Cane Berrong 1-0; Zach Courtney 1-0.
WEEK 2
James Madison 18, Louisville 17
Clemson 52, Troy 10
Southern Mississippi 31, FCS Southeast 13
Tulane 38, South Alabama 17
USC 52, Georgia Southern 16
Missouri State 38, Coastal Carolina 31 (OT)
Old Dominion 33, FCS Southeast 0
Alabama 38, UL-Monroe 15
Marshall 29, FCS West 10
Louisiana 31, FCS Southeast 10
Appalachian State 56, FCS Midwest 16
Texas-San Antonio 40, Texas State 37
Arkansas 49, Arkansas State 34
2025 WEEK 2 NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
2025 WEEK 2 SUN BELT PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
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I tried to remake / TeamBuild'er Coastal Carolina, but for whatever reason "Coastal Carolina" is too long for a school name. I'm glad to see someone else went Teal.Comment
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East Carolina’s Nick Childress intercepts a pass that he returned 63 yards for a touchdown.
Jalen John ran for both of Coastal Carolina’s touchdowns.
Coastal Carolina strong safety Xamarion Gordon picks off a pass.
Coastal Carolina receiver Jameson Tucker had 12 catches for 124 yards.
SEARCHING FOR A DUB
Coastal Carolina remains winless after
getting run out of crib by East Carolina
CONWAY, S.C. — Before the glory comes, there will apparently be suffering.
How much suffering remains to be seen, but B-Dawg is already off to one of the worst starts in his coaching career following Coastal Carolina’s 42-14 loss to East Carolina on Sept. 13, 2025.
At 0-3, the Chanticleers are only the third team out of 16 coached by B-Dawg since NCAA 2004 to go winless through his first three games. Oregon State started 0-4 in the 2008 season of NCAA 2009, but went 7-2 the rest of the way. Vanderbilt started 0-3 in the 2006 season of NCAA 2007 and went on to have B-Dawg’s worst season ever at 3-9.
A one-point win over FCS Southeast kept Western Michigan from starting 0-5 in the 2013 season of NCAA 2014.
Among the biggest reasons for the Chanticleers' dismal start are a receiving corps with hands of stone and a quarterback who is a turnover machine.
Coastal Carolina had seven dropped passes against East Carolina, giving the Chanticleers 16 through three games. Coastal Carolina has 83 completions in 162 attempts, so one in every 10 attempts is being dropped.
Quarterback Roquan Barber served up two more interceptions, giving him six picks and only one touchdown pass. Emmett Brown has relieved him twice and could be given the starting job next week for the Sun Belt Conference opener against South Alabama.
“Our inability to sustain drives with our passing game is obviously keeping us from scoring, but also keeping us from possessing the ball so the other team doesn’t score,” B-Dawg said. “We have to get the passing game figured out, whether it’s a quarterback change or slider tweaks.”
Another reason Coastal is struggling is B-Dawg is having trouble executing some of his money plays from College Football 25, particularly in the five-wide set.
“It’s as if they scouted my Northwestern game film,” B-Dawg said. “That’s what I get for throwing that stuff on YouTube. The five-wide plays that were cash money aren’t working. Wildcat Flood isn’t remotely close to automatic. QB Blast runs are getting stuffed. This game is going to make me work harder than I care to.”
The Chanticleers were never in this one, falling behind 13-0 early in the second quarter and 26-7 early in the third. Jalen John ran for both of Coastal Carolina’s touchdowns.
Down 29-14, B-Dawg hoped to dial up some of the comeback magic he was known for at Northwestern in College Football 25, but a 63-yard pick-six by Nick Childress with 3:52 left in the game sealed the Chanticleers’ fate.
Senior strong safety Dre Pinckney was all over the field, making nine solo tackles, eight assists and three for losses.
B-Dawg switched back to 11-minute quarters for this game after playing his first two at 12 minutes.
COASTAL CAROLINA BLOCKING: Heston Edwards 10-0; Julius Tate 6-0; Dominic Rijos 4-0; Cane Berrong 4-0; Deshawn Bush 3-0; Nick Del Grande 3-0; Brayson McIver 2-0; Zach Courtney 2-0; Sawyer Goram-Welch 1-0; Jameson Tucker 1-0; Thomas Johnson 1-0; Brooks Johnson 1-0.
2025 WEEK 3
Virginia Tech 49, Old Dominion 24
Memphis 34, Troy 6
Marshall 30, FCS Southeast 27
Auburn 35, South Alabama 7
Jacksonville State 21, Georgia Southern 17
Iowa State 52, Arkansas State 0
Southern Mississippi 34, Appalachian State 17
East Carolina 42, Coastal Carolina 14
Missouri 38, Louisiana 35
Georgia State 59, FCS Southeast 13
Arizona State 48, Texas State 6
2025 WEEK 3 NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
2025 WEEK 3 SUN BELT PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
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Man, I was really rooting for you this game, for obvious reasons 😂
Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris bounces off a safety attempt by Se’Von McDowell
before throwing a 99-yard touchdown pass to Jahlmal Edrine.
Virginia WR Jahlmal Edrine is in the clear on a 99-yard touchdown catch and run.
Coastal Carolina lineman Aamarii Notice sacks Virginia QB Chandler Morris.
Coastal Carolina receiver Malick Meiga hauls in a pass in the middle of the field …
… and he goes 52 yards to the house for the Chanticleers’ first touchdown of this dynasty.
DISMAL DEBUT
Virginia dominates Coastal Carolina
in B-Dawg’s first game with Chants
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Well, it looks like B-Dawg has his work cut out for him.
Virginia has a much higher team rating than Coastal Carolina, but nobody would mistake the Cavaliers for Ohio State or Oregon.
So, if the 84 OVR Cavaliers could lay a 40-7 beatdown on the Chanticleers in B-Dawg’s debut at Coastal Carolina, imagine what a real power conference team could do.
Chandler Morris threw three of his four touchdown passes in the second quarter, as Virginia opened up a 24-0 halftime lead. The lead reached 37-0 before Coastal Carolina finally broke a big play for its first touchdown in this dynasty, a 52-yard pass from Emmett Brown to Malick Meiga with 2:49 left in the game.
“This was always going to be a tough game for us to win, but I thought we would hang around and keep things interesting,” B-Dawg said. “It’s obvious we are woefully lacking in many areas. It would have helped had I prepared our guys better by playing more than a couple of games before jumping into dynasty games.”
The Chanticleers were indeed hanging around, down only 10-0 late in the first half, when B-Dawg experienced one of the most frustrating plays of his coaching career.
Coastal Carolina linebacker Se’Von McDowell made a beeline for Chandler in the end zone and appeared to have a sack that would also be a safety. But Chandler bounced off McDowell easily and released a pass that turned into a 99-yard touchdown to Jahmal Edrine with 1:37 left in the first half.
Instead of it being a 10-2 game, Coastal Carolina trailed 17-0.
Things got worse when James Jackson intercepted a pass from Joaquan Barber, who threw three picks, setting up a 21-yard touchdown pass from Morris to Jayden Thomas before halftime.
As Virginia’s lead reached 37-0 with 7:14 left in the game, there was a very real possibility that B-Dawg would get shut out in a dynasty game for the first time in 1,341 games dating back to his time at Michigan in NCAA 2005.
B-Dawg at least salvaged that streak when Meiga caught a pass from “shield slants,” a play in which all the receivers line up to the wide sides of the field. Meiga had plenty of room in the middle of the field and then cut to his left to go 52 yards to the house with 2:49 left.
“There was a lot of trial and error in this game, since I played so few games before firing up this dynasty,” B-Dawg said. “I may have landed my first money play. We’ll see if the CPU adjusts.”
B-Dawg has been shut out only twice in 1,669 dynasty games dating back to NCAA 2004. His Michigan teams were blanked 19-0 by Iowa on Oct. 6, 2007 in NCAA 2004 and 20-0 by Michigan State on Sept. 28, 2013 in NCAA 2005.
Brown entered the game after Barber threw three interceptions, going 13-for-33 for 157 yards and one touchdown. While Brown protected the ball better, the completion percentage was brutal.
The Chanticleers’ schedule should be much more forgiving for a while, with nonleague games against Missouri State and East Carolina before they enter Sun Belt Conference play. A late-season game at South Carolina could get ugly if Coastal Carolina doesn’t figure out some things before then.
“We missed a lot of open receivers and missed a lot of tackles,” B-Dawg said. “I’m not sure how much of it is because I chose fairly aggressive sliders or how much of it is we were just overmatched. The next couple weeks will give us a better idea.”
COASTAL CAROLINA BLOCKING: Heston Edwards 8 pancakes, 0 sacks; Nick Del Grande 3-0; Thomas Johnson 2-0; Deshawn Bush 2-0; Julius Tate 2-0; Brooks Johnson 1-0; Cane Berrong 1-0; Joseph Hanson 0-1.
WEEK 1
UL-Monroe 34, FCS East 0
Appalachian State 42, Charlotte 31
Southern Mississippi 34, Mississippi State 28
Indiana 48, Old Dominion 28
Georgia 45, Marshall 10
Virginia 40, Coastal Carolina 7
James Madison 52, FCS West 17
South Alabama 42, FCS East 14
Arkansas State 42, FCS Midwest 10
Troy 46, FCS Southeast 20
Rice 24, Louisiana 18
Mississippi 45, Georgia State 17
Texas State 21, Eastern Michigan 15
Georgia Southern 27, Fresno State 20
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tough start to the Nasty so far but love the team choice! That field and uni combos are amazing! Looking forward to legendary coach BDawg taking this program to the promised land.Comment
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Looking forward to this franchise BDawg!Comment
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If I'm going to spend 10-11 months playing with the same team, I need eye candy!!! It's a rough start, but we like it rough in these parts. (Meant to sound as sketchy as it came off.) Thanks for checking in.
Tarheelsguy: (I haven't figured out how to do multiple quotes on the new boards). Thanks as always for checking in.
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Coastal Carolina’s quarterback of the future might be Dom Pawelek.
The three-star prospect from Naples, Fla. vaulted the Chanticleers to No. 1 on his list of colleges he’s considering following the team’s bye week. Coastal Carolina wasn’t in his top eight when the recruiting process began.
Pawelek is listed as a “pure runner” by EA Sports.Comment
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Coastal Carolina running back Ja’Vin Simpkins scores on a 76-yard touchdown pass.
Ezekiel Durham-Campbell of Coastal Carolina celebrates a sack.
Ezekiel Durham-Campbell of Coastal Carolina sacks Old Dominion QB Colton Joseph.
Old Dominion receiver TJ Lott caught two touchdown passes.
Coastal Carolina fullback Deshawn Bush runs for a touchdown.
KNOWS HIS ROLE
Ja’Vin Simpkins doesn’t get many carries,
but receiving skills lead Coastal past ODU
NORFOLK, Va. — Ja’Vin Simpkins may not be Coastal Carolina’s featured running back, but as long as he keeps showing up in passing formations he could have a huge season.
Simpkins ran only five times for 12 yards, but he hauled in six passes for 133 yards and a touchdown in the Chanticleers’ 42-35 victory over Old Dominion on Oct. 4, 2025.
The biggest damage comes when Coastal Carolina throws screen passes to Simpkins, who took one 76 yards for a touchdown on third-and-13 to open the scoring.
“Screen passes to running backs were virtually impossible in College Football 25, because the pass rush would be all over the quarterback before he could throw the ball,” Coastal coach B-Dawg said. “What we have here is an EA Sports over-correction. It is now the most deadly play I’ve discovered so far. If it’s third and 20, I’ll feel more comfortable throwing to a running back five yards behind the line of scrimmage than to a receiver down the field.”
The Chanticleers had four running backs have at least one double-digit gain, and Simpkins wasn’t one of them with a nine-yarder being his longest run.
Coastal Carolina (2-3) jumped out to a 14-0 lead with two touchdowns in the final minute of the first quarter, but Old Dominion (1-4) quickly got within 14-10 and would be a pain in the butt the rest of the day.
Colton Joseph was 25-for-38 for 339 yards, three touchdowns and one pick for Old Dominion. TJ Lott caught four passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
Coastal Carolina had three sacks in the first quarter, but only one the rest of the game.
When Old Dominion scored with 47 seconds left to get within seven points, receiver Malcolm Gillie fell on the onside kick for the Chanticleers to seal the victory.
Old Dominion linebacker Jason Henderson, who at 92 OVR is the highest-rated player in the Sun Belt Conference, had nine solo and six assisted tackles.
COASTAL CAROLINA BLOCKING: Heston Edwards 7 pancakes, 0 sacks; Julius Tate 6-0; Nick Del Grande 4-0; Brayson McIver 4-0; Joseph Hanson 3-0; Dominic Rijos 2-0; Deshawn Bush 2-0; Brooks Johnson 1-0; Cane Berrong 1-0.[/b]
2025 WEEK 6
Oregon State 28, Appalachian State 21
James Madison 29, Georgia State 21
Coastal Carolina 42, Old Dominion 35
South Alabama 43, Troy 28
Northwestern 21, UL-Monroe 7
Texas State 26, Arkansas State 25
2025 WEEK 6 NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
2025 WEEK 6 SUN BELT CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
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Coastal Carolina fullback Deshawn Bush runs for a touchdown.
Coastal Carolina strong safety Xamarion Gordon intercepts a pass.
Coastal Carolina free safety Avyonne Jones celebrates a sack.
Coastal Carolina free safety Avyonne Jones scores on a pick-six.
Coastal Carolina cornerback Robby Washington intercepts a pass.
Coastal Carolina running back Breyahn Townsend does the Heisman pose after scoring.
Coastal Carolina defensive tackle Sawyer Goram-Welch sacks UL Monroe's Hunter Herring.
BRINGING FB BACK
Fullback position continues to get
respect in Coastal’s win over ULM
CONWAY, S.C. — Fullback has become an archaic position in football, but Coastal Carolina coach B-Dawg is bound and determined to bring it back.
Deshawn Bush is the beneficiary of the Chanticleers’ reliance on a position that many teams don’t even carry these days.
Bush was Coastal Carolina’s leading rusher with 80 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries during a 38-14 victory over Louisiana Monroe on Oct. 11, 2025.
Bush has been the team’s leading rusher over the last two games, gaining 152 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 24 carries. In the game before that, B-Dawg put running back Ja’Vin Simpkins at fullback to get better acceleration from that position. Even though Simpkins had 144 yards in a victory over South Alabama, B-Dawg put Bush back at fullback to provide better blocking in most sets.
Where Bush has thrived has been in the wishbone formation on a play called FB Sting.
“It’s been borderline cheesy, because the CPU doesn’t seem to react well to the fullback getting the ball,” B-Dawg said. “He’s got three or four yards before the defense knows what’s coming. I’ve always been a fan of the fullback, so if I can bring that position back to prominence, my work here is done.”
Bush showed some explosiveness, scoring on a 21-yard run to open the scoring. His seven-yard touchdown run in the second quarter made it 14-0.
The Chanticleers led 17-0 at halftime, had the lead cut to 17-7, then responded with two straight touchdowns.
Coastal Carolina had three interceptions, one of which was returned 37 yards for a touchdown by Avyonne Jones to cap the scoring.
There were 17 punts in the game, 10 by UL Monroe and seven by Coastal. The Chanticleers were only 3-for-15 on third down, but UL Monroe couldn’t move the chains much either, going 4-for-17. Hence, all the punts.
COASTAL CAROLINA BLOCKING: Julius Tate 7 pancakes, 0 sacks; Heston Edwards 4-0; Nick Del Grande 4-0; Brooks Johnson 3-0; Brayson McIver 3-0; Cane Berrong 3-0; Deshawn Bush 3-0; Juan Bentley 2-0; Kain McDonald 1-0; Tray Franklin 1-0; Jevon Edwards 1-0; Joseph Hanson 1-0.
2025 WEEK 7
Georgia Southern 21, Southern Mississippi 11
James Madison 35, Louisiana 21
Coastal Carolina 38, UL-Monroe 14
Georgia State 31, Appalachian State 29
Old Dominion 31, Marshall 22
Troy 36, Texas State 28
2025 WEEK 7 NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
2025 WEEK 7 SUN BELT CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
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3-star guard is B-Dawg’s first recruit
CONWAY, S.C. — Nobody knows what the future holds for Martin Dougherty, but he will always have a special place in the heart of Coastal Carolina coach B-Dawg.
Dougherty is the first player to commit to the Chanticleers during the B-Dawg regime.
The three-star offensive guard chose Coastal Carolina over Liberty and Appalachian State. He was set to visit Appalachian State in Week 13 and Liberty in Week 14, but saw enough from B-Dawg’s squad during a Week 7 visit for the UL Monroe game to make his decision.
Dougherty, who hails from Oakboro, N.C., is the 35th-ranked right guard (why does EA rank them by right and left side?) and 687th-ranked overall recruit in the Class of 2026.
More signings could come soon, as 15 players have Coastal Carolina No. 1 on their lists, eight has the Chanticleers No. 2 and one has them No. 3.Comment
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