Arkansas State 37, New Mexico State 21
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Justice Hansen threw four touchdown passes as Arkansas State roared past New Mexico State in the fourth quarter for a 37-21 Sun Belt victory Saturday night.
The Red Wolves have won five straight conference games and 20 of their last 21 dating back to the 2014 season.
Hansen threw a pair of touchdown passes to Omar Bayless, from 21 and 23 yards out, to stake Arkansas State (5-2, 4-0) to a 17-14 lead after three, but New Mexico State took the lead on Tyler Rogers short run to start the final period.
Hansen came right back, leading the Red Wolves on an eight-play, 65-yard drive capped by a back-shoulder throw to Chris Murray from 12 yards out and followed up with a 37-yard strike to Murray three minutes later.
Rogers led the Aggies (3-5, 1-3), completing 20 of 40 passes for 221 yard, but was picked off twice.
Troy 38, Georgia Southern 16
TROY, Ala. (AP) — Josh Anderson rushed for 96 yards and a score, and Brandon Silvers threw for 102 yards and another touchdown to help lead Troy to a 38-16 victory over winless Georgia Southern in the driving rain on Saturday.
Troy (6-2, 3-1 Sun Belt Conference), which has won six of its last seven games, became bowl eligible for the second straight year. The Trojans lost to South Alabama 19-8 two weeks ago before rolling over Georgia State 34-10 last week.
Georgia Southern (0-7, 0-3) was playing under interim coach Chad Lunsford after Tyson Summers was fired on Sunday, halfway through his second season. The Eagles last victory was a 28-24 win over Troy last year.
Anderson broke for a 32-yard scoring run with 3:08 left in the first quarter to give Troy a 14-7 lead. They were up 28-10 at the break.
Wesley Fields led the Eagles, rushing for 83 yards and a score.
Idaho 31, ULM 23
MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Matt Linehan had his first 300-yard passing game of the year as he threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns and Idaho held off ULM 31-23 on Saturday afternoon.
Idaho (3-5, 2-2 Sun Belt Conference) led 31-7 with 8:46 left in the third. The Warhawks scored 16 unanswered points and almost got the game-tying touchdown but ran out of downs in the closing seconds.
ULM drove 68 yards to get to Idaho's 3 as the seconds ticked off. The Idaho defense stiffened, holding off the Warhawks to stop a three-game losing skid.
Aaron Duckworth, who finished with 113 yards, crashed through the line from the 6 to give the Vandals a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. They had a 28-7 halftime advantage. Cade Coffey's 38-yard field goal was Idaho's only score in the second half.
Caleb Evans threw for 415 yards and 3 scores for the Warhawks (3-5, 3-3) who have lost three straight.
Texas State 27, Coastal Carolina 7
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Damian Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and Texas State defeated Coastal Carolina 27-7 on Saturday night in a matchup of teams on six-game losing streaks.
Williams connected with Gabe Schrade on a 54-yard flea flicker and threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Eric Luna in a first half that ended with the Bobcats (2-6, 1-3 Sun Belt) leading 17-7.
Foster Hilborn kicked two 37-yard field goals and Anthony Smith finished off a 56-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring run.
The Chanticleers (1-7, 0-5), in the midst of their longest losing streak since beginning football in 2003, scored when Anthony Chesley scooped up a bad snap on a Bobcats field-goal attempt and returned it 50 yards.
Williams was 27-of-38 passing with an interception. The Bobcats outgained the Chanticleers 507-183 with Coastal Carolina penalized 14 times for 123 yards.
UMASS 30, Appalachian State 27 (2OT)
AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Logan Laurent kicked a 36-yard field goal in the second overtime to lift Massachusetts over Appalachian State 30-27 on Saturday.
Laurent made a 47-yard field goal in the first quarter, and his 45-yarder with five seconds left in regulation tied it at 20.
Marquis Young had a 10-yard touchdown run for UMass (2-6) in the first overtime. Appalachian State (5-3) answered with Taylor Lamb's 20-yard TD pass to Ike Lewis.
Ali Ali-Musa forced Daetrich Harrington to fumble the ball on the Mountaineers' first play in the second OT. Bryton Barr recovered the ball, and Laurent made the game-winning kick four plays later.
Young ran for a 95-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and finished with 132 yards on 15 carries.
Lamb was 14-of-28 passing for 133 yards with two touchdowns. Marcus Williams Jr. added 125 yards rushing for the Mountaineers.