Sun Belt Conference Weekly News and Notes (Week 11)
2012 Sun Belt Conference Media Guide
2012 Sun Belt Conference Composite Schedule
2012 Sun Belt Conference Standings
2012 Sun Belt Conference Statistics

Three Tied for Sun Belt Lead After Saturday; Four Now Bowl Eligible
Last week’s action in Sun Belt play resulted in two more teams getting bowl eligible as both Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee earned their sixth wins of the season. In addition, the Blue Raiders and Red Wolves now find themselves tied atop the league standings with Louisiana-Monroe. All three teams have 4-1 conference records.

One team of the three-way tie will assuredly move to 5-1 in conference play as Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe will faceoff Thursday night on ESPNU. Middle Tennessee, meanwhile, will have to wait a week to try and improve its championship aspirations as the Blue Raiders have the week off.

Beyond the first place tie is a competitive race between Louisiana-Lafayette and Western Kentucky. Both teams stand at 3-2 in the league standings. While the Cajuns step out of conference play this week in a game against Florida, WKU will try to keep its Sun Belt title hopes alive with a matchup against Florida Atlantic. The Cajuns and the Hilltoppers will meet the week after on November 17 in a critical game for both teams Sun Belt championship hopes.

Recent Results

November 1
* Middle Tennessee 34, Western Kentucky 29 (ESPNU) - 8:15 p.m.

November 3
Tennessee 55, Troy 48 - 11 a.m. (Fox Sports Net)
Navy 24, Florida Atlantic 17 (CBS Sports Network) - 2:30 p.m.
* FIU 28, South Alabama 20 - 2:30 p.m.
* Louisiana-Lafayette 40, Louisiana-Monroe 24 (Sun Belt Network) - 3 p.m.
* Arkansas State 37, North Texas 19 - 4 p.m.

Upcoming Games

November 8
* Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas State (ESPNU) - 6 p.m.

November 10
Louisiana-Lafayette at Florida - 11:21 a.m. (SEC Network/ESPN3)
* Florida Atlantic at Western Kentucky (Sun Belt Network) - 12 p.m.
Navy at Troy (ESPN3) - 2:30 p.m.
* South Alabama at North Texas - 4 p.m.

Week Ten Sun Belt Conference Football Players of the Week – As selected by the Sun Belt media panel

Offensive Player of the Week

Terrance Broadway (Louisiana-Lafayette, So., QB)
Broadway compiled a career-high 460 yards of total offense and five touchdowns to snap a two-game losing streak with Louisiana-Lafayette’s 40-24 win over ULM. He completed 23-of-32 passes for 373 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in the win while also rushing for a game-high 87 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown. Broadway engineered six scoring drives of 75 yards or more, including a monstrous 17 play, 99 yard effort that covered 9:33.

Defensive Player of the Week

Jordan Hunt (FIU, Sr., LB)
Hunt recorded a team-high 11 tackles in FIU's 28-20 win on the road over South Alabama on Saturday. Including nine solo tackles, Hunt recorded one forced fumble, two pass breakups, one quarterback hurry and one interception. Hunt was outstanding in the fourth quarter vs. the Jaguars with the game on-the-line and FIU clinging to its one touchdown lead. Following an FIU three-and-out, USA drove the ball back into the Panthers side of the field on one play. On the second play of the drive, Hunt forced a fumble on USA running back Demetre Baker at the FIU 48 with 11 minutes left, allowing the Panthers to recover on their own 38-yard-line. On USA's next drive, they pushed all the way down to the FIU eight-yard-line. Hunt stopped running back Kendall Houston for a two-yard game on second down, and a critical pass breakup on quarterback Ross Metheny on third down from the six. USA would miss the field goal attempt. On USA's final drive Hunt intercepted Metheny at midfield, ending the Jaguars' final threat.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Reggie Whatley (Middle Tennessee, r-So., KR)
Reggie Whatley’s play against WKU was one of the main reasons MT picked up its sixth win on Thursday. The redshirt sophomore set a school-record in kick return yards with 222, smashing the previous best set by Damon Nickson against Louisville in 2006. Whatley’s 96-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter proved to be the gamewinner as the Blue Raiders reached bowl eligibility for the third time in four seasons. As a defensive specialist, Whatley pounced on a fumble in the fourth quarter that led to a Blue Raider field goal. The redshirt sophomore averages 31.9 yards per kick return in nine games played this season.

Around the Sun Belt Conference

Sun Belt Future is Bright
“This is a conference on the rise. You can really sense the momentum that the conference has.” - Arkansas State head coach Gus Malzahn

“In my mind, the Sun Belt came out as a big winner in realignment and conference shuffling. Adding Georgia State, Texas State and UT Arlington clearly put the Sun Belt in a strong position for the future. The competitive gap between us and others has shrunk considerably. The Sun Belt is poised to contend to become the best of the so-called non-AQ conferences, which are our peer conferences.” - Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson

“Everybody is getting better. Everybody is recruiting hard, and everybody is hiring good coaches. There’s great coaches across the field and have been for years.” - Troy head coach Larry Blakeney

“One of messages across the league is why not be that team that takes center stage? That is the next Boise State? To play on New Year’s Day in a big bowl against a big opponent and bring credit to the university and to the Sun Belt. There’s no doubt in my mind that there is a team in the Sun Belt that will achieve that in the next two to three to five years.”- Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson

“Athletic directors and people across the country are saying, ‘Hey, they play a great brand football in the Sun Belt Conference.’" - Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Mark Hudspeth

“Each year we’re getting more established, we’re building better facilities, we’re recruiting better players,” - Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Stockstill

“This conference probably is more even than any conference in the country. There’s just about every team in this conference I feel like if it gets on a roll has the ability to make a run for the championship if not finish in the top 3 every year.” - Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Mark Hudspeth

“The conference is getting better as we go. I think our presidents have done a great job. Everyone is looking better.” - Western Kentucky head coach Willie Taggart

WKU, ULM Top SEC Foes
ULM defeated then #8 ranked Arkansas on September 8 and WKU followed up with a win over Kentucky on September 15. The two wins against SEC programs were the first for both institutions, it also marked the first time that Sun Belt Conference has had wins against the SEC in back-to-back weeks. ULM’s win over Arkansas also marked the first time that a Sun Belt Conference team has defeated a top-ten ranked opponent.

ULM’s Browning Tabbed Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week
After leading ULM to 34-31 upset of No. 8 Arkansas Saturday in overtime, junior quarterback Kolton Browning has been named the Walter Camp Football Foundation Offensive Player of the Week. Browning tallied 481 yards of total offense and his 16 yard run to the endzone in overtime gave the Warhawks their first-ever win over Arkansas and their first-win over a ranked opponent (as a FBS member). Browning set new career-highs in passing yards (412), completions (42) and attempts (67). The junior also registered a total of 83 plays which ranks second in ULM history for a single-game.

Cunningham Garners National Award
Middle Tennessee senior running back Benny Cunningham was named the AT&T All-America National Player of the Week on Thursday night for his performance in the win at Georgia Tech. ESPN analysts select four players each week and then fan votes determine the overall winner.
Cunningham set several career-highs in the upset win over Georgia Tech, including 217 yards rushing, scoring five touchdowns, carrying the pigskin 27 times and registering a career-long 60-yard run. The 60-yard touchdown run was the longest by the Blue Raiders since D.D. Kyles raced 74 yards against Louisiana in 2010. Cunningham’s five rushing touchdowns tied for the second most in a game at Middle Tennessee and moved him to No. 3 nationally in scoring.

Sun Belt Sends Three to Bowls in 2011
The Sun Belt Conference has sent three teams to postseason bowl games for two consecutive seasons. Following the 2011 regular season, Louisiana-Lafayette played in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, FIU played in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl and Arkansas State played in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. The three teams playing in the 2011 football postseason matches the previous high set the year prior. ASU, FIU, ULL and Western Kentucky all finished the 2011 regular season with bowl eligible records, marking the fourth time in league history that the Sun Belt has had four bowl eligible teams.

South Alabama Makes Sun Belt Debut
South Alabama will open the 2012 season on Aug. 30 against Texas San-Antonio where it will make its Sun Belt Conference and FBS debut. The Jaguars will not be eligible for the Sun Belt Conference championship, however, they will play a full Sun Belt schedule where their games will count as conference games for their league opponents. USA will be eligible for the Sun Belt title and a bowl berth in the 2013 season.

Bowl Game Winning Percentage
Since the 2007 football season the Sun Belt Conference ranks fifth out of the 11 FBS conferences in postseason bowl game winning percentage. In fact, the Sun Belt Conference ranks ahead of noted “Big Six” leagues – the ACC, Pac-12 and the Big Ten. Furthermore, the Sun Belt Conference outpaces its non-automatic qualifying BCS partners in the WAC, Conference USA and the MAC.

Cristobal Continues to Build FIU
FIU’s Mario Cristobal is undoubtedly one of the hottest rising coaches in college football, taking over the FIU program in 2007 after spending time on Greg Schiano's staff at Rutgers (2001-2003) and Larry Coker's staff at Miami (2004-2006). Cristobal led the Panthers to their first winning season in program history in 2010, winning a share of the Sun Belt Championship and then the Little Caesars Bowl. FIU also finished 8-5 in 2011 and received a bid to the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl. Cristobal has shown dedication to the Miami community as he was raised there, played, coached and earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees at the University of Miami and has been FIU’s head coach for five seasons.

Trojan Trio Wins Super Bowl Title
The Trojan Trio of Jerrel Jernigan , Lawrence Tynes and Osi Umenyiora are Super Bowl Champions after the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 in Super Bowl XLVI. The title is the second for both Tynes and Umenyiora and the first for Jernigan. Troy's three former players in the Super Bowl (active rosters) were the fifth most of any school in the country.

Tynes, who sent the Giants to the Super Bowl with a game-winning field goal in overtime of the NFC Championship Game, booted field goals of 38 and 33 yards in the third quarter to pull New York within two, 17-15.

Jernigan, who in 2010 led the Trojans to their fifth consecutive Sun Belt Conference title, set up Tynes' first field goal with a 34-yard kickoff return. The rookie finished the game with three returns for 71 yards (23.7 per return).

Umenyiora finished the game with one tackle and a pair of hits on New England quarterback Tom Brady.

Sun Belt Football Championship Trophy to Honor Waters
The annual winner of the Sun Belt Conference’s football regular season will take home the H. Wright Waters Trophy as the league approved the honor at the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Spring Meetings.

Waters served as Commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference from 1998 through 2012 and largely responsible for football becoming a league sponsored sport. The Sun Belt had been a viable entity on the nation’s collegiate athletic map since its founding in 1976, but Waters made the call for a serious approach to gaining access to the Football Bowl Subdivision. Due to his leadership the league played its inaugural season under his watch in 2001.

Malzahn Returns Home to Take Over at Arkansas State
Gus Malzahn was named the Red Wolves' 28th head football coach last December, bringing him back to his home state after most recently enjoying highly successful stints as a top assistant coach at three NCAA FBS universities that garnered national acclaim. Malzahn comes to Arkansas State after serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Auburn for the past three seasons. A native of Fort Smith, Malzahn was named the winner of the 2010 Frank Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate assistant coach.

His innovative offense made an immediate and profound impact during his tenure at Auburn, highlighted by a record-setting offense in 2010 when the Tigers finished 14-0 and claimed the school's first national championship since 1957. Malzahn's record-setting offense in 2010 led the Southeastern Conference and finished in the top 10 nationally in six statistical categories. He coached Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton during the Tigers run to the 2011 BCS National Championship. Under Malzahn's direction, Newton later became the overall No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft after producing one of the best single-season quarterback performances in collegiate history.

Before coaching at Auburn, Malzahn spent two seasons at Tulsa, coordinating a Golden Hurricane offense that finished first nationally in total offense in 2007 and 2008. Prior to his time at Tulsa, he coached one season at Arkansas, where he served as offensive coordinator, coached Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden and helped the Razorbacks finish fourth nationally in rushing offense at 228.5 yards per game. ?

Carl Pelini Begins New Era at Florida Atlantic
Carl Pelini was named Florida Atlantic's second head coach in program history to replace the retired Howard Schnellenberger and brings more than 25 years of football experience to Boca Raton.

The Ohio native was a defensive coordinator at Minnesota State Mankato (2004) and helped revitalize a struggling program at Ohio University where he was the defensive line coach for three seasons (2005-07). In 2008, he moved to Nebraska and assumed the position of defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Pelini's role in the resurgence of Nebraska's defense has been recognized by his two-time nomination for the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year Award.

Prior to his time in the collegiate ranks, Pelini spent more than 10 years at the high school level.

Sun Belt Conference Bowl Partners
The Sun Belt Conference is currently in the third year of four year partnerships with the GoDaddy.com Bowl and the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Sun Belt teams will continue to represent the league in the games following the 2012 and 2013 regular seasons.

WKU and Taggart Agree to New Contract
Willie Taggart, who guided WKU to the biggest one-season improvement in league wins in Sun Belt Conference history in only the program’s third season competing at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, has agreed to a new four-year contract. The contract began on January 1, 2012 and includes an automatic one-year rollover each year through 2019. WKU’s 7-1 conference record in 2011 after a 2-6 league record a year ago stands as the biggest one-season improvement in Sun Belt Conference history. Taggart leads WKU into 2012 with a seven-game conference winning streak, the fifth-longest current streak in the country.

Sun Belt and ESPN Announce Multiyear Agreement
The Sun Belt Conference and ESPN reached a new agreement that extends the network’s relationship with the conference through the 2019-20 academic year. The agreement, which will take effect beginning in the 2012-13 academic year, will expand the conference’s national television exposure and makes ESPN the exclusive national cable and satellite provider of the Sun Belt Conference. The new agreement will give Sun Belt Conference football a minimum of two games on either ESPN or ESPN2 and also a minimum of five games on ESPNU that will be scheduled for Thursday or Friday nights. Additionally, ESPN Regional Television will have the right to produce, distribute and syndicate up to five football games each year. ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will also be granted additional opportunities to select games to air. This trio of networks will be granted a 12-day rolling window during the season to select additional games to televise. Games available for selection are after the third Saturday of the season.

Cajuns Grab Top Attendance Increase in NCAA
The Ragin’ Cajuns football team added yet another honor to its list as the NCAA announced that the University of Louisiana-Lafayette had the top attendance increase for the 2011 season.

The Cajuns had an average increase of 11,788 per game setting both the Sun Belt Conference average and total attendance record and the ULL average attendance record. ULL beat out Arizona State, Stanford, Iowa State, Temple, Florida State and Oklahoma State for the top honor.

Troy’s Chip Reeves Added to Biletnikoff Award List
Troy wide receiver Chip Reeves has been added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation announced Tuesday morning. Reeves was one of 11 players to be added to the award watch list; the Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the nation’s top wide receiver.

ASU’s Aplin Named Senior Class Award Finalist
Arkansas State senior quarterback Ryan Aplin was named as one of 10 finalists for the prestigious 2012 Senior CLASS Award, annually recognizing an NCAA FBS senior with notable achievements in areas of community, classroom, character and competition. The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates announced in September. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award Web site through Dec. 3. Fan votes will be combined with media and NCAA FBS head head coaches’ votes to determine the winner.

ULM’s Browning Added to Maxwell Award List
The Maxwell Football Club today announced the expansion of its 2012 Watch List for the 76th Maxwell Award and ULM junior quarterback was added to the list. The original list was comprised of 65 players, who were selected based on their performances during the 2011 season. As the 2012 season has progressed, the Club believes that several additional players warrant attention because of their noteworthy play.

ULM-Baylor Sets New Sun Belt TV Rating Record
The Louisiana-Monroe vs. Baylor football game that was televised live on ESPN Friday, September 21 was watched by a record number of viewers for the Sun Belt Conference. Friday’s night game was watched by over 2.2 million people with a rating of 1.8 - the highest rated in history for a game involving a Sun Belt Conference team. The previous highest rated game in Sun Belt history was the FIU at Louisville game a season ago that earned a 1.4 rating. The game was the third highest rated college football game that aired on ESPN or ESPN2 last week – trailing only the LSU at Auburn game and the Arizona at Oregon game. The ULM-Baylor game received a higher rating than the BYU at Boise State, Virginia at TCU, UTEP at Wisconsin and Vanderbilt at Georgia games.

ASU Announces $22?Million Football Facility Project
Arkansas State University announced a $22 million football facility project, including a two-level football operations building and 76,000 square-foot indoor practice facility in Liberty Bank Stadium’s north end zone. The new football operations building’s first floor will house A-State’s locker room, state-of-the-art strength and conditioning and sports medicine centers, a players lounge and equipment room. The second floor will feature coaching and administrative offices, team meeting rooms, a history and heritage showroom and a team film room with theatre seating. The indoor practice facility will run east and west and be connected to the north side of the operations building.

2012 Sun Belt Network Football Schedule Announced
Now in its fourth season, the is a joint partnership with Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) and Cox Sports Television (CST). Each game will be available in 13 states across the southeast and is often available on ESPN3.com and ESPN GamePlan outside of the CSS and CST markets. The agreement with CSS and CST has resulted in the broadcasting of football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, volleyball, and softball contests throughout the last three seasons. In whole, the Sun Belt Network has been responsible for over 100 events airing on CSS and CST over the past three seasons. The seven games selected for the Sun Belt Network adds to the growing list of football broadcasts that the Sun Belt Conference and its institutions are directly responsible for.

Team News and Notes

Arkansas State Red Wolves
A-State became bowl eligible for the fifth time over the last eight seasons, including the last two in a row, after defeating North Texas 37-19 . . . The Red Wolves have won 12 of their last 13 conference games, including the last four in a row . . . With its victory over North Texas, ASU has now won seven consecutive road games against conference opponents for its most since also recording seven road wins against Southland Conference opponents from 1973-75 . . . ASU claimed its eighth straight victory over North Texas for its longest winning streak against any opponent in school history . . . The Red Wolves need one more victory at Liberty Bank Stadium to secure a winning home record for the eighth consecutive season . . . ASU’s first four games all drew a crowd of over 20,000, marking the first time in school history the Red Wolves played four consecutive games with 20,000-plus in attendance . . . A-State needs one more victory to secure its second consecutive winning season, which would be its third winning campaign since it became an FBS member in 1992 . . . The last time ASU had back-to-back winning seasons was 1986-87 . . . ASU needs one more conference victory to secure a winning Sun Belt on-field record for the fifth time. A-State has finished .500 or better (on-field record) in SBC play six times . . . ASU is 34-8 at Liberty Bank Stadium since 2005 and has won nine of its last 10 home games . . . A-State will play ULM in its third midweek game this year . . . Since the Sun Belt’s inaugural 2001 season, ASU holds a 9-3 record in midweek games and that total includes a 2-0 mark this year . . . ASU and ULM have played 33 times, which is the fifth most in school history among all opponents . . . A-State leads the all-time series 19-14 since the first meeting in 1959, including victories the last two seasons . . . ASU’s offense, ranked 29th in the nation, has posted over 300 yards in 32 of its last 34 games and has recorded over 400 yards in six games this season, including the last two in a row . . . ASU’s defense, ranked second in the league in scoring defense and third in total defense, has forced at least one turnover the last four games and multiple turnovers in three of the last four to help A-State improve its turnover margin to +5 on the year (tied for the second best in the Sun Belt).

Florida Atlantic Owls
Florida Atlantic University traveled to the United States Naval Academy for the program’s first game against a member of the service academies. The team was riding on a one-game win streak and had the confidence that the final scoring drive in the last two was the deciding factor. For the Owls the Navy game was no different. FAU put the first 10 points on the board, Navy the next 24. FAU would rally behind an Andrae Kirk fumble recovery to pull within one touchdown with nearly a quarter to play. FAU’s final drive fell short providing the 24-17 final. The Owls had several key performances in the game. Junior running back Jonathan Wallace had a career high 111 yards while Adarius Glanton matched his career high 12 tackles. Junior Mitch Anderson booted a 53-yard field goal to tie a record set by Mark Myers in the 2003 play-offs at Northern Arizona. Graham Wilbert turned in another consistent performance throw for 205 yards, connecting on 25 of 35 attempts. Wilbert sailed through the month of October throwing his last interception, September 29th and going 104-of-155 for 1,035 yards during that same time period.

FAU will return to Sun Belt Conference play when the team travels to Western Kentucky University, the final road game for first year Head Coach Carl Pelini, the seventh road game of the 2012 of the season. FAU leads the all-time series3-1, with two of the three victories coming on the road. The Sun Belt tilt will be carried on the Sun Belt Network, and CSS locally for FAU.

FIU Panthers
The Panthers have a late season bye week next Saturday and will return to action on Friday, Nov. 16, 57 miles north on I-95 at Sun Belt Conference rival Florida Atlantic. The nationally-televised kickoff with the Owls is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST on ESPNU.

Against South Alabama, Willis Wright (Jr., WR) recorded his third touchdown of the season on a 26-yard reception from Jake Medlock at the 4:07 mark in the first quarter.

Jacob Younger (Sr., WR), who became the 30th FIU player to record 30 starts for his career, recorded his third touchdown of the season on a 27-yard reception from Jake Medlock at the 51-second mark in the first quarter.

Wayne Times (Sr., WR) had one catch for 15 yards in the game, extending his streak to 27-straight games played with at least one reception dating back to the 2010 season. His streak is the third-longest streak in FIU history.

Rupert Bryan, Jr. (Sr., OT) now has 41 career starts and is tied with Andy Leavine (2006-09) for the most starts by an offensive tackle at FIU.

Jake Medlock (R-So., QB) rushed 19 yards for FIU’s third touchdown of the game at the 7:45 mark in the second quarter. Medlock threw for two touchdowns, which gives him 12 for his career moving him into No. 5 all-time passing David Tabor (11, 2002-05).

Johnathan Cyprien (Sr., SS) recorded his team-leading third interception of the season and sixth of his career at the 13:30 mark in the second quarter. He is now in fourth-place all-time with his six interceptions. Cyprien made his 43rd career start in the game and now has the most starts at the safety position at FIU, passing Nick Turnbull (2002-04). The 43 starts ties for the fourth-most at FIU.

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
The Cajuns step out of conference play for the final time during the regular season, playing at no. 7 (BCS) Florida on Saturday, Nov.10.

The Cajuns are coming off an impressive 40-24 win at ULM last week, the squad’s fifth straight over the Warhawks.

Sophomore Terrance Broadway accounted for a career-high 460 yards of total offense against ULM, completing 23-of-32 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 87 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. In his last two games, Broadway has accounted for 747 yards passing, 858 yards of total offense and has been responsible for eight touchdowns.

Broadway engineered six scoring drives of 75 yards or better against the Warhawks, including a monstrous 17-play, 99-yard drive that consumed 9:33 and led to the fourth quarter touchdown that put the game away.

Sophomore Jamal Robinson celebrated his first career start by catching three passes for a career-high 153 yards, including touchdown catches of 52 and 81 yards. Playing in place of first team All-SBC senior Javone Lawson, Robinson recorded his second straight 100-yard game (he had 5 catches for 106 yards vs, Arkansas State).

Rodney Gillis and Jemarlous Moten each recorded interceptions against ULM, giving the duo seven of the Cajuns’ nine interceptions this season. Gillis leads the team and ranks seventh nationally with four interceptions this year while Moten is right behind him, ranking 27th with three picks.

The Cajuns defense limited the Warhawks to just 74 yards rushing on 20 attempts to keep a tell-tale statistic intact. In the five Cajuns victories this year, the Cajuns have held opponents to a total of 260 yards rushing (56.0 ypg) with no opponent gaining over 100 yards. In the three losses, the Cajuns have given up 829 yards rushing (276.3 ypg).

Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
ULM’s five-game winning streak, the longest of the FBS-era (1994-pres.), ended with its 40-24 setback against UL-Lafayette... The Warhawks are now 2-2 on the season at Malone Stadium.

The official attendence of Saturday’s game was 20,203, which was the second-highest total to visit Malone Stadium for a Sun Belt Conference game (21,929 - Oct. 4, 2008 vs. ULL).

Despite the loss against ULL, ULM remained in the polls for the ninth consecutive week as the squad garnered four votes in the USA Today/Coaches Poll released Sunday.

Brent Leonard set a new career-high with 168 receiving yards against ULL... His 168 receiving yards are the most by a ULM receiver in the Todd Berry era... Leonard’s receiving total is also the highest in the Sun Belt this season.

Brent Leonard tied the team high with 11 receptions vs. ULL... Earlier this season, Leonard made 11 catches in the 34-31 overtime win over Arkansas.

Kolton Browning connected with Tavarese Maye for an 81-yard TD in the first quarter against ULL... It was the longest play from scrimmage for ULM this season and it is tied for the second-longest pass completion in the conference in 2012... The 81-yard hookup between Browning and Maye is tied for the ninth-longest pass play in program history.

Before leaving the ULL contest with an injury (first quarter), Kolton Browning was 5-for-7 for 124 yards and one touchdown... He also rushed for 24 yards on two carries. Kolton Browning was replaced by Cody Wells and Wells finished the game against the Ragin Cajuns with 209 passing yards (18 completions, 31 attempts) with two touchdowns and two interceptions... Wells’ TD passes were to Je’Ron Hamm (19 yards - 2nd quarter) and Brent Leonard (22 yards - 4th quarter).

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
With 118 passing yards against WKU, Logan Kilgore went over the 2,000-yard mark for the season. Kilgore is just the second signal-caller in school history to record back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons after posting 2,231 yards in 2011. Kilgore joins Clint Marks who accomplished the feat in 2004 and 2005.

Freshman Jordan Parker had a huge night against the Sun Belt’s top ranked defense. Parker rushed for a career-high 151 yards on 32 attempts and one touchdown. In the first quarter, Parker went 58 yards for a touchdown which went down as the longest run of his career.

Middle Tennessee registered its 25th 200-yard rushing game under Rick Stockstill with 224 yards against WKU. It marks the fourth time this season the Raiders have topped the 200 mark. WKU entered tonight’s game ranked No. 1 in the SBC in total defense and was allowing just 108 rushing yards per game.

With two touchdown receptions tonight against WKU, wide receiver Anthony Amos ran his season total to eight. That ranks tied for the third most in a single-season at MT and is three shy of equaling the school record of 11 set by Kerry Wright in 2004.

Sophomore Reggie Whatley turned in a huge game in the kickoff return department. Whatley broke a 96-yard return for a touchdown to give MT a 34-27 lead, which went down as the fifth longest in school history. Whatley finished the game with a school-record 222 yards on kick returns, while also recovering a fumble for the Blue Raiders in the second half.

For the third time in four years, the Blue Raiders are bowl eligible. Middle Tennessee posted six wins in 2010 and had a historic 10-win season in 2009. MT has reached bowl eligibility four times under head coach Rick Stockstill.

North Texas Mean Green
With a win in the home finale against South Alabama, North Texas would finish the home schedule with a winning record at 3-2, giving the Mean Green back-to-back home winning seasons for the first time since 2003 and 2004.

North Texas is averaging 19,668 fans at Apogee Stadium, which currently is the second highest total in school history. North Texas needs 19,854 in the home finale to break the all-time record for highest average in single season in school history.

Derek Thompson threw for 316 yards against Arkansas State, the seventh straight game he has passed for 200 yards and his third career 300-yard passing game. Thompson is only the second quarterback in school history to pass for 200-yards in seven straight games, passing Giovanni Vizza (2008) and Steve Ramsey (1968) and trails only Mitch Maher who passed for 200-yards in 10 straight games in 1994. Thompson can tie that record with 200 yards passing in the final three regular season games. Thompson’s 316 yards passing rank as the 26th most in school history. Thompson now has 2,064 yards for the season which is 9th in school history in a single season. The school record for passing yards in a single season is 3,103, set by Mitch Maher in 1994. Thompson is on pace to finish in the top-five in school history.

Darnell Smith had a career-high seven catches and 107 yards receiving. The walk-on wide receiver topped the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career.

North Texas had 400-yards of total offense for the fourth straight game. It is the first time the Mean Green has had four straight games of total offense under Dan McCarney and the first time that has happened since 2008.

South Alabama Jaguars
ILB Jake Johnson posted a game- and USA season-best 15 total stops against Florida International on Saturday, which included his second sack of the season — it was the fifth time in nine games this season that he has led the Jaguars in stops as well as his fourth contest with a double-figure tackle total. The senior has also been credited with at least one stop for loss in every game this fall. … Ross Metheny posted a school game-record 326 yards of total offense against the Golden Panthers, completing 19-of-37 attempts for 270 yards and rushing for 56 more on eight carries. The junior transfer is eighth in the Sun Belt Conference in league contests with 212.8 yards of total offense per outing, while since earning the starting job prior to USA”s game at Arkansas State he is averaging 225.3 yards per game through the air. … T.J. Glover opened the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run — the longest by a Jag this fall — midway through the first quarter, his first score in the ground since USA defeated Arkansas-Monticello on Nov. 11, 2010. The sophomore also had a 36-yard punt return to set up another Jaguar score, finishing the contest with a team-leading 104 all-purpose yards; it was the first time since the season opener against Texas-San Antonio that he has reached double digits in the category. … DL Montavious Williams was credited with a season-high five tackles against FIU, including his first career solo sack. The junior had six total stops in the previous four games combined, and had not recorded a tackle for loss since the Mississippi State contest on Sept. 22. … Junior WR Corey Besteda posted a career-high 96 yards on three catches, including the longest reception in school history when he caught a 75-yard touchdown pass on the opening play of the second half. It was the most receiving yards by a Jaguar this year after he had just one catch in the previous two outings combined. … Wes Saxton had no catches the five games leading into USA’s match-up with the Golden Panthers, but went out and equaled his season total entering play after collecting a game-high six catches for 92 yards. The sophomore had at least one catch of two of the Jaguars’ four scoring drives, including a 24-yard reception late in the third quarter that helped lead to the final points of the game. … Sophomore Will Thompson had his first sack and fumble forced since the Jags defeated Henderson (Ark.) State on Oct. 29 last year, with USA turning its lone takeaway of the day into points when Glover scored four minutes later. It was the second straight week that Thompson has recorded three total stops after he had one in each of the two previous games.

Troy Trojans
The 84,189 fans in attendance was the eighth largest crowd Troy has ever played in front of …The Trojans 48 points are the most they have ever scored against an SEC opponent; 34 was the previous high, at Georgia in 2007 … Troy’s 721 yards are the most ever given up by Tennessee. It is also the most yards Troy has had this season … Shawn Southward ran for two touchdowns on the day, his fourth multi-touchdown game of the season and ninth of his career …Chip Reeve’s 51-yard touchdown was his fourth catch of at least 50 yards this season, the most in the Sun Belt Conference; the catch was also the third longest touchdown play of the season for Troy … Deon Anthony’s 51-yard pass to Chip Reeves in the second quarter was the longest completion of his career … Southward’s 39-yard rush in the second quarter was the second longest rush of the season for the Trojans … Anthony’s 28-yard rush for a touchdown marked the first time this season that the Trojans have scored a touchdown on three consecutive drives; the Trojans would go on to score a touchdown on four consecutive drives, the first time since September 13, 2008, against Alcorn State … The 20 second quarter points was the most scored in one quarter by the Trojans since they scored 24 in the second quarter of the New Orleans Bowl 2010 against Ohio … With his 144 yards receiving, Chip Reeves became the first ever Trojan with four 100-yard games in a single season … The Trojans scored (either a touchdown or a field goal) on five consecutive drives between the second and third quarters. It was the first time since the Trojans scored on eight consecutive drives at the New Orleans Bowl in 2010 against Ohio … Eric Thomas’ 67-yard touchdown was the second longest play of the season for the Trojans. It is also the longest reception of Thomas’ career. It is his fifth multi-touchdown game of his career … Southward moved into sole possession of eighth all-time in points scored with 198, he is now tied for second place all-time in touchdowns scored, with 34; His 32 rushing touchdowns are tied for second all-time with Mike Turk; His nine rushing touchdowns this season are ninth most inone season in program history; His 2,574 rushing yards are the fourth most in the history of the program; His 501 rushes are the fourth most in the history of the program … Reeves’ 1,722 career receiving yards are eighth most all-time; His 103 receptions are 13th most; His 13 receiving touchdowns are 11th most all-time … Eric Thomas’ two touchdowns on the day give him 16 for his career, tied for the fifth most all-time; His 120 receptions are the sixth most all-time … Corey Robinson moved up the Sun Belt Conference career charts on Saturday as well; His 9,336 passing yards are now second most in the history of the conference; His 9,126 total yards are fourth most all-time .. Bryan Willis had a career-high three pass breakups on the day.

WKU Hilltoppers
Junior running back Antonio Andrews rushed for 136 yards — his seventh straight 100-yard game, which is one shy of tying the school record. In the process, he also went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season - marking the 16th time a Hilltopper has accomplished the feat. It is also the third straight season WKU has produced a 1,000-yard rusher as Bobby Rainey ran for 1,649 yards in 2010 and a school-record 1,695 in 2011. That last happened from 1997-99 as Willie Taggart had back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons and Rod Smart eclipsed the mark in 1999. Andrews finished the night with a career-best 392 all-purpose yards, adding 54 receiving yards, 182 kickoff return yards and 20 punt return yards to his rushing total. He now ranks fifth on WKU’s single-season list with 1,972 all-purpose yards. The school record is 2,101 set by Bobby Rainey in 2009. His 392 all-purpose yards were also the most by a Hilltoppers since Joey Stockton set a Division I-AA record with 467 yards against Southern Illinois on Sept. 16, 1995. Andrews’ 182 kickoff return yards ties for the second most in a game in WKU history. Joey Stockton finished with 182 yards against Southern Illinois on Nov. 2, 1996.

Kawaun Jakes threw three touchdown passes in the game, giving him 18 for the season. That ties the school record set by Jeff Cesarone during the 1985 campaign. Jakes also now has 47 career touchdown passes — the second most in Hilltopper history, and three behind the school record of 50 set by Justin Haddix from 2003-06. Jakes also moved into third place on WKU’s career list for total offense.

Tight end Jack Doyle caught three passes for 32 yards, moving him into a tie with Curtis Hamilton for second place on WKU’s career receptions list with 149.

Three Hilltoppers posted double-digit tackles against MTSU — Kiante Young and Jonathan Dowling each set new career highs with 14 and 10 tackles, respectively, while Andrew Jackson tied a career-high with 13 tackles. It was the fourth double-digit tackle game for Jackson in the last five contests.

With 11.5 sacks this season, senior defensive end Quanterus Smith has already equaled his total from the previous three seasons combined. It has also put him within reach of a Sun Belt Conference record. With 23 career quarterback take-downs, he is just one shy of tying the league mark of 24 set by Middle Tennessee’s Erik Walden from 2004-07. The single-season league record for sacks is 13, set by Troy’s Jonathan Massaquoi in 2010 and equalled by Arkansas State’s Brandon Joiner in 2011.

Georgia State Panthers (Coming in 2013)
Georgia State (1-9) closes the 2012 season with a trip to Maine for a 2 p.m. game Saturday at Alfond Stadium in Orono, Maine.

The Panthers are coming off a 53-27 loss to fifth-ranked Old Dominion, while Maine fell 31-7 to No. 10 James Madison. Saturday’s game is the final game in the career of Georgia State head coach Bill Curry, who announced during preseason camp that the 2012 season will be his last on the sideline. Curry was named GSU’s first head coach on June 12, 2008 and has guided the program through its infancy. The former head coach at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky is in his 20th season as a collegiate head coach. He will remain at Georgia State as a special assistant to Director of Athletics Cheryl L. Levick and President Mark Becker.

Wide receiver Albert Wilson enjoyed an amazing day against Old Dominion with two of the longest plays in Georgia State history on back-to-back touches. First he fielded a kickoff about four yards deep in the end zone and returned it for a 100-yard touchdown, the longest in school history and the second kickoff return for a touchdown of his career. Wilson had a 97-yard touchdown return at Alabama in 2010. On the first play of Georgia State’s next possession after the Panthers took over on their own seven-yard line, Wilson hauled in a 93-yard touchdown pass from Ben McLane. Wilson had with six catches for 149 yards and three kickoff returns for 156 yards. He totalled a school-record 296 all-purpose yards.

Senior tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi (pronounced oh-BOY-ee) is enjoying the most productive stretch of his career with 21 catches for 259 yards and three touchdowns over the last five games. He is the Panthers’ second-leading receiver on the season with 25 catches for 282 yards and three touchdowns. Ogbuehi recorded his first 100-yard game against Old Dominion with three catches for 108 yards, highlighted by a 55-yard reception that equals his career long. Against James Madison, Ogbuehi had a career-best six receptions and fueled a GSU comeback with a remarkable fourth quarter. He started a scoring drive with a 17-yard run and then capped it with a five-yard touchdown reception. Then, with GSU trailing 28-14, he raced 54 yards on a fake punt down to the 10-yard line, setting up a touchdown that pulled the Panthers within 28-21. Ogbuehi began this stretch against New Hampshire when he caught four passes for 76 yards, highlighted by a 26-yard touchdown pass from Ben McLane.

Texas State Bobcats (Coming in 2013)
Texas State opened the game driving to Utah State’s five yard line before Shaun Rutherford’s pass was intercepted in the end zone.

The Bobcats were held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time in six games. The only other time this season was against Texas Tech.

Texas State was scoreless in the first half for the first time since Sept. 8, 2007 against Abilene Christian. Jamie Clavell-Head made his first start of the season and recorded an interception at Utah State’s sixyard line. It is Clavell-Head’s second interception in his career. He also had one against Sam Houston State on Nov. 19, 2011.

Marcus Curry scored his eighth touchdown of the season in the third quarter with a three-yard run. It was Curry’s seventh rushing touchdown. He also caught a touchdown pass at Houston in the season opener.

Texas State scored the third rushing touchdown that Utah State has given up this season.

Texas State’s two interceptions this week marks the second straight game that the Bobcats have intercepted a pass.

Joplo Bartu recorded a season-high eight tackles.

Chase Harper deflected the pass that led to Jerrid Jeter-Gilmon’s first career interception.