Last week, the undefeated Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (aka America’s Team, aka the Mullets) were scheduled to play the Liberty Flames. Because #CoronaSZN is still around, the Flames football team were forced to back out due to increased positive cases on their squad. This left the Chanticleers without an opponent to play on Saturday. The also-undefeated BYU Cougars (aka America’s Other Team, aka the Screaming Mormons) answered the call on very short notice. In what was an entertaining game, the Chanticleers held off a late drive by the Cougars and remained undefeated. This game was so good that it begs for BYU and Coastal Carolina to have a rematch. I have three good reasons why.
Rematch Reason #1: More Time to Prepare
Let’s be honest: this game was pretty much made on a whim. When BYU announced that they would be Coastal Carolina’s huckleberry early last week, they had literally a scant two days to prepare. The Chanticleers accommodated the Cougars by moving the game from a 2pm EST start to a 5:30pm EST start. Both teams played very well despite the two-day notice. A game on either January 1 or January 2 gives both teams ample time to prepare to play each other.
Rematch Reason #2: Revenge Game Narrative
This game had its share of chippy moments. One such play was at the end of the first half: BYU quarterback Zach Wilson launched a Hail Mary. (Aside: Is the Mormon equivalent Hail John Smith?). The pass was picked off by Coastal Carolina defensive back Derick Bush. During the run back, two Chanticleers defenders – linebackers Teddy Gallagher and Jeffrey Gunter – were back blocking Wilson. And by block, I mean throwing him down UFC style. The throwdo – er, block lead to both benches clearing after Bush was tackled.
Coastal Carolina just threw Zach Wilson out of the club pic.twitter.com/C6RW2AwsbV
— Footballism™ (@FootbaIIism) December 6, 2020
BYU had one last shot starting down by five from their own 18 and drove down the field. Wide receiver Dax Milne’s effort on the final play of the game was one yard short. The play was reminiscent of Kevin Dyson’s effort at the end of Super Bowl XXXIV. Revenge game? Bring it on.
Rematch Reason #3: This Game Needs a Bigger Stage
I did a rant on Friday’s A-Round for the Weekend about how it was a shame this game was being broadcast on ESPNU. I get it: ThEy’Re NoT pOwEr FiVe TeAmS. But two undefeated teams facing off against each other while ESPN College Gameday is ON CAMPUS that day… and it only gets a spot on ESPNU? Spare me. To their credit, the powers that be at ESPN simulcast the game on ESPN 2 starting in the middle of the second quarter.
Judging from the bowl schedule, there are several venues worthy of a rematch. One is the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on January 1. Two others are the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl or the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 2. The latter venues are in states where fans are allowed in the stands. A crowd of BYU and Coastal Carolina fans representing in a bigger venue would be fun.
Now I leave the floor to you: does BYU-Coastal Carolina deserve a rematch? Leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter: @WhoIsRyanMcC. And don’t forget to check out my podcast No Credentials Required (new episodes every Wednesday) and my live stream show A-Round for the Weekend (most Fridays at 6:30pm).
