The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (2-3, 1-1 SBC) are home this Saturday to take on the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (3-2, 1-0 SBC) Oct. 11 at Brooks Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET. Coastal is coming off a disappointing blowout loss to Old Dominion last week, while ULM is also coming off a blowout loss to Northwestern. The two teams are determined to have a better showing this week and come out with a dub. Let’s dive right into this 2025 Sun Belt Conference game preview between Coastal Carolina vs. ULM.
Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana-Monroe: History and Game Excerpts
ULM leads the all-time series 3-2 against Coastal, with the first game dating back to 2017. The Warhawks won the first three meetings, while the Chants have taken the last two. They haven’t played since 2022 though, so this matchup will feel pretty fresh. ULM head coach Bryant Vincent and Coastal Carolina head coach Tim Beck will be facing each other for the first time.
Coach Tim Beck is, “going back to the drawing board” ahead of this game. It’s a term he’s even admitted he’s used too much this season, as the Chants try and find some success this week. Coastal hasn’t looked pretty to start, with the hot seat warming up for coach Beck. He’s trying to mix things up to try and jump start his team.
“I did a lot of self-evaluating trying to figure out, first starting with me, what am I doing wrong,” began Beck. “Then I look at what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, how do I make appropriate changes, whether that’s to scheduling, lifting, practice, I’ve basically re-evaluated all that.”
Later in the presser, coach Beck describes ULM and how they’ll attack “Yeah, they’re an old school team… very competitive, tough football team. They’re gonna huddle and run the football.” on the flip side “There a great pass rush team, #41, #1, #5 they get those three defensive ends that rotate, there the leader (in the Sun Belt) in sacks with 13 though 5 games. They do a great job pressuring the quarterback, so our tackles Joe, Nick, and DJ will have their hands cut out for them.”
Coastal Carolina vs. ULM 2025 Preview: Keys, Players, and Predictions
Key Players for Coastal
While there’s not much to go off last week, Tad Hudson is expected to make the start and command his team to a victory this Saturday. It’s been a shaky start for the young quarterback. He currently has three touchdowns and interceptions, with four fumbles in three games started. He’s looked decent, but a dysfunctional offense set back by penalties and bad playcalling certainly has not helped.
From watching him last week, he tends to underthrow passes, leading to dropped balls and little to no RAC. He’s not very mobile, but has the ability to create plays for himself. There was a play where he stepped up and escaped the pocket to run, lowering his shoulder into a defender for a first down on 3rd-and-11. Hudson is still growing, and that’s evident. Yet hopefully, coach Beck’s self-evaluation works, and he’ll stop calling so many screen passes that go for a loss. If he does that, maybe Hudson will find some success this upcoming game.
A plethora of different players contributed last Saturday for Coastal. The Chants’ running back room is large, and their receiving core is even larger. There doesn’t seem to be one top playmaker on the team, as the offense loves the spread the ball around. The trio of Ja’vain Simpkins, Jalen John, and Domic Knicly seems to still be going strong. However, Jevon Edwards got in the mix during the blowout, with four carries for 13 yards. The group, along with a couple of other non-notable men, could only muster up 81 total rushing yards off of 31 carries, averaging 2.6 yards per carry.
It’s the third time this season that Coastal has been outplayed in all three phases of the game. They looked bad offensively, and their defense did not do any better. ODU’s offense is one of the most effective in the entire country; they have scored on their first drive in all their games. Luckily for Coastal, they will be facing a much slower offense this week, ULM.
A nice change of pace, as ULM’s run-heavy offense can get the Chanticleer defense eased into the game. And, it’s a perfect playstyle counter for the big, run-stuffing middle linebacker, captain Shane Bruce. Defensive end Noah Arinze was named the Sun Belt defensive player of the week when they faced South Alabama. He played a key role in their win over the Jaguars in Week 4, with two sacks and a forced fumble scooped up for a touchdown by linebacker Trey Brown to seal the game. If Arnize can return to this dominant form, Coastal’s defense will improve drastically.
Key Players for ULM
ULM’s offense is led by quarterback Aidan Armenta. The 6-foot-3 sophomore has made significant strides since his freshman year, cutting his turnovers nearly in half. After finishing last season with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions, he’s off to a stronger start with six touchdowns and only three interceptions. However, look out for senior quarterback Hunter Herring to come in for designed run plays or option plays. Herring has a 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame, and already has two rushing touchdowns and 48 rushing yards this season.
Running back Braylon McReynolds is the feature back on the squad, with 56 carries and 358 yards on the ground. The next closest is Zach Palmer-Smith with 27 carries and 129 yards; a big difference compared to Coastals’ “running back by committee” style. Wideouts Tyler Griffin and Jake Godfrey lead the way through the air. Griffin has 10 catches for 150 yards, while Godfrey has nine for 126 yards.
The main players to look for on ULM, though, are their defensive ends. Notably Dylan Howell, who already has four sacks through just five games. Like coach Beck had mentioned in his presser, Howell and the rest of the Warhawk front seven are one of the top defenses at pressuring the quarterback.
2025 Game Prediction: How Coastal Carolina Beats ULM in Week 7
Coastal must improve their offense if they want any chance at walking away with a victory this Saturday. Unfortunately for them, rain is on the forecast for the entire game. While this will hinder their passing attack, it will also hinder ULM’s. We may be in for a dog fight in Conway between these two tough teams.
However, one stat Coastal has to their advantage is that ULM has the worst passing defense in the entire conference. Currently, the unit is allowing 276 passing yards per game. If Hudson doesn’t mind the rain, then he could be in for a breakout game. Yet, if the weather and ULM pass rush get to him, then it’ll be a different story. Jobs and positions are on the line here in Week 7, and by the final whistle, we’ll know a lot more about where this Coastal team is headed.
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