Here’s a list of things to keep an eye on during the game this afternoon:

Lorenzo Taliaferro
Taliaferro has been a beast all season. The senior running back from Yorktown, Virginia has 835 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He is averaging 6.7 yards per carry and 139 yards per game. He is on pace to break the Big South single season rushing touchdown record which is currently at 21. He has rushed for at least 1 rushing touchdown every game this season including 3 games with 3 rushing touchdowns. Taliaferro has also had 4 100+ rushing yard games.

Coastal head coach Joe Moglia

Defense/special teams & scoring
A lot has been made about the Coastal offense who is scoring 43 points per game which is 5th best in the country, but not much has been said about Coastal’s defensive and special teams help in getting those points. Over their first 6 games, the Chanticleers have had 2 scores directly from their special teams or defense, and 5 other scoring drives have been just 28 yard drives or fewer. If you take those 8 scores away (which you obviously can’t) Coastal’s point per game average drops from 43 to 36. This would drop the Chanticleers from 5th in the country to 21st. So while Coastal’s offense has been very good at putting points on the board, they’ve also been very opportunistic when their defense or special teams sets them up with a short field.

Red zone
A key battle during the game today will be in the red zone. Both teams have been very efficient, on both sides of the ball, when reaching the red zone. Coastal’s offense ranks 2nd in the country in red zone offense while Liberty’s defense ranks 3rd in red zone defense. On the other side of the ball, Liberty’s offense ranks 14th in the country in red zone offense while Coastal’s defense ranks 7th in red zone defense. Could this be the determining factor of the game?

2-pt conversions
Head coach Joe Moglia is aggressive in his point after touchdown strategy. The Chanticleers have gone for two 11 times this season, and have successfully converted on just 3 two point conversions. Many of their 2 point tries are early in the game as Coastal tries to jump on teams early. If you remember back to last year’s matchup in Conway, the Chanticleers successfully converted a 2 point conversion on their first score of the game against Liberty.

Possible record crowd
With Coastal coming to town, being ranked in the top 10, homecoming weekend, and likely good weather, expect Liberty to set a home attendance record. The current record is 19,314 set in 2010 in the first game at the newly renovated Williams Stadium against Savannah State. #2 on the list is 19,111 from  2 years ago when Coastal visited for homecoming.

Full Coastal Carolina week coverage:
The Heat: the playoffs start now
Game preview & prediction
By the numbers: Special Teams
Coastal Player Spotlight: Lorenzo Taliaferro
By the numbers: Liberty’s O vs Coastal’s D
Player Spotlight: Josh Woodrum
By the numbers: Coastal’s O vs Liberty’s D
Liberty all-time vs FCS top 10
Big South Power Rankings: Week 7
Grading the team: 1st 6 weeks
Liberty/Coastal Series History
Player Spotlight: Walt Aikens