NEW ORLEANS – Following Week 11 action in Sun Belt Conference football, here is a snapshot of what people are saying across media outlets and social media:
Sun Belt
Appalachian State was in the New Year's Six bowl conversation earlier this season. That happened when the Mountaineers were ranked and garnering national recognition. They created intrigue again on Saturday, beating South Carolina, 20-15, in Columbia, S.C. That was App State's second win over a Power Five team this season. - Winston-Salem Journal (Could App State Play in a Bowl Game That Isn't Tied to the Sun Belt?)
Now App State is in the Football Bowl Subdivision, recently just a few spots behind Michigan in the polls. This has been a near-40-year climb for the Mountaineers. Boone expects a winner. It’s all many have ever known. First, that meant reaching the FCS playoffs. Then winning FCS national championships. Then the Michigan game. Now in the FBS, it’s winning Sun Belt championships. The Mountaineers have won at least a share of the past three.The hike toward new heights continues. A few weeks ago, they became the first Sun Belt team to win a game as a ranked team. The Group of 5 spot for a New Year’s Six bowl game is in their sights. This hike ends not at the summit, but a gate closing off the rest of the park. High-fives all around for another climb. - The Athletic (Appalachian State Has Already Climbed a Mountain, But It’s Focused on Greater Heights)
The No. 5 Wolverines would have been prohibitive favorites had Las Vegas bothered to set a line. But the Mountaineers, two-time defending FCS champions, had a magician, Armanti Edwards, at quarterback. - ESPN.com (The 150 Greatest Games in College Football's 150-Year History)
As part of the CFB150 celebration, the Sun Belt Conference announces its CFB150 Honor Roll consisting of five former players from each school, as voted on by all 10 football-playing institutions. Honor Roll members were not limited to those that played while members of the Sun Belt. - SunBeltSports.org (Sun Belt CFB150 Honor Roll Announced)
Louisiana at Coastal Carolina
"Levi played outstanding tonight," said UL coach Billy Napier, whose offense rolled up 564 yards. "He did what we asked him to do and managed the offense as well as he has all year. That's the kind of balance we need." - Lafayette Daily Advertiser (
Cajuns QB Levi Lewis After Near-Perfect Game vs. Coastal: My Best is Still to Come)
Louisiana scored 48 points and held Coastal Carolina scoreless for just over 56 minutes in the game as the Ragin' Cajuns dominated the Chanticleers, 48-7, at Brooks Stadium on Thursday evening. The 41-point margin of victory is the largest recorded by the Ragin' Cajuns against a Sun Belt opponent in program history, while they improved their road record to 4-0 on the year. - Cajun Red Zone (
Cajuns Roll Over Coastal Carolina, 48-7)
"It's a unique situation, but we had a good plan and the players executed that plan," Napier said. "We told them exactly what we wanted them to do and they were engaged. They came out ready to play." - Lafayette Daily Advertiser (
Road Warriors: Cajuns Came 'Ready to Play' in Dominant Win at Coastal Carolina)
South Alabama at Texas State
Tyler Vitt made his third consecutive start, throwing for a career-high 373 yards and matching a personal-record three passing touchdowns in a 30-28 victory over South Alabama (1-8, 0-5) — the first win of his maroon and gold career. - San Marcos Daily Record (Vitt Settles In, Delivers First Win As Starter)
Georgia Southern at Troy
“I did get a little tired,” DK Billingsley admitted after Troy’s 49-28 win over Georgia Southern on Saturday, positive that he didn’t take a sneak peek at a videoboard to check on his pursuers. “I was not looking at the scoreboard,” he said. “I had tunnel vision on the end zone.” - Montgomery Advertiser (DK is A-OK: Billingsley’s Big Game Carries Troy Trojans Past Ga. Southern)
Troy rolled up 603 yards of offense in a 49-28 victory over Georgia Southern at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday. - AL.com (Troy Rolls to 49-28 Victory Over Georgia Southern)
Troy quarterback Kaleb Barker led a 13-play, 75-yard drive over the next five minutes and threw his third touchdown pass of the game — a 7-yarder to Reggie Todd — that provided both cushion and momentum in the Trojans’ 49-28 homecoming victory on Saturday. - Dothan Eagle (Troy Snaps Slide with Big Fourth Quarter)
Georgia State at ULM
“I felt like we owed them,” ULM nose tackle Larance Shaw said. “I looked at the schedule this whole year and that was the one game we had to get back because last year they rolled over us.” - Monroe News-Star ('We Owed Them': ULM Puts Georgia State Away in the Fourth Quarter)
The Warhawks kept it close with Georgia State until the end. ULM scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter against the Panthers to seal the 45-31 victory. - KNOE-TV (ULM Pushes Past Georgia State)
Despite a school-record 414 rushing yards, Georgia State fell on the road to ULM 45-31 at Malone Stadium on Saturday night, snapping the Panthers' four-game winning streak. Tra Barnett rushed for 190 yards on 32 attempts for his fifth-straight 100-yard game and the seventh of his career, another GSU record. He became the first 1,000-yard rusher in school history and broke the GSU record with his 10th rushing touchdown of the season. - GeorgiaStateSports.com (Panthers Fall on the Road at ULM 45-31)
Appalachian State at South Carolina
Appalachian State just keeps adding to its rich, college football history. The small school champions that took down mighty Michigan in the Big House 12 years ago has now beaten two Power Five programs — and its first Southeastern Conference opponent — after a 20-15 victory at South Carolina on Saturday night. - Associated Press (Appalachian State Beats Gamecocks 20-15 for 2nd Power Five Win)
Freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski’s school record streak of throws without an interception ended with 1:51 left in the second quarter when Nicholas Ross picked him and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. - The State (App State Halts South Carolina Rally)
“We play with a chip on our shoulder every game. We are trying to prove something to the conference and the nation every game. This one was a little more personal for some of us, but it was the same way when we played in Chapel Hill,” said Appalachian State senior tight end Collin Reed. - Charlotte Observer (App State Expected to Beat Gamecocks. Victory Was Sweeter for Mountaineers from SC)
“I mean, as a senior and coming home, playing in a game like this and pulling off a W, you just try to soak it all up,” Reed said. “Everything you do is so much more important because you know it’s the last ride. You know, it meant a lot to me. It meant a lot, what this team did going out there and getting that W and just trying to soak everything up. You know, embrace every single person that I see and let them know how much I love them. This team is something special. It’s been something that we’ve been building for a long time, and we’ve just got to keep it rolling now.”- Winston-Salem Journal (
App State's Collin Reed Enjoys the Winning Moment as the Mountaineers Prove Themselves Again)
This lazy angle is brought out whenever Appalachian State plays on television, or whenever there's a big upset brewing: "Hey, let's show that time in 2007 when App State beat Michigan in Ann Arbor." Yeah, yeah, people who follow college football know all about it. It was history-making. It was transformative for the App State program. It was also 12 years ago. It's time to Let. It. Go. Because the Mountaineers who defeated South Carolina in Columbia 20-15 on Saturday night were in grade school — maybe middle school — when that game kicked off the 2007 season. Those kids now form the heart of a legitimate FBS program, which is perhaps the best candidate to represent the Group of 5 in a New Year's Day 6 bowl this season. - Sporting News (Appalachian State Is Good Enough on Its Own to Make Michigan Win Ancient History)
With loud chants of "App" and "State" audible from the large gathering of visitors in an SEC venue, App State created some anxious moments for its fans before securing a 20-15 win at South Carolina. - AppStateSports.com (Day After: Team Effort, From Fans to Unexpected Heroes, Spurs On Road Win)
Appalachian State (8-1) has beaten North Carolina, Coastal Carolina and now South Carolina, meaning East Carolina and Western Carolina must be relieved they’re not on the schedule. The Mountaineers just became the first team since 1999, per Bryan Ives of the ACC Network, to win on the road against an Atlantic Coast Conference team and an SEC team in the same season. The way the Mountaineers held off the Gamecocks told much. - Washington Post (
College Football, Often Lacking Freshness, Suddenly Boasts It in Abundance)