The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are on the surf turf in Week 3 to take on the East Carolina Pirates in a gut-check matchup. The Chants have struggled offensively, putting up only 20 total points in the past two weeks. Now, they’re facing a hot ECU team coming off a 56-3 victory over FCS opponent Campbell. Can Chanticleers head coach Tim Beck get the football program in gear for this highly anticipated 2025 contest between Coastal Carolina vs. ECU? Here’s the breakdown for Saturday’s game at Brooks Stadium in Week 3.
Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina: Series History
The first and only time these two teams met was in the 2022 Birmingham Bowl. That game ended with ECU winning handily in a high-scoring affair, 53-29.
Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell had accepted the Liberty Flames head coaching job before the bowl, so interim coach Chad Staggs led CCU in this contest. Sure, you can’t blame the loss all on the coach leaving. However, that may have tilted the game in favor of ECU.
In that game, both defenses were largely nonexistent, with 910 combined yards and 82 total points from both teams. It was just shy of the bowl’s record of 85 points set by South Carolina and South Florida in 2016; as well as the 1100 yards set by Texas Tech and South Florida in 2017.
Coastal and ECU seem like natural regional rivals that would have at least crossed paths a couple of times before. Yet, this Saturday marks the first time the two teams play each other in a regular-season game. Why haven’t they seen each other until now?
Well, Coastal didn’t even have a football team until 2003, and made the transition into the FBS in 2016. Meanwhile, ECU has been a staple in the American Conference. This short time frame has left few windows for the two teams to be scheduled against each other. And since they are in different conferences, it would have to be scheduled as a “non-conference” game, which involves contracts and priorities.
For ECU, playing a Sun Belt team like Coastal could be considered high-risk, low-reward. A loss could hurt reputation, while a win wouldn’t generate the same prestige as beating a higher conference opponent. For Coastal, ECU might have seemed like a tough mid-major opponent without the same brand appeal as landing a power conference team.
2025 College Football Game Preview: Coastal Carolina vs. ECU
Key Players for Coastal Carolina
As Coastal prepares for Week 3, the team’s success will largely hinge on the starting quarterback’s production. That could be MJ Morris or Tad Hudson, who both played in Week 2’s victory against Charleston Southern 13-0.
In the postgame presser, head coach Tim Beck said he pulled Morris to give his team “a spark,” but didn’t speak on who will start Week 3. Neither quarterback stood out, with Morris throwing three interceptions, and Hudson only completing 3-of-5 passes.
In Week 2, Ja’vin Simpkins, redshirt freshman Dominic Knicely, and transfer Jalen John combined for 203 of the 263 rushing yards. The running back room will need to find that same production against ECU if they want to win.
Meanwhile, the defense that posted a shutout is led by lineman Ezekiel Durham-Campbell, who garnered 1.5 sacks in Week 2’s game. It was a total team effort however, as Coastal held CSU to just 153 total yards and 0-11 on third-down conversions. The Chanticleers will need that to happen again in Week 3 if they wish to win.
Key Players for ECU
Heading into Week 3, the Pirates will lean heavily on quarterback Katin Houser. Houser has emerged as a dominant force through the air, with 680 passing yards and three touchdowns over the first two games of the season.
The ground game features running back London Montgomery, who provides efficient production and has already logged two rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, wide receiver Brock Spalding remains a lethal weapon in the passing attack. Spalding paces the offense with nearly 200 receiving yards through the first two contests. In short, ECU’s offensive core should continue to set the tone as they move into their Week 3 showdown.
How ECU wins in Week 3
ECU wins if Houser controls the air game, the offense maintains balance, and the defense forces Coastal to become one-dimensional. A fast start, similar to their opening blitz against Campbell, would put the Chanticleers on their heels and allow ECU to dictate the game’s pace.
How Coastal Carolina Wins in Week 3
Figure out the quarterback situation, and the offense.
Coastal needs to slow down ECU’s explosive offense. They must apply pressure to Houser with that same defense that came out in Week 2. Yet if they want to win, coach Beck must figure this offense out or else he will be on the hot seat (if he isn’t already). Deciding what quarterback to go with will be incredibly important. Whoever it ends up being will need to be much more efficient in order to keep up with ECU. A good rushing game led by their talented running back room will help out, but Coastal needs to figure out their air attack if they want any success on Saturday night.
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