Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
60 on the board
Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
2031 - Conference Championship Preview
#4 Coastal Carolina (12-0)
Offensive Scheme: Veer and Shoot
Defensive Scheme: 3-3-5
Offensive Points Per Game: 47.6 (2nd)
Defensive Points Per Game: 13.3 (1st)
Offensive Rankings: 500.8 (3rd)
Defensive Rankings: 277.1 (2nd)
#18 Louisville Cardinals (9-3)
87 Overall // 89 Offense // 86 Defense
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm (90-30)
Offensive Scheme: Multiple Offense
Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5
Offensive Points Per Game: 32.6 (51st)
Defensive Points Per Game: 17.8 (7th)
Offensive Rankings: 389.6 (83rd)
Defensive Rankings: 331.1 (9th)
Louisville Cardinals 2031 Results
Week 1 | LSU (8-4) | L 27-10
Week 2 | FCS | W 41-0
Week 4 | @ Georgia Tech (5-7) | W 37-0
Week 5 | Duke (5-7) | W 37-15
Week 6 | Syracuse (3-9) | W 27-10
Week 8 | Wake Forest (5-7) | W 41-3
Week 9 | @ North Carolina (7-5) | W 36-26
Week 10 | @ Miami (9-3) | W 42-37
Week 11 | Minnesota (3-9) | L 26-21
Week 12 | @ Virginia (5-7) | W 28-26
Week 13 | Florida State (6-6) | W 44-14
Week 14 | @ Kentucky (4-8) | L 30-27
Coastal Carolina Injury Report
FS Sean Maggio (78) | School Dismissal (Felony Assault)
DE Richard Hatch (82) | School Dismissal (Felony Burglary)
Louisville Cardinals Injury Report
DT Kyle Lougheed (77) | Dislocated Ankle (1 Week)
DE Barry Shaw (81) | Broken Tailbone (3 Weeks)
T Derek Thompson (89) | Torn Bicep (7 Weeks)
DE Troy Officer (81) | Dislocated Hip (4 Weeks)
WR Joey Hamrick (92) | Dislocated Ankle (2 Weeks)
DT Mohammed Gash (74) | Achilles Tear (42 Weeks)
Louisville Cardinals Top Performers
JR(RS) QB Alex Akins (84) | 248/424 (58%), 3,380 Yds, 28 TD, 6 INT
JR(RS) HB Russ Orourke (82) | 242 Att, 943 Yds, 16 TD
SR WR Wade Russo (93) | 62 Rec, 1,008 Yds, 6 TD
SR SS Matthew Kirlew (87) | 66 Tkl, TFL, 4 INT
SO(RS) LB Adrian Lincoln (86) | 63 Tkl, 14 TFL, 9 Sacks
JR(RS) DE Moses Thornton (74) | 28 Tkl, 12 TFL, 4 Sacks
SO FS Cortney Hall (85) | 57 Tkl, 5 INT
Conference Championship Matchups
AAC - #12 North Texas (11-1) vs #14 Memphis (11-1)
Big 12 - #5 SMU (11-1) vs #8 BYU (11-1)
Big Ten - #6 Michigan (10-2) vs #1 Penn State (12-0)
C-USA - #24 UTEP (10-2) vs #16 Liberty (11-1)
MAC - Central Michigan (10-2) vs Kent State (8-4)
Mountain West - Hawaii (9-3) vs Colorado State (8-4)
Pac-12 - Colorado (8-4) vs #7 Oregon (11-1)
SEC - #3 Georgia (11-1) vs #2 Alabama (12-0)
Sun Belt - Appalachian State (10-2) vs Southern Miss (10-2)
Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Freshman LB Trevor Bausby Suspended For ACC Conference Championship
Coway, SC. - The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers announced Thursday that freshman linebacker Trevor Bausby, who is redshirting this season, will be suspended and will not travel with the team to this weekend’s ACC Championship Game against Louisville.
Head coach Kade Vaughn addressed the decision briefly in a statement:
“Trevor made some poor choices and has to live with those consequences. As a redshirt, he wasn’t expected to play, but we want our entire roster together when we compete for a championship. Unfortunately, he won’t be part of that this week.”
Sources close to the program indicate that Bausby missed several mandatory study sessions, similar to the academic-related violation that led to cornerback Emanuel Abrams being suspended earlier this season.
Bausby becomes the fourth Coastal player to miss game action due to team discipline this year. Abrams served a one-game suspension in October, while former players Sean Maggio and Richard Hatch were permanently dismissed following separate felony arrests.
Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
12-0 
Schedule sus as far as w/l goes
Schedule sus as far as w/l goes
Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Who ours??? We had the National Champ, the runner up, Clemson, and Notre Dame. Five of our first six games were against pre-season ranked opponents
Not my fault the ACC low key garbage
plus somehow we keep missing Miami on the schedule 
Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Crown Em!
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| Louisville | 0 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Coastal Carolina | 10 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 48 |
| Q | Team | Time | Play | Louisville | Coastal Carolina |
| 1st | Coastal Carolina | 6:36 | Gene Marable, 36 Yd FG | 0 | 3 |
| 1st | Coastal Carolina | 1:37 | David Goedeke, 29 Yd Pass From Fredrick Meredith | 0 | 10 |
| 2nd | Coastal Carolina | 7:44 | Devin Hajrullahu, 9 Yd Run | 0 | 17 |
| 2nd | Louisville | 6:34 | Victor Nwokeji, 91 Yd Pass From Alex Akins | 7 | 17 |
| 2nd | Coastal Carolina | 3:17 | Devin Hajrullahu, 8 Yd Run | 7 | 24 |
| 2nd | Louisville | 0:41 | Wade Russo, 16 Yd Pass From Alex Akins | 14 | 24 |
| 2nd | Coastal Carolina | 0:11 | Tavares Tinker, 30 Yd Pass From Fredrick Meredith | 14 | 31 |
| 2nd | Coastal Carolina | 0:00 | Gene Marable, 49 Yd FG | 14 | 34 |
| 3rd | Louisville | 6:26 | Rich Slater, 42 Yd FG | 17 | 34 |
| 3rd | Coastal Carolina | 6:16 | Devin Hajrullahu, 75 Yd Run | 17 | 41 |
| 4th | Coastal Carolina | 6:20 | Devin Hajrullahu, 25 Yd Pass From fredrick Meredith | 17 | 48 |
| 4th | Louisville | 1:20 | Wade Russo, 5 Yd Pass From Alex Akins | 24 | 48 |
| Fredrick Meredith | 23/31, 295 Yds, 3 TD |
| Devin Hajrullahu | 26 Att, 186 Yds, 3 TD |
| Fredrick Meredith | 2 Att, 13 Yds |
| Devin Hajrullahu | 7 Rec, 48 Yds, TD |
| Tyler Hagg | 7 Rec, 62 Yds |
| Denard Cruise | 3 Rec, 51 Yds |
| Tavares Tinker | 2 Rec, 44 Yds, TD |
| Jamal Stephen | 2 Rec, 44 Yds |
| Carl Kopp | 1 Rec, 17 Yds |
| David Goedeke | 1 Rec, 29 Yds, TD |
| MLB Ty Oden | 11 Tkl, 6 TFL, 1.5 Sacks, FF |
| DT Mitch Dora | 5 Tkl, 4 TFL, 1.5 Sacks |
| DE Alfonso Smith | 7 Tkl, 3 TFL, 0.5 Sack |
| SS Caleb Karapateas | 4 Tkl, 2 TFL, 0.5 Sack, FR |
| MLB Nick Farrior | 4 Tkl, TFL, 0.5 Sack |
| DT Tyree Witherspoon | 2 Tkl, TFL, 0.5 Sack |
| Alex Akins | 21/34, 296 Yds, 3 TD |
| Russ O'Rourke | 10 Att, 1 Yd |
| Alex Akins | 8 Att, -16 Yds |
| Connor Atwell | 3 Att, -1 Yd |
| Andrew Marvin | 7 Rec, 76 Yds |
| Wade Russo | 5 Rec, 94 Yds, 2 TD |
| Russ O'Rourke | 4 Rec, -4 Yds |
| Victor Nwokeji | 3 Rec, 117 Yds, TD |
| Ramon Mond | 1 Rec, 8 Yds |
| Gabe Brown | 1 Rec, 8 Yds |
| FS Damion Uphoff | 14 Tkl, 2 TFL |
| SS STephen DeLoach | 10 Tkl, 2 TFL |
| FS Cortney Hall | 8 Tkl, TFL |
| LB Cris Singer | 4 Tkl, 2 TFL |
Charlotte, NC. - For the first time since 2027, Coastal Carolina football can once again call itself a conference champion.
The Chanticleers, unbeaten and carrying the weight of last year’s near-miss, dismantled Louisville 48-17 in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday night, sealing their first league title since joining the conference.
“It was a goal, but not the only one,” head coach Kade Vaughn said. “Our ultimate goal we can get to without this championship. But damn it, it wouldn’t have felt this good to get there without crowning ourselves kings of the ACC.”
Coastal set the tone early, leaning on its defense to bottle up Louisville’s rushing attack. The Cardinals managed just one yard on 5 carries in the first half as running back Russ O’Rourke was swallowed by a wave of teal helmets. Meanwhile, redshirt freshman quarterback Fredrick Meredith continued his steady rise, capping the first quarter with a 29-yard touchdown strike to David Goedeke that pushed Coastal ahead 10-0 in the 1st Q, before Hajrullahu finally wiggled free for a short touchdown to kickoff the 2nd frame.
Louisville punched back with a 91-yard bomb to Victor Nwokeji, who climbed over cornerback Xavier Montague to cut into the lead. But Coastal responded in kind — a 14-play drive punctuated by Devin Hajrullahu’s second touchdown of the night. After just 16 yards on his first 10 carries, the senior Heisman hopeful finally found daylight, piling up 61 yards on his next five touches.
The Cardinals rallied again late in the half, trimming the deficit to 24-14 on Wade Russo’s corner-route score with 41 seconds left. That was plenty of time for Vaughn and Meredith. A pair of completions to Denard Cruise set up a scramble by Meredith, before the freshman lofted a 30-yard strike to Tinker for his second touchdown.
Then came the backbreaker. With seconds remaining, O’Rourke was drilled by linebacker Ty Oden, coughing up the football. Caleb Karapteas fell on it, and Glen Marable drilled a 49-yard field goal at the gun to send Coastal into halftime up 34-14.
“That’s just a heartbreaker for the Cardinals,” ESPN’s Sean McDonough said on the broadcast. “To rally into striking distance, only to watch Coastal tack on 10 more points in under a minute? Brutal.”
Louisville showed brief life out of the locker room, driving into the red zone before settling for a field goal. On the very next play, Hajrullahu ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run — doubling his rushing total in one burst and effectively ending the Cardinals’ hopes.
“It felt like they were one step ahead all night, which is frustrating,” Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm said. “We loaded up to stop Devin, they went over our heads. We tried to stop the deep shots, and Devin gashed us. That’s the mark of a complete team.”
Hajrullahu finished with 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Meredith added 295 yards and three scores through the air. Coastal’s defense sacked Akins five times and forced the key turnover, continuing a season-long turnaround for coordinator Tony White’s unit.
For Louisville, the loss extends a frustrating stretch since its improbable national title run in 2029. For Coastal, it’s validation: an undefeated regular season, an ACC crown, and almost certainly a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
“We’ve talked about chasing a bigger prize,” Vaughn said. “But to do it as ACC champions — that makes it all the sweeter.”
Devin Hajrullahu may have settled the Heisman voting with a strong performance after some early struggles, with this 75 yard touchdown being the dagger in the heart of Louisville.
Alex Akins connected on a few deep shots against the Chants defense, including this 91 yard bomb to Victor Nwojke to finally cut into the deficit.
The Chanticleers harassed Akins all evening with five sacks and a multitude of knock downs.
Conference Championship Resrults
AAC - 17 #14 North Texas (11-2) vs #13 Memphis (13-1) 35
Big 12 - 44 #4 SMU (12-1) vs #10 BYU (11-2) 24
Big 10 - 31 #7 Michigan (10-3) vs #1 Penn State (13-0) 34
C-USA - 33 #23 UTEP (10-3) vs #16 Liberty (12-1) 38
MAC - 24 Central Michigan (10-3) vs Kent State (9-4) 38
Mountain West - 45 Hawaii (10-3) vs Colorado State (8-5) 28
Pac-12 - 3 Colorado (8-5) vs #6 Oregon (12-1) 70
SEC - 34 #2 Georgia (12-1) vs #5 Alabama (12-1) 21
Sun Belt - 31 Appalachian State (11-2) vs Southern Miss (10-3) 29
Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Championship drought over 
Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
The Road to Glendale
It was another brutal year for Group of Five hopefuls. Both No. 13 Memphis and No. 16 Liberty — winners of the American and Conference USA, respectively — find themselves on the outside looking in after every Power Four championship went chalk.
The only realistic crack in the wall? Colorado upsetting Oregon in the Pac-12 title game. Instead, the Ducks dropped 70 on the Buffaloes, slamming the door shut. With the Big 12 (#4 SMU vs. #9 BYU), Big Ten (#1 Penn State vs. #7 Michigan), and SEC (#1 Georgia vs. #5 Alabama) all producing playoff locks, the G5 had no leverage. Even if No. 18 Louisville had shocked Coastal Carolina in the ACC title game, it’s widely believed the Cardinals — not Memphis or Liberty — would have leapfrogged into the bracket.
In the end, the favorites all punched through, and the G5 was left stranded once again.
Eight of the final 12 playoff teams played in their conference championship games. The only exceptions: No. 12 Miami, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 8 Ohio State, and No. 11 USC.
Nick Saban, on ESPN’s playoff reveal coverage, didn’t sugarcoat the widening gap:
“College football has always been the haves and have-nots. But we’re seeing more and more that outside of the 12th seed, the lower programs just don’t have a window. And even then, those 12-vs-5 games usually end in a slaughter. UTSA, Buffalo, Southern Miss — all blown out. Only Coastal back in ’27 broke the cycle. It’s just how it is.”
Ironically, Miami — long the hammer in those mismatches — now gets the nail treatment. The Hurricanes slipped in as the 12th seed and will travel to Tuscaloosa to face No. 5 Alabama in a daunting rematch. Waiting for the winner: No. 4 SMU in the Cotton Bowl, essentially a home game for the Mustangs.
Other opening-round matchups:
Rose Bowl Track: Last year’s national runner-up, Nebraska, heads to Columbus to face Ohio State, with the winner set for Pasadena against No. 1 Penn State.
Orange Bowl Track: No. 11 USC draws No. 6 Oregon in a Pac-12 rematch, the survivor earning a shot at ACC champion Coastal Carolina.
Sugar Bowl Track: Big 12 runner-up BYU travels to Ann Arbor to meet Michigan, with the prize being a Sugar Bowl date against No. 2 Georgia.