NEW ORLEANS – No. 17/19 Coastal Carolina and South Alabama earned non-conference victories in Week 2 play to remain unbeaten on the 2021 season, while Louisiana and Texas State picked up their first wins of the young campaign.
No. 17/19 Coastal Carolina improved to 3-0 all-time against Kansas and the Big 12 Conference with a 49-22 victory in front of the largest crowd in Brooks Stadium history—17,697 fans—on Friday night.
Junior running back Reese White rushed for a career-high three touchdowns and 102 yards, while the Chanticleer defense tallied 11.0 tackles-for-loss, 6.0 sacks and a blocked punt and extra-point in the win.
Georgia Southern put together a 95-yard drive on its first possession—capped with a 22-yard touchdown run by redshirt senior running back Logan Wright—before succumbing 38-6 to Florida Atlantic.
South Alabama scored 10 points over the final 99 seconds on Saturday to secure a 22-19 win over Bowling Green. Jaguars junior running back Terrion Avery found his way to the house from 13 yards out to knot the game at 19-19 with 1:39 to play and sophomore kicker Diego Guajardo drilled a 44-yard field goal as time expired to get the Kane Wommack era off to a 2-0 start.
Troy failed to recover an onside kick in a one-possession game with 1:10 to play, allowing Liberty to escape with a 21-13 win.
Ragin’ Cajuns senior quarterback Levi Lewis threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns as Louisiana outlasted Nicholls, 27-24, for its first victory of the 2021 campaign.
App State gave No. 22/24 Miami all it could handle, though the nationally-ranked Hurricanes managed to defend their home field in a 25-23 win. A 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by super senior wide receiver Jalen Virgil headlined the Mountaineer effort.
Texas State downed FIU, 23-17, in overtime to pick up its first win of the 2021 campaign. Bobcat freshman linebacker Issiah Nixon sacked the Panther quarterback and forced a fumble that was recovered by senior defensive lineman Caeveon Patton to end FIU’s offensive possession in the first overtime period. Two plays later, sophomore running back Brock Sturges scampered 11 yards into the end zone to secure the Bobcat victory.
Arkansas State could not convert on a Hail Mary pass from its own 44-yard-line on the final play of the game, as it fell to Memphis, 55-50, in a slugfest. The teams combined for 1,361 yards of total offense—including 681 for the Red Wolves. Redshirt junior quarterback James Blackman threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns in the losing effort.
Georgia State fell, 59-17, to No. 24/22 UNC in the first-ever meeting of the two programs.
For exclusive Sun Belt football content on game days and throughout the 2021 season,
follow @SunBeltFB on Twitter.
SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 2 RESULTS
No. 17/19 Coastal Carolina def. Kansas, 49-22
Florida Atlantic def. Georgia Southern, 38-6
South Alabama def. Bowling Green, 22-19
No. 22/24 Miami def. App State, 25-23
Memphis def. Arkansas State, 55-50
Louisiana def. Nicholls, 27-24
Texas State def. FIU, 23-17
Liberty def. Troy, 21-13
No. 24/22 UNC def. Georgia State, 59-17