Big South announces 2021 football spring schedule

Charleston Southern will take on four conference opponents on the gridiron this spring as the Big South Conference announced the 2021 spring schedule on Monday afternoon.

The Buccaneers’ 2021 spring conference schedule is as follows:

·         Saturday, March 13 – at Kennesaw State

·         Saturday, March 20 – vs. Robert Morris

·         Saturday, March 27 – at Monmouth

·         Saturday, April 3 – vs. Gardner-Webb

Non-conference opponents and dates are still to be determined.

CSU is working with the state of South Carolina and local guidelines, policies, and regulations to ensure fans will safely be allowed inside the Whitfield Stadium Center and Buccaneer Field for the spring football season. More information will come at a later date.

Five Big South schools will be playing a four-game conference slate to determine the Big South’s automatic qualifier to the FCS Playoffs. The teams competing will be Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Kennesaw State, Monmouth, and Robert Morris. Big South football members Campbell, North Alabama, and Hampton will not compete during the spring season.

Robert Morris, which was added as an associate member on June 15 and was scheduled to begin play in the Big South in the fall of 2021, will instead be an official conference opponent in the upcoming spring campaign and will be eligible for the Big South championship and automatic berth to the postseason.

Contingencies were built into the schedule to allow flexibility for completing the conference season in full, as the week of April 11-17 has been left open to allow any games impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to be made up. Big South members are permitted to play up to four non-conference games during the spring.

The Buccaneers were voted third in the 2020 Big South Preseason Poll earlier this fall during the conference’s annual Media Day. Voted on by head coaches and media members, the Bucs were one of three programs to receive a first-place vote and earned the third-place prediction.

Charleston Southern enters their second season under Head Coach Autry Denson after finishing 5-1 down the stretch including a perfect 4-0 mark in the month of November. Denson and his staff have used that momentum for another highly-ranked recruiting class this past offseason, checking-in with the No. 13 class according to Hero Sports FCS.

Additionally, nine Charleston Southern football players were recognized on the 2020 Big South Football Preseason All-Conference teams. Defensive linemen Nick Salley, Anton Williams, and Shaundre Mims, defensive back Cody Cline, placekicker Alex Usry, and long snapper Ethan Ray all earned preseason All-Conference First Team recognition. Quarterback Jack Chambers, offensive lineman JT Melton, and wide receiver Garris Schwarting were all honored on the Honorable Mention squad.

The Buccaneers are wrapping up their fall practice season this Saturday, November 14, with a Blue-Gold scrimmage on Buccaneer Field. The scrimmage is set to start at 10 a.m. and will be open to family and friends of the team. The game will also be carried live on ESPN+ with coverage beginning at 10 a.m.

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