Sun Belt Conference Weekly News and Notes (Complete PDF)
Sun Belt Conference Media Guide
Sun Belt Conference Composite Schedule
Sun Belt Conference Standings
Sun Belt Conference Stats
Wednesday Night Clash of Champions and Conference Play Highlight Sun Belt Action for Week Six
Sun Belt football will focus solely on conference games for the first time this season as three league games are on the docket.
The action starts Wednesday night in Jonesboro when Arkansas State hosts Georgia Southern in an ESPN2 national television affair. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and a number of interesting story lines present themselves. Most notably, Arkansas State and Georgia Southern represent the last two conference champions of the Sun Belt – with the Red Wolves claiming the title a season ago and the Eagles doing so in 2014. The two title winners never met in the last two campaigns as this will be the first head-to-head meeting of the programs since the 1986 NCAA I-AA national championship game in Tacoma, Wash. The Eagles’ Tracy Ham, now an associate AD for internal operations at GS, rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns and completed 12-of-21 passes for 306 yards and another score to lead the Eagles to their second consecutive I-AA national championship. Georgia Southern became the first school to ever win back-to-back national championships in Division I-AA.
While Georgia Southern is already off to a 2-0 start in conference play, this will be the first conference game of the season for the Red Wolves. Including the Eagles’ start to this season, GS is 15-2 in conference play since joining the league in 2014. Arkansas State is 13-3 during that same time span. Having gone undefeated in Sun Belt play last year, Arkansas State is riding a nine game conference win streak – their last loss was on November 20, 2014 against Texas State. Not only is the Red Wolves’ conference winning streak the fifth longest in the nation, A-State is the only FBS?program in the country to win four conference championships over the last five seasons.
Moving to Saturday, Georgia State hosts Texas State and UL Monroe hosts Idaho. Texas State is the only one of those four teams that has not played yet played a Sun Belt game at this point in the season. The other three squads will be looking for their first league win of the year with each having lost their conference openers. Of the four, Texas State and Idaho are the only teams to complete their non-conference schedules for the season. Both teams went 2-2 in those games.
Not to be forgotten, South Alabama defeated No. 19 San Diego State 42-24 for the program’s first win over a top-25 team this past Saturday. Making his first career start in place of an injured Dallas Davis, Cole Garvin completed 16-of-21 attempts for 242 yards and three touchdowns to lead South Alabama to the victory. Garvin was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
Upcoming Schedule
Wednesday, October 5
* Georgia Southern at Arkansas State - 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Saturday, October 8
* Texas State at Georgia State - 2:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
* Idaho at UL Monroe - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
* denotes Sun Belt Conference game
All times Central (CT) and subject to change
Recent Results
Saturday, October 1
* Appalachian State 17, Georgia State 3 - 11 a.m. (American Sports Network/ESPN3)
Auburn 58, UL Monroe 7 - 2:30 p.m. (SEC Network Alternate)
* Troy 34, Idaho 13 - 4 p.m. (ESPN3)
Texas State 48, Incarnate Word 17 - 6:30 p.m. (ESPN3/Texas State Sport Properties/KEYE-TV)
South Alabama 42, #19 San Diego State 24 - 7 p.m. (ESPNEWS)
* New Mexico State 37, UL Lafayette 31 (2OT) - 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
* denotes Sun Belt Conference game
All times Central (CT) and subject to change
Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Cole Garvin (South Alabama, So., QB, Finance)
Making his first career start in place of an injured Dallas Davis, Garvin completed 16-of-21 attempts for 242 yards and three touchdowns to lead South Alabama to a 42-24 victory over No. 19 San Diego State. The sophomore’s two second-half scoring passes gave the Jaguars the lead, first with a USA season-long 79 yard throw to Gerald Everett on the second play of the third quarter then with a 20-yard pass to Josh Magee that put the Jags in front for good with 12 minutes to go in the contest. Garvin’s three touchdown passes were the most by a South quarterback this fall, while his 76.1 completion percentage was the highest ever recorded by a Jaguar against an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision opponent.
Defensive Player of the Week
Rodney Butler (NM State, Sr., LB, Marketing)
Rodney Butler continues to impress on the defensive end for NM State, registering 18 tackles Saturday night against UL Lafayette with six solo tackles as the Aggies defeated the Ragin’ Cajuns in double overtime. The NM State captain also picked up his third-career interception in the second quarter when he stepped in front of Anthony Jenning’s pass. His last interception came in 2015, also against the Ragin’ Cajuns. The 6-1 linebacker also forced a fumbled in the first quarter, the fourth of his career.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Bentlee Critcher (Appalachian State, Sr., P/K, Business)
App State punter Bentlee Critcher was a weapon on Saturday. He punted six times for a 42.7-yard average and downed four punts inside the 20-yard line - three inside the 10 - to keep Georgia State backed up all afternoon. Critcher downs punts at the GSU 8-yard line twice and once at the 6-yard line to give GSU a long field all afternoon. Critcher also kicked off four times, all touchbacks, in the win. The Panthers started 10 drives off a Critcher kickoff or punt with an average start at their own 21-yard line.
Sun Belt News and Notes
Sun Belt Membership
The Sun Belt’s 11-school football membership includes Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Idaho, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Texas State and Troy. Little Rock and UT Arlington compete in all sports as non-football members while Idaho and New Mexico State are football-only members. Coastal Carolina official entered the league on July 1, 2016 and currently competes as an all-sport member. The CCU football program will begin Sun Belt play in 2017.
Sun Belt Bowl Partners
In 2001, the Sun Belt Conference began sponsoring football and created the inaugural New Orleans bowl in December of that year. The conference now stands as one of the 10 premier college football leagues in the country.
As part of the College Football Playoff a worthy football team in the Sun Belt can be in the national championship picture, and the league is a permanent part of the “Group of Five” conferences (joining the American Athletic Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA) that sends its highest-rated champion to a premier January 1st bowl game.
In the last three years the Sun Belt Conference has gone from having two primary bowl partnerships to five in 2016. From 2001 to 2009 the Sun Belt Conference had only one bowl partner.
College Football Playoff
Opportunity to select Sun Belt Champion for one of six bowls or CFP semifinals
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
First Selection (vs. CUSA)
Dollar General Bowl (Mobile, Ala.)
Second Selection (vs. MAC)
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.)
Third Selection (vs. MAC)
AutoNation Cure Bowl (Orlando, Fla.)
Fourth Selection (vs. American)
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl (Tucson, Ariz.)
Fifth Selection (vs. Mountain West)
Sun Belt Conference Championship Game
The Sun Belt Conference will hold its first ever football championship game as the league’s presidents and chancellors, as well as athletic directors, voted unanimously to play the game beginning in 2018. The addition of Coastal Carolina and the decision to move forward as a 10-team football league, along with the NCAA Division I Council’s new rules on championship games, means that the championship game has become a reality.
Sun Belt Coaches and Student-Athletes Team Up For New Orleans Youth Football Clinic
As part of Sun Belt Conference Media Day, Sun Belt Conference Head Football Coaches and Student-Athletes teamed up with the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, The Allstate Sugar Bowl & The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl to provide a free youth football clinic to children in the area.
The Sun Belt Conference Experience
For student-athletes, Sun Belt institutions are leaders in providing career services and the tools to assist in the pursuit of personal goals. Sun Belt members all employ full-time academic advisors and have on average more than 20 tutors for academic support. During the 2015-16 academic year, Sun Belt member institutions awarded over $50 million in scholarships to more than 3,100 student-athletes, while also providing life experiences such as team building, domestic and foreign travel, community service, mentoring, and recognition through honors and awards. The Sun Belt’s commitment to academic excellence remains a hallmark, with the league and its institutions annually rewriting the Sun Belt record book for grade-point averages and academic honors. This past spring, a record-tying 14 league programs were recognized for outstanding performance in the classroom, with those teams earning NCAA Public Recognition Awards for posting APR scores in the top 10 percent of their sport nationally. It was the second straight year for the Sun Belt to have 14 programs honored, doubling the amount of the previous years.
The Sun Belt Conference on the American Sports Network
The Sun Belt Conference recently announced that it will air football and basketball games throughout the 2016-17 season on the American Sports Network. While games on ASN will be broadcasts on “over-the-air” and cable affiliates, they will also be available without blackout restrictions on ESPN3 and all WatchESPN platforms. The partnership, made possible through a sublicense agreement with ESPN, allows for a minimum of eight football games and a minimum of 10 basketball games from the Sun Belt to be aired through ASN. The sublicense agreement reached by ESPN and ASN allows the Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned network to produce and distribute Sun Belt Conference games via Sinclair affiliate television stations and other over the air and cable stations nationwide. Sinclair Broadcast Group is the largest owner of television stations in the United States, currently owning or operating 173 television stations in 81 markets nationwide and having affiliations with all the major networks. The announcement also comes with the notice that the following Sun Belt football games will be part of the Sun Belt-ASN venture.
Friday, September 2
Ball State at Georgia State - 6 p.m.
Saturday, September 3
Boise State at UL Lafayette - 11 a.m.
Saturday, September 10
Old Dominion at Appalachian State - 2:30 p.m.
Georgia Southern at South Alabama - 6 p.m.
Saturday, September 17
South Alabama at UL Lafayette - 6 p.m.
All times are central and subject to change.
Additional games will be released at later dates.
Sun Belt Institutions Come to Aid of Louisiana Flood Victims
Recent heavy rain and ongoing floods of historic proportions claimed at least 13 lives and damaged more than 40,000 homes in south Louisiana this summer. The University of South Alabama athletics department, under the direction of its athletic director Joel Erdmann sent an 18-wheeler and four large box trucks full of food, water, clothes, diapers and other supplies. Half of them were dropped off in Hammond, where some in that area are also still recovering from March floods along the Northshore, and the other half was sent on to Lafayette. South Alabama coaches, graduate assistants, athletic department administrators and staff along with student-athletes volunteered to load the trucks and gather support for the effort. The Ragin’ Cajuns themselves lent a helping hand in their community as well. In an effort to get the community back to normal, the Cajuns head football coach, Mark Hudspeth and his Ragin’ Cajun football family extended a helping hand. On a day most would be prepping for the upcoming season, the Ragin’ Cajuns put-off their normal practice schedule, loaded up in buses, and went to work in Youngsville to help those in need.
Team News and Notes
Appalachian State Mountaineers
App scored all 17 of their points in the second half to grab a 17-3 win over Georgia State on Saturday at Kidd Brewer. App is now 14-1 in its last 15 Sun Belt games. The scoreless first half was the first in which the Mountaineers were involved since 1995 (Marshall).
App’s defense allowed a season-low 241 yards of total offense and held Georgia State out of the red zone for the day. App also picked off a season-high four interceptions, including one on the game’s first and last possession. App has held teams not named Miami (Tenn, ODU, Akron, and Georgia State – three bowl teams from ’15) to a total of 24 first-half points (6 ppg) while scoring 68 (17 ppg).
RB Jalin Moore had 28 carries for 149 yards and a touchdown in the win. Moore has 406 yards and three TDs on 66 carries in the last two games.
LB Eric Boggs had a team-high 10 tackles and an interception on the opening possession of the season. Boggs leads the Apps with 48 tackles though five games (9.8 per game).
App controlled the second half, holding the ball for 20:09 and outgaining GSU 241-108. App held a 16-8 edge in first downs in the second half as well.
P/KO Bentlee Critcher had a big day and kept GSU backed up. Critcher had a 42.7 average on six kicks, downed FOUR inside the 20 and had four touchbacks on four kickoffs. He backed up a 45-yard punt at the GSU 6 to flip the field and help App keep the Panthers backed up in a defensive opening half.
DB Mondo Williams had his third interception of the season to move into a tie for fifth nationally in interceptions per game (0.6).
QB Taylor Lamb tossed his 54th career passing TD during a very efficient second half, going 8-for-15 for 98 yards and a TD second half.
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Arkansas State continues a four-game home stand, its longest since 1992, Wednesday with a nationally-televised game on ESPN2 against Georgia Southern to begin its Sun Belt Conference schedule . . . Arkansas State completed its non-conference schedule with an 0-4 record and now turns its sights to league play, carrying a nine-game winning streak against conference opponents into its Sun Belt opener. Not only is the Red Wolves’ conference winning streak the fifth longest in the nation, A-State is the only FBS?program in the country to win four conference championships over the last five seasons. While Arkansas State is playing its Sun Belt opener, Georgia Southern already has a 2-0 record in league action and brings a 3-1 overall record into the contest. A-State (2015) and Georgia Southern (2014) have won the last two Sun Belt titles, although they will meet Wednesday night for the first time as conference foes . . . Wednesday’s game will mark just the second all-time meeting between A-State and Georgia Southern and the first since 1986 when the two programs met in the I-AA (now FCS) national championship game in Tacoma, Wash. The Eagles went up 26-7 in the first half of that contest before going on to claim a 48-21 victory . . . Arkansas State has won 33 of its last 39 Sun Belt Conference games (.846 winning percentage) to run its all-time record in the conference to 66-42. The Red Wolves hold their most all-time victories against ULM with 23. With the exception of Georgia Southern, which A-State has never faced as an SBC opponent, the Red Wolves have defeated every team in the conference since the football league was formed in 2001. Along with ULM?and Louisiana-Lafayette, A-State is one of three teams that have been a part of the conference since its inaugural football season . . . The Red Wolves stand 10-5 all-time in Sun Belt Conference openers after picking up a 49-35 win over Idaho in their first league game last year. A-State has won its last three Sun Belt openers, also knocking off ULM?28-14 in 2014 and Troy 41-34 in 2013. Prior to 2013-15, the last time the Red Wolves won their Sun Belt Conference opener in three consecutive years was 2004-06. A-State has never won four consecutive Sun Belt openers . . . Dating back to the 2010 season, Arkansas State holds a 15-2 record over its last 17 games played in the month of October. The Red Wolves went undefeated in the month during the 2011, 2012 and 2015 seasons, 1-1 in 2013 and 2-1 in 2014 . . . Historically, A-State has performed well in midweek games (Tue.-Thurs.) since joining the Sun Belt Conference. ?
Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern leads the all-time series with Arkansas State 1-0 after beating the Red Wolves 48-21 in the 1986 NCAA I-AA national championship game in Tacoma, Washington, 30 years ago. Tracy Ham, now an associate AD for internal operations at GS, rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns and completed 12-of-21 passes for 306 yards and another score to lead the Eagles to their second consecutive I-AA national championship. Against the nation’s top-rated I-AA defense, Georgia Southern gained 603 yards in total offense, 297 rushing and 306 passing. With the win, Georgia Southern became the first school to ever win back-to-back national championships in Division I-AA.
GS has played 18 Sun Belt games as it plays its third season in the conference. The Eagles are 16-2 in conference games, although the 2014 win over ULM was vacated due to NCAA violations to make GS officially 15-2 in SBC games.
Georgia Southern is in the midst of a tough four-game road stretch as it heads to Jonesboro for Wednesday’s game. The Eagles are the only FBS squad to play four consecutive road games this year when they travel to Western Michigan (9/24), Arkansas State (10/5), Georgia Tech (10/15) and New Mexico State (10/22). Eight other FBS schools - Arkansas State, Army, Georgia State, Idaho (twice), UL Monroe, UMass, South Alabama and UTSA - will play three games in a row on the road at some point this season. The Eagles’ 40-day span between home games from Sept. 17 to Oct. 27 will be the second-longest in the FBS this year, only behind Idaho’s 42-day span late in the season.
The Eagles will be looking for their third straight 3-0 start in Sun Belt Play.
After a loss, Georgia Southern is 7-0 since joining FBS. The last time the Eagles lost back-to-back games was in 2013 when they lost at Appalachian State and against Furman in consecutive games.
Arkansas State is one of two teams (with UL Layfayette) in conference that GS hasn’t played since joining the Sun Belt in 2014. This will be the first ever game in the state of Arkansas for the Eagles.
Georgia State Panthers
With his second catch against Appalachian State, senior wide receiver Robert Davis became Georgia State’s career leader in receptions. Davis finished the game with five catches for 56 yards to raise his career total to 179 receptions as he surpassed the mark of 175 set by his former teammate and current Kansas City Chief Albert Wilson (2010-13). Davis ranks second to Wilson (175-3,190-23) in career receiving yards (2,712) and touchdown receptions (13).
Davis is the top active receiver in the Sun Belt. He ranks eighth among all active FBS players in career receiving yards and 13th in receptions.
Davis has caught at least one pass in every Georgia State game the last four seasons (41 straight), which is tied for the FBS active lead.
Georgia State will play its first home game in over a month as the Panthers host Texas State Saturday at the Georgia Dome. The Panthers have played three straight road games at Air Force, No. 9 Wisconsin and Appalachian State.
Over the last two games, Georgia State’s defense has held No. 9-ranked Wisconsin (23 points) and preseason Sun Belt favorite Appalachian State (17 points) to an average of 20 points.
Idaho Vandals
The University of Idaho opens its road conference schedule at Louisiana-Monroe Saturday. The Vandals will be trying to bounce back from a home loss to Troy last weekend. The series between the Vandals and Warhawks dates to 1993 when the Vandals won a I-AA playoff game, 34-31. Idaho leads the series 4-3, which includes last year’s 27-13 victory.
The Vandals have intercepted six passes this season, which is third in the Sun Belt and 17th nationally. Sophomore linebacker Kaden Elliss and senior safety Jayshawn Jordan have two each with junior safety Jordan Grabski and senior cornerback Russell Siavii with one each.
Austin Rehkow remains the national career average leader and is No. 1 in the Sun Belt (15th nationally) with an average of 44.8 yards per kick. Doubling as Idaho’s placekicker, he’s third in the league and 15th nationally in field goals per game (1.6) and second in the league and 28th nationally in field goal percentage (.800).
Between the length of his punts and their hang time, the Vandals have carved out the ninth-best net punting average in the country. Their average of 43.04 per return is second in the Sun Belt.
UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
For the first time in school history, UL Lafayette played an overtime game for the second straight week. The Ragin’ Cajuns dropped a 37-31 decision at New Mexico State to fall to 3-7 in overtime contests.
Simeon Thomas and Trey Granier each recorded their first career interceptions for the Ragin’ Cajuns while Otha Peters (18) and Tre’maine Lightfoot (17) set career highs in tackles.
Darius Hoggins rushed for 81 yards to lead UL Lafayette while Anthony Jennings threw a first-quarter TD pass to Keenan Barnes. Elijah McGuire was limited to 20 yards rushing on six carries, increasing his career total in all-purpose yards to 5,183 – 48 yards shy of the record set by Tyrell Fenroy.
Steven Coutts averaged 48.2 yards per punt for the Ragin’ Cajuns on six attempts, with a season-high 64-yard punt in the first quarter. Stevie Artigue connected on field goals of 22, 41 and 47 (a season-long) for UL Lafayette while Al Riles caught a season-high eight passes for 110 yards.
UL Lafayette will return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 12, when it plays host to Appalachian State in a nationally-televised on contest on ESPN2.
UL Monroe Warhawks
Saturday’s game will mark the first home contest for ULM in 35 days after the Warhawks have played on the road in three straight games and had their bye week of the season. ULM opened the season back on September 3 with a 38-21 victory over Southern in head coach Matt Viator’s Warhawk debut.
The Idaho contest is the first of back-to-back home contests for the Warhawks, as they welcome Texas State to JPS Field at Malone Stadium next Saturday as part of ULM’s Homecoming. The homestand is a welcome sight for ULM after the program was one of just six FBS schools nationally (and the only Sun Belt program) that did not play back-to-back home games in 2015.
It has been over two calendar years since the Warhawks hosted back-to-back home games – both wins – as they opened the 2014 campaign with victories over Wake Forest
(17-10) and Idaho (38-31) inside JPS Field at Malone Stadium.
ULM has tallied three forced turnovers in its last two meetings with Idaho (2014, 2015).
In the last five seasons, the Warhawks are 2-3 in Sun Belt Conference home openers. The Warhawks’ last Sun Belt home opening win was against Idaho (38-31) in 2014 while ULM also notched a win over former Sun Belt member Florida Atlantic to begin the 2011 SBC home slate (34-14 win).
ULM and the state of Idaho will be forever linked thanks to a city on the opposite side of the state from the University of Idaho. The program’s 1987 I-AA national championship was won in Pocatello, Idaho.
New Mexico State Aggies
Against UL Lafayette, NM State scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game. This is the second time this season their first drive of the game resulted in a touchdown. The other was September 17 at Kentucky.
Tyler Rogers threw for 354 yards and now has 5,209 career passing yards. He has moved into fifth place in career passing yards, surpassing both Jaimie McAlister (4,864) and Buck Pierce (4,927). Rogers has now had 200 or more passing yards in all five games this season. Overall, he has 15 200-yard passing games in his career. Rogers now 17th nationally in passing yards with 1,456 and No. 18 nationally with 22.8 completions per game.
Larry Rose III scored a six-yard touchdown with 2:19 left in the first half. He is now tied for fourth in career rushing touchdowns with 24.
Rose III rushed for 112 yards in his return to Aggie Memorial Stadium after being injured. He now has 13 100-yard rushing games in his career, which is tied for third all-time.
Rose III finished with 23 rushes for 112 yards. He now has 443 career rushes, which ranks No. 8 all-time for the Aggies. He has also moved to fourth all-time in career rushing yards with 2,921.
Parker Davidson kicked a 33-yard field goal with 10:31 left in the game. This was the 16th field goal of his career, which is tied for ninth all-time.
Rodney Butler recorded his third-career interception on Saturday when he stepped in front of an Anthony Jennings’ pass in the second quarter. Butler is back to leading the nation in tackles with 75 (29 solo, 46 assist)
Terrill Hanks joins him in the top-25 list nationally as well at No. 22 with 50 tackles while Dalton Herrington sits at No. 25 with 49 total tackles.
True freshman Peyton Theisler is 16th nationally with 44.6 yards per punt.
South Alabama Jaguars
In their first-ever game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium against a nationally-ranked opponent, the Jaguars defeated No. 19 San Diego State 42-24 for the program’s first win over a top-25 team. … USA trailed at the end of three quarters, but scored three touchdowns in the final period to pull out the victory. The Jags — who were also down entering the fourth quarter of their other signature victory this fall at Mississippi State — had recorded five comeback wins when losing going into the last period of regulation during the team’s first seven seasons of competition. … Coming off a 41-40 overtime victory over Nicholls the previous week, this marks the first time South has ever scored 40 or more points in consecutive contests against NCAA Division I opponents. The last time the Jaguars posted 40-plus points in back-to-back outings came in wins over Kentucky Wesleyan (52-3) and Missouri S&T (45-6) on Oct. 2 and 9, 2010. … Another similarity to the Mississippi State contest for the Jags in their match-up with SDSU was in their rushing totals in the two games. The Aztecs limited USA to 89 yards on 40 attempts, but with the win the Jaguars have earned two victories when being to less than triple figures in the category this year; entering the fall, they were 1-11 all-time when picking up 100 or fewer yards on the ground. … Making his first career start in place of an injured Dallas Davis, Cole Garvin completed 16-of-21 attempts for 242 yards and three touchdowns to lead South Alabama to the victory over SDSU. The sophomore’s two second-half scoring passes gave the Jaguars the lead, first with a USA season-long 79 yard throw to Gerald Everett on the second play of the third quarter then with a 20-yard pass to Josh Magee that put the Jags in front for good with 12 minutes to go in the contest. Garvin’s three touchdown passes were the most by a South quarterback this fall, while his 76.1 completion percentage was the highest ever recorded by a Jaguar against an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. … Kalen Jackson was credited with a career-high three tackles for loss in the SDSU win, including a sack — for a loss of nine yards — and forced fumble that the Jaguars recovered. The senior’s other two stops behind the line came on first down to force punts three snaps later as he became the first Jag to post three or more tackles for loss in a game since Maleki Harris turned the trick on Dec. 20 against Bowling Green at the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. Jackson finished with five total tackles, all unassisted, while helping the Jag defense limit the Aztecs 126 yards below their season average entering the contest after surrendering just 316. … Senior S Devon Earl capped the Jaguars’ 21-point fourth-quarter performance with an 80-yard fumble return for a touchdown with just over four minutes left in the contest, the longest in program history.
Texas State Bobcats
After playing a pair of back-to-back games against Top 25 nationally-ranked teams, Texas State evened its non-conference record at 2-2 with a 48-17 victory over I-35 rival Incarnate Word. This marks the eighth time in the last nine seasons that Texas State has won at least two non-conference games in a season.
Texas State opens is fourth season in the Sun Belt Conference when the Bobcats play their first 2016 Sun Belt game at Georgia State this Saturday.
Texas enters the Georgia State game with a 1-1 record in road games this season and will be looking to win their first Sun Belt Conference road game since winning 54-31 at Georgia State on Nov. 29, 2014.
Tyler Jones set a school record with 475 yards passing against Incarnate Word after completing 31 of 40 passes for five touchdowns. His five TDs equal the fourth-highest total in Sun Belt history and marks the fourth time in his career that he has thrown four or more touchdowns in a game. His 475 passing yards were two yards shy of placing him among the Sun Belt’s all-time top five single-game performances.
Tyler Jones became the first quarterback in Texas State history to pass for over 400 yards in two different games with a school record 475 passing yards against Incarnate Word. Jones also opened this season tying the previous school record with 418 passing yards against Ohio in Texas State’s season opener. Bradley George also threw for 418 yards against Stephen F. Austin in 2008 and Barrick Nealy threw for 400 yards versus Georgia Southern in a NCAA Division I FCS playoff game in 2005.
Texas State finished the Incarnate Word game with a school-record 540 passing yards against Incarnate Word. It also is the third-highest single game total in Sun Belt Conference history.
Troy Trojans
Blace Brown leads the country with four interceptions after picking off two passes in each of Troy’s last two games … Troy leads the country with 12 interceptions and just one sack allowed … The Trojans are fifth in red zone defense, second in turnovers gained, 25th in scoring offense and 28th in scoring defense … Neal Brown has never been shutout as a head coach or as an offensive coordinator -- a span of 105 games … Troy has outscored its opponents 116-50 in the first half of game this season … With the win at Idaho, Troy is 4-1 on the year for the first time since 2000, its final season in FCS (formally known as Division I-AA) … Troy improves to 8-0 when leading at the half under head coach Neal Brown … Troy begins Sun Belt play 2-0 for the first time since 2010 when the Trojans opened lead play 3-0 before finishing the year 6-2 in Sun Belt action … Tevaris McCormick’s 36-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter was the first of his career and the longest reception of his career … Tevaris McCormick became the 12th different offensive player to score a touchdown this season for the Trojans with his touchdown reception in the first quarter & John Johnson became the 13th with his touchdown in the third quarter … Emanuel Thompson’s 14-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter was his fourth touchdown reception of the season and the seventh of his career … Jordan Chunn’s 14-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter was his fourth of the year and 25th of his career … Jordan Chunn moved into sole possession of fifth place all time in Troy history with 25 career rushing touchdowns. DuJuan Harris is third all time with 27 career rushing touchdowns … Sam Letton caught his first career pass as a Trojan in the second quarter; he became the 17th different player to catch a pass for Troy this season … John Johnson took the first play of the second half 60 yards on a completion from Brandon Silvers; it was Johnson’s first touchdown catch of the season and of his career … Brandon Silvers’ 60-yard touchdown pass to John Johnson was the second-longest play of the season by the Trojans and the longest pass play of the season for Troy … Jordan Chunn rushed for 137 yards on 22 carries for his third 100-yard rushing game this season, fourth of his career and second in two trips to the Kibbie Dome.