UL-Monroe vs. Coastal Carolina Odds
| UL-Monroe Odds | +33.5 (-105) |
| Coastal Carolina Odds | -33.5 (-115) |
| Moneyline | TBA |
| Over/Under | 58 (-115 / -105) |
| Time | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute college football odds here. | |
Coastal Carolina opens its Sun Belt championship title defense Saturday as it welcomes the bottom-ranked University of Louisiana Monroe.
Coastal Carolina has gone 15-1 since the start of the 2020 season and is currently ranked No. 16 in the AP poll. The Chants have coasted through the first four weeks of the season, outscoring opponents by an average of nearly 30 points per game.
They’ve been cash cows for bettors when facing teams with losing records, holding a 11-4 record against the spread. They've covered the number in all three home games this season, winning by an average of 38 points.
University of Louisiana Monroe has already hit its regular season win total, which was set at 1.5. The Warhawks defeated Jackson State 12-7 and then upset Troy as 24.5-point underdogs and +1400 on the money line.
The Chanticleers have beaten every team in the Sun Belt, except for UL-Monroe. Coastal Carolina has no concerns of getting that monkey off its back as the Chanticleers are the largest betting favorites on the college football card for Week 5.
Will a five touchdown cushion be enough for ULM, which ranks as the 121st team, according to our Power Ratings?
UL-Monroe vs. Coastal Carolina Betting Preview
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
UL Monroe Offense
It’s baffling that ULM owns a winning record through three weeks. The offense has averaged just 189 yards in those games, the lowest number in the nation.
The Warhawks are also near the bottom of the country in yards per play, as they average just 2.9.
The Warhawks have run the ball on 64% of their offensive snaps, but average an astonishing 1.7 yards per carry. On average, they rush the ball 42 times per game, but can only muster up 70 rush yards per game.
Louisiana-Monroe will be without quarterback Rhett Rodriguez, who was on a ventilator in intensive care after suffering a lung injury on the final drive of their last game.
Rhett, who's the son of offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez, thankfully returned home to recover on Wednesday.
Statement from @CoachTBowdenpic.twitter.com/7BKXuBw4Iu
— ULM Football (@ULM_FB) September 27, 2021
Freshman quarterback Chandler Rogers will start under center for the Warhawks. Rogers has seen limited playing time this season and is mostly a runner.
Louisiana Monroe has completed 13-of-50 third down attempts good for a conversion rate of just 26%. This offense is flat out bad and is going to struggle to move the chains with its starting quarterback out.
UL Monroe Defense
ULM defeated Troy 29-16, but was outgained by 88 yards of total offense in that game.
That’s been a common trend for the Warhawks, who have allowed over 1,200 yards of offense while their own offense has accounted for just over 600 yards.
They’ve been decent against the run, allowing 3.8 yards per attempt, but have allowed 8.9 yards per pass attempt, which ranks 111th in the country.
The Warhawks' defense didn't match up well with Kentucky, and that's the best indicator for this game They allowed 12.7 yards per pass attempt and four touchdowns through the air. Kentucky amassed over 550 yards of offense and 8.4 yards per play.
To put it nicely, this defense doesn’t have a chance of slowing down Coastal Carolina.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Coastal Carolina Offense
Coastal Carolina’s offense hasn’t skipped a beat from the success it saw in 2020. Jamey Chadwell’s spread-option offense has averaged 46 points per game and 8.4 yards per play.
Quarterback Grayson McCall has been nothing short of terrific this season, averaging 12.3 yards per pass attempt while throwing for eight touchdowns and completing 77% of his passes. He's led this offense to the No. 1 ranking in Passing Success Rate.
The Chanticleers have proven just as effective on the ground, as they're averaging 6.4 yards per carry, which has them ranked inside the top 10.
The offense ranks first in explosiveness and third in creating Havoc.
The innovative spread-option offense has yet to be slowed down and there's no reason to believe that ULM will be the team to do that.
Coastal Carolina Defense
The Chanticleers' defense hasn’t performed to the same standards as the offense to this point.
They've only allowed 17 points per game and just over 300 yards of offense. They've let up 4.4 yards per carry and rank 80th in Rushing Success Rate. The defense has also struggled in creating chaos, ranking 97th in Havoc rating.
The Chanticleers have outscored opponents by 118 points in four games, but they have yet to force a turnover this season.
Coastal will use this game to focus on improving those statistics against a non-threatening ULM offense.
UL-Monroe vs. Coastal Carolina Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how UL-Monroe and Coastal Carolina match up statistically:
UL-Monroe Offense vs. Coastal Carolina Defense
Coastal Carolina Offense vs. UL-Monroe Defense
Pace of Play / Other
UL-Monroe vs. Coastal Carolina Betting Pick
Coastal Carolina has been money when facing losing teams and when playing at home over the last two seasons.
The Chanticleers' offense is one of the most efficient in the country and prone to explosive plays.
The Louisiana-Monroe offense is averaging 2.9 yards per play and will struggle to find first downs, especially without Rodriguez.
Coastal Carolina could potentially put up more touchdowns than ULM does first downs.
The 2-1 record for ULM is not indicative of how badly this team has played. Coastal is going to be able to name the score in this matchup and it should be something close to what we saw last week in its 53-3 domination over UMass.
I anticipate another rout and I am laying the points with Coastal Carolina.
Pick: Coastal Carolina -34.5 (Play up to 35)
