After three consecutive road games, the Charleston Southern football team returns home for just its second game at Buccaneer Field this season on Oct. 5 at 4 p.m.
The Buccaneers will host conference foe Western Illinois (1-3), with both teams seeking their first win in the Big South/OVC Association.
CSU opened the season at home against The Citadel, narrowly falling 22-21. Next came an upset win at Furman, followed by losses at Richmond and Tennessee State in its conference opener Sept. 28.
The loss to Tennessee State came in a game that CSU dominated throughout, only to lose 13-9 in the final seconds. The Buccaneers had over 40 minutes of possession and rushed for more than 200 yards, only to come up short. Tennessee State put together a 92-yard game-winning drive in the final minutes to steal the victory.
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"We gotta finish the game, that's it," CSU coach Gabe Giardina said. "We did a lot of good. I thought the offensive line played really well. We got the running game going. Defensively, our guys really competed their butts off.
"We have had two leads with less than five minutes to go, but we haven't been able to finish. We're not discouraged -- we're frustrated, but we're not going to hang our heads. Our guys are playing so hard for us. We gave a winning effort in three of our four games."
Giardina says last week's starting quarterback, Kaleb Jackson, will likely get the call again on Oct. 5. Starter Rob McCoy continues to rehab an ankle and is showing progress.
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"Probably going to be Kaleb on Saturday. We certainly have a lot of faith in him and faith in everyone around him," Giardina said.
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The offense mustered only three field goals in the loss but had touchdown opportunities. The Bucs lost a fumble at the 1-yard line and settled for a field goal after having a first-and-goal at the 5.
"Comes down to finishing," the CSU coach said.
Western Illinois could be just what the doctor ordered for the CSU offense. The Leathernecks are allowing 53.5 points and 548 yards of offense this season. CSU's offensive focus is on the running game, and WIU allows 256 yards rushing per game.
Adding juice to the return home is that Saturday's game is homecoming. Giardina expects a good turnout of former players to be on hand and hopes to give the alumni plenty to cheer about.
"We have missed playing here for our fans, for our students. Guys will be excited to play at home," he said. "Homecoming is a special time. Excited to have players come back and watch. The Buccaneer legacy of love is real here. We don't take it lightly."