CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern continues the 2021 spring football season this weekend as the Buccaneers make the trek up to West Long Branch, N.J. and Kessler Field for the Big South Conference matchup against Monmouth University on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff between the Buccaneers and the Hawks is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+

Charleston Southern at Monmouth
Date/Time: Saturday, March 27 at 1:05 p.m. ET
Location: West Long Branch, N.J. | Weather | Radar
Stadium: Kessler Stadium (4,200 Capacity)
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: MonmouthHawks.com
History: Sixth Meeting (MU Leads 3-1)
More Information: Follow us on Twitter @CSUSports and @CSUGameDay for up-to-date information on Game Day

Charleston Southern (0-1, 0-1 Big South): Head Coach Autry Denson | Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Game Notes
Monmouth (0-0, 0-0 Big South): Head Coach Kevin Callahan | Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Game Notes

Weekly Preview
Longest Road Trip of 2021
Charleston Southern will be taking its longest road trip of the 2021 spring season as the Buccaneers make the flight up to West Long Branch, N.J. and Monmouth University this weekend. It's a 725-mile one-way trip from CSU to Monmouth, which is more than the full trip (there and back again) that the Bucs made on March 13 to Kennesaw State (612 total miles). It also marks the second consecutive road trip for CSU to open the season and makes it the second straight season the Bucs have opened with their first two games on the road.

Schedule Changes Again
Due to COVID-pauses within the Robert Morris and Gardner-Webb programs, the Big South Conference shifted around the schedule again as the teams head into the final week of March. CSU was originally supposed to host Gardner-Webb on April 3, but due to the new changes, the Bucs now have new home dates against both Robert Morris and GWU. CSU will kickoff the home portion of the 2021 spring schedule on April 10 against RMU, before welcoming Gardner-Webb to Buccaneer Field on April 17.

Mourning the passing of Joe Bradshaw
The Buccaneer football program was rocked this past weekend with the news of the passing of freshman wide receiver Joe Bradshaw. Bradshaw, a St. Augustine, Fla. native, was a preferred walk-on to the program by way of Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. During his time at Nease, he paced the county with 51 receptions under the guidance of CSU legend and Big South Hall of Famer Collin Drafts. He was not expected to play this spring due to an injury.

About the Hawks
Monmouth will be making their 2021 spring debut this weekend as the Hawks welcome the Charleston Southern Buccaneers to Kessler Stadium on Saturday afternoon. MU was originally supposed to open the 2021 season with a March 13 home matchup against Robert Morris and a March 20 road trip to Gardner-Webb, but positive COVID tests within both of the opposing programs pushed the Hawks' season opener back to March 27.

The Hawks will have a big target on their backs this season as Monmouth was selected to finish first in the 2021 Big South Spring Football Preseason Poll. The Hawks also entered the spring selected 21st in the Athlon Preseason FCS poll and 22nd in the HERO Sports Preseason Poll as Monmouth received a league-high 44 points in the conference's preseason poll. MU also collected six of a possible 10 first-place votes.

Even with the loss of quarterback Kenji Bahar and running back Pete Guerrero, the Hawks return a veteran group to the field with eight starters returning to an offense that set over 40 team, game, and individual records in the 2019 season. Additionally, the Hawks return two of the league's most productive wide receivers to the field with Lonnie Moore IV posting 1,022 receiving yards in 2019, while Terrance Greene Jr. posted 65 catches, 916 yards, and 10 touchdowns.

The Hawks also welcome back a dangerous weapon in the backfield with Juwon Farri returning to the field after missing 2019 with an injury. Farri was a four-time Big South Freshman of the Week and paced the conference in rushing in 2018 in yards per carry (7.4) and total yards (1,024), while sitting fourth in the league with eight rushing touchdowns.

Defensively, the Hawks are expected to be led by linebacker Da'Quan Grimes and defensive back Justin Terry as the duo reprise their roles as two of the top players in their position in the Big South Conference. Grimes posted a team-high 115 tackles last season with 13.5 tackles for loss, while Terry added 62 tackles and 10 passes defensed to his name.

The Hawks also boast one of the nation's best on special teams with Moore earning All-American recognition at kick returner after averaging 27.8 yards per return last season. He set the NCAA FCS record with a 93-yard touchdown return in the Hawks' NCAA second round game at James Madison.

Chambers leading the Comeback
Quarterback Jack Chambers is coming off of one of the top performances in his collegiate career as the redshirt junior nearly led the Bucs to the come-from-behind win on the road against Kennesaw State.

Although his numbers don't match career-highs, Chambers put together a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives that narrowed the gap against the Owls over the final 10 minutes of the game. Chambers capped a 7-play, 56-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown to narrow the KSU lead down to 24-13. The ensuing possession, he took the ball over the goal line from one-yard out to keep the momentum on CSU's side as he closed out the 10-play, 50-yard drive. He added an 18-yard strike to Cayden Jordan for Jordan's first collegiate touchdown reception early in the second quarter.

Chambers paces the Bucs' rushing attack with 48 yards and a pair of scores following the opening weekend, while he completed passes to seven different receivers for 160 yards and another score.

WILLLLLLLLLSON
The Bucs' trio of running backs in Kendrick Bell, Terrence Wilson, and Jamari Dunbar all took the field for the first time of the 2021 spring season as CSU will look to build off strong campaigns by each of the trio in 2019. Wilson was the Bucs' go-to back in the opener with the Leesville, S.C. native taking 10 of CSU's 28 carries in the game, while Bell added a pair of touches for 10 yards.

All three of the aforementioned trio boast 100-yard rushing efforts in their careers and will be expected to continue to carry the ball this spring. Wilson was the Bucs' leading rusher in the 2018 season with 100-yard games against both Hampton and Gardner-Webb, while Dunbar (North Alabama) and Bell (Presbyterian, Campbell) also have 100-yard rushing games to their credit. CSU averaged 3.0 yards per carry on the ground in the opener against the Owls.

Schwarting Finding the Gaps
It didn't take long for Chambers and Garris Schwarting to connect in the 2021 spring opener between the Buccaneers and Kennesaw State. The duo recorded CSU's first completion of the season, a 25-yard connection, on the Bucs' second drive of the game against Kennesaw State for CSU's first first-down of the contest.

Schwarting ran his streak of games with at least four catches to three consecutive games and five of the last six dating back to the 2019 season as the Bamberg, S.C. native hauled in four catches for a team-high 55 yards. Three of Schwarting's four catches went for CSU first downs, while his other was a 12-yard pickup on 2nd-and-19 on the Bucs' first touchdown drive against the Owls.

It marked Schwarting's fourth game with at least 50 yards receiving over the last two seasons as the redshirt senior continues to pace the Bucs' efforts through the air. Schwarting posted career-high numbers in receptions (39), yards (575), and touchdowns (4) in the 2019 season.

Keeping Up with Geo and Co.
It doesn't look like Geoffrey Wall has missed much time on the field as the senior wide receiver was back at it against Kennesaw State in the Bucs' season opener. The High Point, N.C. native posted his sixth consecutive multi-catch game dating back to the 2018 season as the slot receiver has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons.

Last year, Wall opened the season with 13 catches over his first three games, including a career-high seven catches for 80 yards against Furman. This season, he added four more catches for 43 yards in the opener against Kennesaw State as he continues to showcase a strong rapport with Chambers.

Wall and Schwarting pace a group that saw several standout performances over the opening weekend with Demetrius Jones (two catches, 37 yards) and Cayden Jordan (one catch, 18 yards, one TD) both turning in career performances in the opener. Jones' two catches both went for first downs on the opening weekend, while Jordan's touchdown catch marked his first score in the CSU Blue & Gold.

The Offensive Line Shift
Gone are veteran All-Conference guards in Zack Evans and Stephen Haralambis, but Assistant Head Coach Aaron Coeling has to feel pretty confident in his group this season as he returns a trio of players that earned preseason recognition from various groups. Preston Nichols, Daviyon McDaniel, and JT Melton all return to headline the group that will lead the Bucs' battle in the trenches.

All three Bucs are shifting positions this season as Nichols moves from right to left tackle, McDaniel from left tackle to left guard, and Melton from center to right guard. All three provide veteran experience with over 60 starts combined among the trio across the line. Jacob Tylski (center) and Bailey Ottaway (right tackle) are expected to draw the start on opening day with the trio, while freshmen Darius Meeks, Caleb Eichelberger, and Lee Mathews could also see time on the field early this season.

Tackling Party
Charleston Southern's defense swarmed to the ball on Saturday afternoon against Kennesaw State as seven different players recorded at least 10 tackles in the contest. Two more players chipped in at least seven stops in the Bucs' season opener against the Owls with Edward King (9) and Kyle Syvarth (7) also in the mix in a number of different ways on the field in the conference opener.

Overall, five different CSU players set new career tackling highs in the contest against the Owls with Cody Cline (14), Anton Williams (14), Shaundre Mims (12), Garrett Sayegh (12), and Justin McIntire (10) all reaching the double-digit mark against the run-heavy offense of the Owls. Overall, Kennesaw State posted 69 rushing attempts in the season opener and the Bucs met KSU at the line of scrimmage frequently in limiting the Owls to just 3.3 yards per carry on the day.

Can't Stop the Mims
The preseason All-American defensive lineman lived up to the hype in the first game of the 2021 spring season as Shaundre Mims was attacking the ball early and often in CSU's opener at Kennesaw State. On one play, Mims wrapped up KSU quarterback Jonathan Murphy before he had taken two steps into his drop-back to stall an Owls' drive as the Vanceboro, N.C. native continues to show off his explosiveness on the interior of the CSU defensive line.

Mims tied his career high with 3.0 tackles for loss in the opener against Kennesaw State as he continues one of the most dominant stretches in Big South Conference history. The junior defensive tackle has recorded 12.0 tackles for loss over his last six conference games dating back to the 2019 matchup against Monmouth, with four of those games multi-TFL efforts. Mims' three tackles for loss also marked the eighth time a Buccaneer has posted 3.0-or-more tackles for loss in the Autry Denson tenure.

His one-game total puts him third overall in the Big South in tackles for loss with the conference's statistics including the fall contests played by both North Alabama and Campbell. He also added a career-high 12 tackles, doubling his previous career-high of six tackles established in the 2019 season finale against Campbell.

SACK-tion
Charleston Southern junior defensive end Anton Williams continued his quarterback-hunting ways at the start of the 2021 season. The Marianna, Fla. native ran his sack streak to five consecutive games dating back to the Gardner-Webb game on November 2, 2019, as he has posted seven sacks over his last five outings.

Williams broke out in a major way in the 2019 season as the junior defensive end recorded 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks over his first three games of the season against North Carolina A&T, The Citadel, and Savannah State. He closed the season similar to how he started with 10.0 tackles for loss and six sacks over the final four games of the season, while also adding an interception and a fumble recovery.

Williams picked up CSU's lone sack of the game against the Owls after breaking through the line and taking down KSU quarterback Jonathan Murphy in the second quarter. He added a career-high 14 tackles in the loss.

Cline and Kennedy Attacking the Line
Charleston Southern's safety duo of Cody Cline and Hombre Kennedy made their mark over the opening weekend as the Bucs were active at the line of scrimmage throughout the contest against Kennesaw State. Both of the duo recorded career-highs in tackles in the contest with Cline adding a tackle for loss in the game to pace CSU's secondary in the loss to the Owls.

Cline, along with defensive end Nick Salley, returned to the 2021 spring roster as the Bucs' leading tacklers after posting 70 in the 2019 season. The Concord, N.C. sophomore surpassed his previous career-high of 11 set last season against Gardner-Webb with 14 tackles in Saturday's contest as he looks to live up to the accolades after earning postseason and preseason honors this year.

Kennedy started the first two games of the 2019 season at safety and showcased that the time off had not disrupted his skill set in the least. The Summerville, S.C. native posted a career-high 10 tackles in the contest to help provide a second hard-hitting option in the Bucs' secondary this season.

Four Linebackers – Hungry to Make a Play
One of Charleston Southern's deepest units was on full display this past weekend as all four of the Buccaneers' top linebackers finished among the team's leading tacklers. Garrett Sayegh (12) and Justin McIntire (10) both posted career-highs in tackles in the contest, while Edward King (9) and Kyle Syvarth (7) were also among the team's leaders on the day.

Each of the Bucs' four linebackers has gained starting experience throughout their careers and it was on display this past weekend against Kennesaw state with all four players active early and often through the contest. Sayegh earned the start at middle linebacker and added a tackle for loss, while McIntire recorded the Bucs' lone pass breakup. Edward King added CSU's first forced fumble of the season, while Kyle Syvarth saw action all over the field on the weekend.

All-American Long Snapper
It's not often that a college football program can boast an All-American long snapper. It's even less often when the same program can boast two in the span of five years. Charleston Southern can make that claim after Boiling Springs, S.C. native Ethan Ray received the award from two different organizations heading into the season. Ray received STATS FCS Perform All-American and Phil Steele All-American honors in the preseason and headlines a specialist unit that includes the reigning Big South Conference Special Teams Player of the Year in Alex Usry.

Ray is coming off a standout campaign that included earning National Player of the Week recognition against Gardner-Webb. Ray recovered two fumbles in the game against the Runnin' Bulldogs to highlight a season that featured a perfect snapping record. He also was influential in both the punting and kicking games as CSU set records in both punt average, most field goals, and the longest field goal in program history, while also leading the team in downed punts and punt coverage.

Dialing In From Long Range
Charleston Southern boasted one of the most valuable weapons in the nation in the 2019 season in the right leg of placekicker Alex Usry as the Sophomore All-American and Big South Special Teams Player of the Year returns to the roster this spring. Usry led all Big South placekickers in scoring average and sat third overall in the conference with 8.2 points per game. He posted the third-most field goals in Big South history with 20, while connecting on three 50-plus yard field goal attempts.

Usry made his debut in week with two field goals, including a 48-yard conversion against The Citadel. From there, he averaged multiple field goal attempts the remaining 10 weeks of the season, including a season-high four conversions against North Alabama. Usry connected on his first 50-yard field goal of the season on October 12 against Kennesaw State. He followed up the following week with a CSU-record 52-yard conversion on the road against North Alabama to continue a stretch of 11 consecutive field goals made. He later added a 51-yard conversion on the road against Presbyterian, and closed out the season connecting from both 33 and 34 yards in CSU's win over Campbell.