Coastal Carolina vs. UTSA:

We have a fairly rare situation on Monday morning in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Monday December 23 between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and UTSA Roadrunners. The “road” team is the home team here, as the Chanticleers play on the teal turf at Brooks Stadium. Bettors don’t expect much of a home-field advantage, though, as this line has steadily gone up since it was posted at UTSA -6.5.

It has run out to double digits thanks to a slew of transfers and opt-outs from Coastal Carolina, including both quarterbacks. So, let’s find out who the new guy is and if the Chanticleers can defy the odds that appear to be stacked against them.

 

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Myrtle Beach Bowl: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs. UTSA Roadrunners (-10, 56)

Monday Dec. 23, 11 a.m. ET

Two days before Christmas. No students on campus. An 11 a.m. kickoff. This is about as little of a home-field advantage as you can conjure up and, to be honest, it could even be a road-field advantage for UTSA. At least they get to go somewhere for their bowl game. Part of the fun is checking out a new place, getting some swag from the sponsors, and doing some local activities. This is old hat for Coastal.

The venue is hardly the only consideration here. Ethan Vasko and Noah Kim were the only QB to record a pass attempt this season. Vasko threw for just over 2,100 yards with a 14/8 TD/INT ratio on 271 pass attempts. Kim had a 4/1 TD/INT ratio on just 56 attempts. There is no experience behind those two on the roster, so a start for Tad Hudson looks like the route that head coach Tim Beck will take.

Hudson is actually a very compelling prospect. The four-star ranked 24th in his 2022 class per 247 Sports and originally signed on to play at North Carolina before transferring to Coastal late in the spring. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, he’s a big kid and a three-sport athlete. But, he’s also wildly inexperienced and was fairly inaccurate in college with a 56% completion rate as a high school senior.

That profile and resume pale in comparison to what UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor is taking to Conway. Owen McCown threw for 3,170 yards and ran for 303 more. The one-time Colorado commit is the son of Josh McCown and nephew of Luke McCown, so he’s been prepping to play the position basically his entire life. McCown took over for Frank Harris and thrived with 26 total touchdowns. UTSA’s offense really took off late in the season, as McCown threw for 1,860 yards in his final six games and rushed for 213 over his final three.

We’ll see if top corner Matthew McDoom (10 pass breakups, 3 INT) and top pass rusher Clev Lubin (9.5 sacks) play for Coastal. They’ve already signed elsewhere in the transfer portal, but that hasn’t been a dealbreaker early in bowl season. 

Both teams dealt with a lot of injuries late in the season, too, predominantly on the offensive line. That being said, with this line running out from a spread standpoint, I am intrigued by the Over. The total is dropping a bit, presumably with the uncertainty about Hudson, but UTSA’s defense was terrible this season. They allowed 5.7 yards per play, but over six yards per play in November. Their 26 passing touchdowns allowed tied for 123rd in the nation.

Tim Beck is a solid offensive mind and Hudson was offered in 2020 by South Carolina, Auburn, Michigan State, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Western Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and others. He even took visits to Ohio State, Tennessee, and Notre Dame, so he’s a kid that had a lot of interest before enrolling in Chapel Hill.

I think we could see a surprising performance here and it’s not like Coastal got great QB play from the guys in the portal.

Pick: Over 56

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