Chants ready for longest football journey in school history
Posted: 09.19.2012 at 11:30 AM
Joe Moglia's Chants face their toughest challenge of the season against Toledo.
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The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team will play the Toledo Rockets at The Glass Bowl in Ohio this Saturday, September 22. The 724 mile trip from Conway to Toledo, Ohio will be the the longest in program history for CCU.
 
After beating North Carolina A&T and Furman to begin the season, Coastal lost to #20 Eastern Kentucky last Saturday. This weekend, the Chants face an FBS team out of the Mid-American Conference that finished 8th in the nation in scoring last season, and won the Military Bowl with a 42-41 win over Air Force.
 
Toledo has been impressive through the first three games of the 2012 season. They lost in overtime, 24-17 to nationally ranked Arizona, then scored wins over Wyoming and Bowling Green.
 
Toledo QB Terrance Owens leads the Rockets explosive offense. He is tied for 32nd in the nation in total offense. RB David Fluellen packs a punch in the Toledo backfield, rushing for more than 87 yards a contest this season.
 
The Rockets are also strong in the special teams department. Kicker Jeremiah Detmer is tied for 15th in the nation in field goals made, and punter Vince Penza is averaging nearly 44 yards per kick.
 
Toledo attracted 28,115 fans to their home opener last week, more than triple the crowd size at Coastal games. CCU has never beaten an FBS school. Their only previous meeting against a MAC team was an 18-0 loss at Kent State in 2009.
 
Coastal Carolina is 0-5 lifetime against FBS schools. CCU has been outscored by 223-13 combined, by FBS opponents Penn State, Kent State, Clemson, West Virginia and Georgia.
 
The last time Toledo played a team from the Big South Conference, the Rockets escaped with a 35-34 win over Liberty in 2007.
 
Coastal Carolina will receive $375,000 in guaranteed money for playing at Toledo, according to CCU Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek.
 
Kickoff for Coastal Carolina at Toledo is set for 7 p.m. You can watch it on ESPN3.