NEW ORLEANS – Following Week 10 action in Sun Belt Conference football, here is a snapshot of what people are saying across media outlets and social media:
Georgia Southern at No. 20 Appalachian State
Georgia Southern’s marquee football players were adamant that the team was close to breaking out from its sluggish ways seen during the 1-3 start to the season. - Savannah News (Georgia Southern Changes Recent History with Win at No. 20 Appalachian State)
When Georgia Southern quarterback Shai Werts kept the ball on an option play instead of pitching out, he looked up to see one thing. "Field, just field," Werts said of his 55-yard touchdown run. There was plenty of open field for Eagles ball carriers Thursday night at Kidd Brewer Stadium. - Associated Press (
Georgia Southern Stuns No. 20 Appalachian State Again)
Call them Appalachian State’s nemesis. Call them the Mountaineers’ archrival. Call them whatever you want, as long as you include calling the Georgia Southern football team “spoilers” — and perhaps deserving of an FBS ranking themselves. If nothing else, defeating the previously unbeaten Appalachian State at The Rock underlines the growing strength of Sun Belt competition vs. the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) world. - Blowing Rock News (
App State Knocked Off by Georgia Southern, 24-21)
These are good days to be in Boone, North Carolina. Evenings are cool but not cold, the days warm but not hot. The Blue Ridge Mountains aren't blue at all. They are in peak autumn Technicolor, splattered with orange, red and even a little purple. - ESPN.com (Inside Appalachian State's Meteoric Rise from FCS to Power Player)
https://twitter.com/BR_CFB/status/1190109371788754944
Troy at Coastal Carolina
“I had made my mind up before the series, I said we’re going for two if we score a touchdown,” head coach Jamey Chadwell said. “I was going to end it then regardless of whether it was a win or loss. I wanted us to determine whether we were going to win the game or not.” Myrtle Beach Sun News (How Coastal Carolina Fared on a Late Gamble in Hopes of Ending Sun Belt Losing Streak)
Coastal Carolina’s victory is the first-ever over the Trojans in program history (1-2) and ended the Chants’ Sun Belt Conference game losing streak at seven-straight games. WBTW-TV (CCU 2-Point Conversion in Closing Seconds Propels Them to 36-35 Win over Troy)
Arkansas State at ULM
On Saturday afternoon at Malone Stadium, the script was nearly identical. Arkansas State University fell behind 21-3 to Louisiana-Monroe early in the second quarter and the Warhawks appeared ready to run away with the game. But ASU's offense responded with 28 consecutive points, an outburst that eventually continued in the second half. This time, ASU (5-4, 3-2 Sun Belt) was able to ice a 48-41 victory, the program's 10th consecutive win over Louisiana-Monroe (3-5, 2-2). Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Red Wolves Don't Repeat Themselves)
"It really doesn't surprise me," ASU coach Blake Anderson said of the high-scoring battle. "They've got a good offense and I've got a tremendous amount of respect for (ULM quarterback) Caleb Evans and their running back and really just what their coach does with them. They really maximize their talent, keep you off-balance, and just keep playing hard. They always battle." Jonesboro Sun (A-State Wins 10th Straight over Louisiana Monroe, 48-41)
"Nobody can really stop us unless we stop ourselves and I’m proud of the way we kept fighting throughout the fourth quarter." Monroe News-Star (ULM Stunned in Latest Loss to Arkansas State)
Texas State at Louisiana
Neither team scored in the first quarter and a half of play, but the Cajuns’ defense continued to display marked improvement and the running game posted another big total with 296 yards to spearhead the blowout win. The Acadiana Advocate (UL's Rushing Game Steamrolls Texas State to Become Bowl Eligible with Homecoming Win)
But the Cajuns took a 7-0 lead on Elijah Mitchell's 39-yard TD run with six minutes and 28 seconds to go before halftime. The score was set up by a 19-yard pass from Lewis to Jalen Williams two plays earlier. Lafayette Daily Advertiser (Cajuns Dominate Defensively to Beat Texas State on Homecoming)