Scouting Report: Charleston Southern

FSU (1-9) takes on Charleston Southern (1-10) in the Seminoles' homecoming game on Saturday. The game will stream on ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN app with kickoff scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Former Florida State offensive lineman Forrest Conoly will be in the booth providing as an analyst with Shawn Kenney handling the play-by-play.

The two programs have met twice before with FSU holding a 2-0 lead in the series. FSU last played Charleston Southern in 2016 when it won 52-8.

FSU is a 33-point favorite in this game and ESPN's matchup predictor gives FSU a 98 percent chance to get its second win of the season against the Buccaneers.

Quick facts on Charleston Southern

The Buccaneers are part of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference.

Gabe Giardina is in his second year as Charleston Southern's head coach. He has a record of 5-17 since taking over the program. Prior to taking over the Buccaneers he was the head coach at Albany State from 2017-22, where he compiled a 42-34 record. He began his career as a student assistant at Alabama under Mike Shula in 2004. He was a kicker and holder for the Tide as a player from 2000-03.

This will be Charleston Southern's only game vs. an FBS opponent this season.

Their only win this season came in their second game of the season when Charleston Southern beat Furman, which was ranked 15th in the FCS at that time. They are one of seven teams in the FCS with one or fewer wins this season.

Charleston Southern on offense

The Buccaneers run a spread shotgun offense. They are averaging 15 points per game, which ranks 120th out of 123 FCS programs. The Buccaneers average 130 yards per game on the ground, which is 87th-best at the FCS level, and 115th in passing offense, where they average 137 yards per game. Their 267 yards per game ranks 117th in total offense.

Like FSU, they list co-starters at QB coming into this game. Rob McCoy has been the starter most of the year and has completed 78 of 132 passes for 819 yards with seven interceptions and four touchdowns. Kaleb Jackson has split time with McCoy and is more of a dual-threat quarterback. He has run for 101 yards this season on 45 carries, which ranks third on the team. He has completed just 47 percent of his 99 passes for 608 yards, three interceptions and four touchdowns.

The Buccaneers run the ball 60 percent of the time and their top two running backs average almost 5 yards per carry. Autavius Ison leads the team with 767 yards on 158 carries and has scored four touchdowns this season. Tyson Greenwade is second on the team with 96 carries and 479 yards rushing. He has scored three touchdowns this season.

Wide receivers Chris Rhone and Noah Jennings are by far the two most targeted pass catchers for the Buccaneers. Rhone leads the team with 533 receiving yards on 32 catches. Jennings leads the team with 43 catches for 446 yards. The pair have combined for seven touchdown receptions. No other player on the roster has more than 13 catches.

Charleston Southern on defense

The strength of the Buccaneers is on defense. They are multiple and will feature three-man and four-man fronts depending on down and distance and offensive personnel groupings. The Buccaneers are giving up 348 yards per game, which ranks 50th in total defense. Against the run they are giving up 150 yards on the ground per game, which ranks 57th. They rank 39th in passing defense, where they give up 197 yards per game through the air. Opponents are averaging 25.4 points per game against the Buccaneers, which is 63rd-best at the FCS level.

Steve Zayachkowsky is the team's leading tackler from his WILL LB spot. He has 76 tackles on the season, including 4.5 TFLs and three sacks. Darrius Bell is the most disruptive player on their defense from his Bandit LB position. He has 43 tackles and leads the team in TFLs (11.5) and sacks (five).

Cornerback Ja'Kobe North has been a ballhawk in the secondary. He has one interception but leads the team with 13 PBUs.

Charleston Southern on special teams

Gilbert Brown handles the punting duties and is averaging 46 yards per punt on 61 attempts. He has forced the opposition to start 19 of their ensuing possessions inside their own 20-yard line and has forced 10 fair catches.

Reid Montgomery is the team's place-kicker, and he has made 6 of 10 field-goal attempts this season. He has missed two of his six attempts between 30 and 39 yards and all of his attempts from 40 yards or beyond.