Coastal Carolina adjusts sans coach

The Coastal Carolina football program will play its first game ever against Arkansas State University without its head football coach, which was a position the Red Wolves' program was nearly in itself.

On July 28, Coastal Carolina Coach Joe Moglia announced he was taking a five-month medical sabbatical to recover from a bronchial asthmatic reaction to allergies he had been suffering from for three years. The reaction causes inflammation around his lungs and can create a serious breathing problem.

"I recognize most coaches wouldn't make this decision," Moglia said at the time in a statement. "But I'm not like most coaches and I very much believe I am making a smart long-term decision in exchange for a near-term sacrifice."

One month later, Wendy, ASU Coach Blake Anderson's wife, underwent surgery for breast cancer.

ASU Athletic Director Terry Mohajir said then that "whatever he needs to do to take care of his family needs, we'll adjust to it as a program."

Wendy's surgery was successful, and Anderson returned to practice Aug. 30, three days before the Red Wolves' season opener at Nebraska.

Coastal Carolina entered the season under interim head coach and offensive coordinator Jamey Chadwell, whom Moglia had hired away from a four-year tenure as the head coach at Charleston Southern.

If Anderson had taken a leave of absence, assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Trooper Taylor would have stood in for Anderson, while offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen collaborated for game plans.

A similar system is in place at Coastal Carolina between Chadwell and defensive coordinator Mickey Matthews -- a three-time FCS National Coach of the Year at James Madison, where Matthews led the Dukes to a national title in 2004.

"I think the biggest thing is, number one, you and the defensive coordinator have got to get on the exact same page of how you want to go about winning each game," ASU's Faulkner said Monday. "I'm sure the head coach has a philosophy and how he wants to do things. As a coordinator, he's got to carry that out.

"I think that would be the most difficult thing, is just making sure that we're all on the same page as a staff. Doing what the head coach, who isn't there, what he would want to do."

Faulkner, who grew up in Lilburn, Ga., said he remembered when Matthews was the defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia from 1996-1998.

"Great football coach, and he'll have a good plan for us," Faulkner said. "Defensively he's done a great job. Has not changed much since their head coach hasn't been there."

Matthews joined the Coastal Carolina staff in 2016 after spending two years as a color analyst for ESPN. The Chanticleers improved significantly under his "Multiple" 4-3 defense, diminishing its total yards allowed per game from 416.3 to 331.8.

That season, the Coastal Carolina defense scored seven defensive touchdowns, which was second to Alabama (10) in all of NCAA Division I.

The numbers have weakened this season with Coastal Carolina's jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision. The defense allows 386.6 yards per game, which ranks fourth in the Sun Belt Conference, and has yet to score a defensive touchdown.

Its pass rush ranks second to last in the Sun Belt with six sacks, which may benefit an ASU offensive line that gave up two sacks and a quarterback hit against Georgia Southern after giving up 7 sacks and 11 hits during the first three games.

"Consistency is what we're trying to get," Anderson said. "There's times we look inexperienced, we make some mistakes, but there were times the other night that he could have patted the ball for a while. When you can do that, you have pocket room and no pressure, you're going to find somebody open.

"We've got guys that can run on the outside and that's a lot of weapons to defend, so the better we get at those inside spots, the more explosive we're going to be."

Sports on 10/14/2017