Men of Teal Will Take Conference Title Despite Departures

Call it luck, bogus, or whatever else you wish, last season your men of teal obtained a Big South Conference title and the first ever Big South automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.  Sure, a whacky rule no one ever heard of was the reason, but rules are rules for a reason.

This coming autumn however, some whacky rule won’t be the reason you see the Chants placed into a bracket on selection Sunday.  So, in the words of the great Terrell Owens, “Getcha popcorn ready.”

The Chanticleers boast more than enough pieces to fit the puzzle of a conference title for the upcoming season, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  Of course offense puts fans in the stands, but defensively is where the Chants took games over last season.  With starters such as shutdown cornerback Josh Norman and tackling machine Andre Jacobs returning to the field, opposing offenses won’t know what to do with the football.

Offensive gurus fear not, even with record setting quarterback Zach MacDowall and stud running back Eric O’Neal graduating, the offense looks stellar.  Although the quarterback situation seemed up in the air in the spring game, whoever steps in under center has a plethora of weapons in their artillery.  All American tight end David Duran fits perfectly into the Chants high-powered offense and his experience makes a quarterbacks job easier than kicking an extra point in Madden.

The most important piece to this season is none other than head coach David Bennett.  Coach Bennett is entering his 10^th season as the Chanticleers head coach and his players respond positively to him and his staff year in and year out. 

The Chanticleers open their season September 3^rd against in-state foe Furman at Brooks Stadium.  And for you freshmen, a home opener at Brooks Stadium is something never forgotten.

Can Russell Outstitch the Competition?

Please pick one of the following in terms of an athletic uniform: Nike or Russell.

If you’re thinking the way I am with the college football season upon us, we probably picked Nike.  They outfit plenty of college football teams.  Take the Oregon Ducks for example; Nike supplied them with 80 different uniform combinations, and every single one of them has a wow factor to it whether it involves their traditional colors or steel plated sleeves with gunmetal helmets.

Let’s think here for a second people. Teal, black, and bronze are not a run of the mill color combination. Neither is a crazy rooster mascot whose name has ESPN’s tongues tied.

After pondering these simple facts, wouldn’t Nike be the first choice to make the Chanticleers the best-outfitted team in the NCAA?

Just picture in your head what Nike would do to CCU’s football uniforms.  Even if they made a million different combinations, I think I’d find a way to buy every single one.

But the thing is, CCU decided to outfit all of the Chanticleers athletic teams with Russell apparel for the next five years.  I don’t know about you guys, but the first thing I think of when it comes to Russell is the two-dollar clearance rack at Walmart.  The second thing I think of is it’s going to rip like a Hulk Hogan t-shirt the second I move the wrong way. 

Sorry if I sound like a Debbie downer, but it’s something that makes me scratch my head in confusion.

In closing, am I jumping to conclusions when thinking Russell cannot do what a company like Nike would do with our jerseys?  Maybe.  Do you blame me?  Probably not.  Do I want Russell to burn my first column like Desean Jackson’s last second punt return to overcome a 21 point, second half deficit burned the Giants playoff hopes?  Absolutely.

Nike Pro Combat CCU Jersey

A New Mold Of Fan

Conway, SC—The last time Gumby graced an American television set with a new episode, Ronald Reagan ran this beautiful country. Yet, this winter, the molded clay children’s character resurfaced.

Any college basketball fan can testify to a Gumby sighting amongst random NCAA basketball arenas this season. College students (at least I hope they are college students) are buying Gumby costumes to appear on television camera reels at their schools basketball games. Unfortunately, cameras overlooked the original Gumby this season. He’s nestled right here in Conway.

Coastal Carolina sophomore and Danbury, Connecticut native David Teixeira claims he is the real Gumby.

“Yeah I’m the original, not them,” said Teixeira. “When I saw those kids at the Texas and Ohio State games I was outraged. I’ve been wearing that costume since Halloween 2009!”

Teixeira ventured to Clemson University during his freshman year to witness Coastal Carolina football play the Tigers on Halloween weekend. If the game didn’t blackout on television, the ‘Campus Hero’ title is his 17 months ago. However, it wasn’t televised so the nylon costume returned to the box.

Last month, the real Gumby came to life.

“I heard Coastal was going to be on ESPNU and ESPN2, and I just knew it was my time to shine. It’s not every week we get to play on T.V. so I had to show these imposters who the real Gumby is,” said Teixeira.

Boy, did you show them.

I attended both Big South Conference Tournament games and remember seeing Teixeira a couple of rows down from me; the cameras were glued to him.

Teixeira said, “Multiple family members and friends texted me and sent me pictures of myself going crazy with other students for the game. And to be honest, I was just happy I could fire up the crowd for the games. Chauncey wanted to bring me on court but security wouldn’t let me…typical.”

Teixeira denied any mascot aspirations in his future citing the temperature in the costume as a reason, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Teixeira relieve the current Chauncey of his duties if need be. Teixeira also vowed to attend every single sporting event he can make it to next semester, mainly the football and basketball games.

“The fans deserve it, especially the kids,” said Teixeira. “They were asking me for autographs and pictures. I’ll be at all of the games though. Hopefully security accepts my newfound stardom too, I’d love to get on that field with Chauncey.”

On behalf of Chanticleer fans, we hope they mold you into the community as well.