Nico Cavanillas Alti made a school-record 56-yard field goal in Coastal Carolina's 45-7 win over Fordham on Saturday. He also converted all six extra points. In a developing offense, that demonstrated range gives Coastal a chance to salvage points when a drive stalls well short of the end zone.
The Chants visit Delaware on Saturday, September 19, at 11:30 a.m. ET on CBSSN. Fan Watch gives Coastal a 23% chance to win. It would be an upset worth getting behind, with Delaware clearly favored. No outside result carries enough consequence to recommend this week; the interactive guide and methodology have the forecast details.
This is the programs' first football meeting, but Bryson Graves supplies a familiar face. Delaware's receiver played at Coastal from 2023 through 2025 and was the Chants' primary punt returner last season. At Vanderbilt last week, he blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown. Coastal's punt protection has a very specific player to account for.
Delaware also conceded a blocked-punt touchdown in that game. That gives Coastal a reason to attack the Blue Hens' protection, though one breakdown hardly promises another. And the Chants just showed how much a return can help. Robby Washington's 26-yard punt return put the offense at Fordham's 16, and Deuce Bailey hit Clayton Coppock for a touchdown two plays later. Watch whether Coastal can create another short field while keeping Graves from supplying one for Delaware.
Those extra yards matter to an offense still coming together. Coastal entered the rebuild having lost 17 of its 22 primary 2025 starters, including 10 on offense; Ryan Beard brought 11 Missouri State players and nine assistants to Conway. That shared background offered some continuity, but this week still asks those players to execute together against a favored opponent.
Against Fordham, Coastal's opening touchdown possession used no-huddle shotgun, mixing Bailey's passes with carries by five different players. The ground game finished with 251 yards after producing 52 at West Virginia. Fans can now look for the offense to sustain that variety, rather than asking Bailey to supply every productive play.
Bailey kept the starting job against Fordham and threw three touchdowns without an interception, but completed 12 of 25 passes. The scoring and ball security are encouraging; more consistent completions would help Coastal keep possessions alive at Delaware.
The defense also left work unfinished. Fordham drove 71 yards on its opening possession before Marcellius Pulliam forced a fumble at Coastal's 8 and Xzavier Booker recovered. Coastal deserves credit for ending that threat, but fans should want earlier stops, too. Even with four takeaways and four sacks, a win over an FCS opponent cannot settle whether the defense has been repaired.
Give Coastal a clean punt operation, a productive return and drives that avoid wasting field position, and this becomes an appealing upset to watch.