The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers watched the action from their couches last weekend, but are set to take to the field. They and the East Carolina Pirates will compete for holiday cheer in the Birmingham Bowl on Tuesday at Protective Stadium at 6:45 p.m. ET. East Carolina should still be riding high after a win, while the Chanticleers will be looking to right the ship.
Coastal Carolina received a tough blow three weeks ago as they fell 45-26 to the Troy Trojans. Coastal Carolina was down 45-13 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. The losing side was boosted by QB Grayson McCall, who passed for three TDs and 319 yards on 41 attempts in addition to punching in one rushing touchdown.
Meanwhile, East Carolina narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Temple Owls 49-46. RB Keaton Mitchell had a dynamite game for East Carolina; he rushed for three TDs and 222 yards on 27 carries in addition to catching two passes for one TD and 78 yards. Near the top of the highlight reel was Holton Ahlers' 73-yard TD bomb to Mitchell in the second quarter.
A pair of numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: The Chanticleers rank 15th in the nation when it comes to thrown interceptions, with only six on the season. But the Pirates are even better: they enter the contest with only five thrown interceptions, good for eighth best in the nation. So expect both teams to feel comfortable airing the ball out.