bosshogg
October 2nd, 2005, 08:18 AM
SoCon should grab Chants, and Bulldogs
BY GENE SAPAKOFF
Of The Post and Courier Staff
ORANGEBURG--Coastal Carolina showed up in the end zone just in the nick of time to beat South Carolina State. The Chanticleers also arrived Saturday in the Palmetto State limelight with enough momentum to give the Southern Conference little choice.
If it wasn't already clear that Coastal Carolina belongs in the most prestigious NCAA Division I-AA league in the South, its dramatic 24-23 victory over S.C. State made for a fine closing argument.
Appropriately, the game was broadcast on ETV, an educational network. The learned folks in charge of SoCon expansion probably calculated that the excitement on display for three hours at Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium is a rare commodity.
The SoCon should stop privately quibbling about concerns regarding Coastal Carolina's academic status relative to the top-rated schools in the conference and issue an invitation before the unofficial candidate outgrows the eventual offer.
And while they're at it, SoCon administrators should make a pitch to S.C. State, too, locking up everything that was good about a thrilling game loaded with I-AA playoff implications.
BASEBALL, TOO
Coastal Carolina hurried to a 10-0 lead. S.C. State roared back to go up, 23-10.
Coastal Carolina, with reliable kicker Josh Hoke, passed on a 45-yard field goal attempt that almost proved costly.
S.C. State suffered a blocked extra point that might have cost the game.
Players on both sides agreed: A rivalry is on.
"Hats off to Coastal, they're a pretty good team," Cleveland McCoy, S.C. State's sophomore quarterback and a Baptist Hill High School graduate, said after the Bulldogs fell to 3-1.
The programs will meet again next season in Conway.
"Next year when they come to us, they're going to be ready to do the same thing we did to them this year," said Coastal Carolina running back Jamie Fordham, a Goose Creek High School graduate who rushed for 62 yards.
It makes obvious sense for Coastal Carolina to jump from the Big South Conference to the SoCon, and what a catch. Head coach David Bennett's 3-year-old football program, 4-1 this season, will only get better. The hiring of Buzz Peterson as head coach and ex-Citadel star Ed Conroy as assistant coach should be a big upgrade for the basketball program. Don't forget that Coastal Carolina was a No. 1 seed in the 2005 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
Plus, the advantages of Myrtle Beach for meetings and tournaments.
It's enough to forgive Coastal Carolina for the blinding, bright teal pants worn Saturday.
RIVALRIES GALORE
S.C. State in the SoCon? Why not?
The Bulldogs have been a major part of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference since it was formed in 1971 and a fixture among the "historically black" college sports scene for much longer.
But think of a SoCon that offers annual schedules tangled among The Citadel, Furman, Wofford, S.C. State and Coastal Carolina.
Let's ask S.C. State alumni and fans if they would trade the MEAC, with no rival within the state, for the SoCon and the convenience of three in-state road rivalry games, or four if Coastal Carolina comes aboard.
"That would be nice to play in-state schools," McCoy said when asked about SoCon affiliation. "Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen."
Just look at what the SoCon is missing in McCoy, the most exciting player in the state. He checks off at the line of scrimmage with all the theatrics of Peyton Manning. He pump-fakes the football as adroitly as Donovan McNabb. Most notably, the MEAC's total offense leader Saturday limped through a leg injury and looked as tough as Brett Favre in the process of passing for 134 yards and rushing for 58.
Too bad for McCoy it wasn't quite enough.
Too bad this wasn't a Southern Conference game.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gene Sapakoff may be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 937-5593.
BY GENE SAPAKOFF
Of The Post and Courier Staff
ORANGEBURG--Coastal Carolina showed up in the end zone just in the nick of time to beat South Carolina State. The Chanticleers also arrived Saturday in the Palmetto State limelight with enough momentum to give the Southern Conference little choice.
If it wasn't already clear that Coastal Carolina belongs in the most prestigious NCAA Division I-AA league in the South, its dramatic 24-23 victory over S.C. State made for a fine closing argument.
Appropriately, the game was broadcast on ETV, an educational network. The learned folks in charge of SoCon expansion probably calculated that the excitement on display for three hours at Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium is a rare commodity.
The SoCon should stop privately quibbling about concerns regarding Coastal Carolina's academic status relative to the top-rated schools in the conference and issue an invitation before the unofficial candidate outgrows the eventual offer.
And while they're at it, SoCon administrators should make a pitch to S.C. State, too, locking up everything that was good about a thrilling game loaded with I-AA playoff implications.
BASEBALL, TOO
Coastal Carolina hurried to a 10-0 lead. S.C. State roared back to go up, 23-10.
Coastal Carolina, with reliable kicker Josh Hoke, passed on a 45-yard field goal attempt that almost proved costly.
S.C. State suffered a blocked extra point that might have cost the game.
Players on both sides agreed: A rivalry is on.
"Hats off to Coastal, they're a pretty good team," Cleveland McCoy, S.C. State's sophomore quarterback and a Baptist Hill High School graduate, said after the Bulldogs fell to 3-1.
The programs will meet again next season in Conway.
"Next year when they come to us, they're going to be ready to do the same thing we did to them this year," said Coastal Carolina running back Jamie Fordham, a Goose Creek High School graduate who rushed for 62 yards.
It makes obvious sense for Coastal Carolina to jump from the Big South Conference to the SoCon, and what a catch. Head coach David Bennett's 3-year-old football program, 4-1 this season, will only get better. The hiring of Buzz Peterson as head coach and ex-Citadel star Ed Conroy as assistant coach should be a big upgrade for the basketball program. Don't forget that Coastal Carolina was a No. 1 seed in the 2005 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
Plus, the advantages of Myrtle Beach for meetings and tournaments.
It's enough to forgive Coastal Carolina for the blinding, bright teal pants worn Saturday.
RIVALRIES GALORE
S.C. State in the SoCon? Why not?
The Bulldogs have been a major part of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference since it was formed in 1971 and a fixture among the "historically black" college sports scene for much longer.
But think of a SoCon that offers annual schedules tangled among The Citadel, Furman, Wofford, S.C. State and Coastal Carolina.
Let's ask S.C. State alumni and fans if they would trade the MEAC, with no rival within the state, for the SoCon and the convenience of three in-state road rivalry games, or four if Coastal Carolina comes aboard.
"That would be nice to play in-state schools," McCoy said when asked about SoCon affiliation. "Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen."
Just look at what the SoCon is missing in McCoy, the most exciting player in the state. He checks off at the line of scrimmage with all the theatrics of Peyton Manning. He pump-fakes the football as adroitly as Donovan McNabb. Most notably, the MEAC's total offense leader Saturday limped through a leg injury and looked as tough as Brett Favre in the process of passing for 134 yards and rushing for 58.
Too bad for McCoy it wasn't quite enough.
Too bad this wasn't a Southern Conference game.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gene Sapakoff may be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 937-5593.