Sun Belt Conference Weekly News and Notes (Complete PDF)
2014 Sun Belt Conference Media Guide
2014 Sun Belt Conference Composite Schedule
2014 Sun Belt Conference Standings
Cajuns, Bobcats Set For ESPN2 Battle Tuesday
UL Lafayette and Texas State have each played only one Sun Belt Conference game to date. And while it is easy to point that fact out, it doesn’t diminish the importance of Tuesday night’s ESPN2 primetime clash between the Cajuns and Bobcats.
Texas State will be looking to avenge the 20 point loss it suffered against the Cajuns a year ago. The Bobcats will also be looking to show the national television audience that they are title contenders in the Sun Belt. While the Bobcats were bowl eligible a year ago in their first Sun Belt season, they struggled in conference play going 2-5 in the league. With a 3-2 start to the year and one conference win on the season, Texas State’s home schedule could benefit them greatly if they are to go on that title run. In addition to having 2013 co-champions UL Lafayette at home, the Bobcats will also welcome current league leader Georgia Southern and Arkansas State, winners of at least a share of the last three Sun Belt titles, to San Marcos.
Coming off of three consecutive bowl wins and nine win seasons, UL Lafayette has made a name for itself nationally – a fact which is validated by the scheduling of two consecutive ESPN2 appearances. Following their trip to San Marcos, the Cajuns will return home to face the team they shared the Sun Belt title with a year ago, as Arkansas State travels to Lafayette for another Tuesday night ESPN2 clash. Before returning to Cajun Field, the Cajuns will look to build upon the momentum they gained in their win against Georgia State and move to 2-0 in league play with a win over the Bobcats.
Elsewhere around the league, longtime foes New Mexico State and Idaho will meet in Moscow, Georgia State travels to play South Alabama and Troy hosts Appalachian State.
Upcoming Schedule
October 14
* UL Lafayette at Texas State – 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
October 18
* Appalachian State at Troy - 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
* New Mexico State at Idaho - 4 p.m. (ESPN3)
* Georgia State at South Alabama - 6:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
October 21
* Arkansas State at UL Lafayette – 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
October 24
* Troy at South Alabama - 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
All times Central (CT) and subject to change
* denotes Sun Belt Conference game
Recent Results
October 11
Kentucky 48, UL Monroe 14 (SEC Network)
* Arkansas State 52, Georgia State 10 (ESPN3)
* Troy 41, New Mexico State 24 (ESPN3)
Liberty 55, Appalachian State 48 (OT) (ESPN3)
* Georgia Southern 47, Idaho 24 (ESPN3)
October 4
* South Alabama 47, Appalachian State 21 (Sun Belt/ESPN3)
* UL Lafayette 34, Georgia State 31 (ESPN3)
* Arkansas State 28, UL Monroe 14 (ESPN3)
* Texas State 35, Idaho 30 (ESPN3)
* Georgia Southern 36, New Mexico State 28 (ESPN3)
Sun Belt Players of the Week - As selected by a media voting panel
Offensive Player of the Week
Fredi Knighten (Arkansas State, QB, Jr.)
Junior quarterback Fredi Knighten recorded 308 yards of total offense and was responsible for four touchdowns during Arkansas State’s 52-10 road victory over Georgia State. Knighten led the Red Wolves to a season-high 618 yards of total offense, which was also the 11th most in school history. Knighten posted over 300 yards of total offense for the second consecutive game and third time this season, and his four touchdowns responsible for tied his career high. He completed 20-of-26 pass attempts, without an interception, for 215 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. Knighten also matched his season-high rushing total with 93 yards on 12 carries for a 7.8 average per attempt. His rushing total included a season-long 51-yard touchdown run that gave A-State a 38-3 lead early in the third quarter. His passing total included a career-long 48-yard completion that set up the Red Wolves’ first score, a seven-yard pass to tight end Darion Griswold. His second touchdown pushed A-State’s lead to 24-0.
Defensive Player of the Week
Jamal Stadom (Troy, R-Fr., DE)
Jamal Stadom had a monster game for the Trojans against one of the top offensive lines in the country. Stadom had 10 tackles, 2.0 sacks (21 yards), two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in Troy’s big victory. New Mexico State entered the weekend without having allowed a sack all season (six games). Stadom has 17 tackles and four sacks in his first two career Sun Belt Conference contests.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Chandler Worthy (Troy, Sr, KR/WR)
Chandler Worthy returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown in Troy’s victory over New Mexico State; Worthy finished the game with 180 all-purpose yards as he had 109 kickoff return yards, 51 receiving yards and 20 rushing yards. Worthy capped Troy’s scoring with a 35-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. His kickoff return touchdown was the first by a Trojan since Jerrel Jernigan returned a kick 100 yards for a score at Oklahoma State in 2010. Chandler is the only player in the Sun Belt to return a kickoff for a touchdown this season.
Around the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt sets win record vs. Non-Conference Foes
The Sun Belt Conference’s 21 non-conference wins in the 2013 season eclipsed the previous record mark of 19 set in 2012. Additionally, of note for the league’s non-conference win total was that the Sun Belt fared well against its peer opponents in the non-AQ BCS ranks during the 2013 season. The Sun Belt finished the year a combined 8-1 against members of Conference-USA (4-1), the Mid-American Conference (3-0) and the Mountain West Conference (1-0). The Sun Belt also had the best overall non-conference win percentage when comparing the four non-AQ conferences.
Sun Belt Membership
The Sun Belt Conference will contest the 2014 football season with 11 members – Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Idaho, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Texas State and Troy. UALR and UT Arlington compete as non-football playing members. The Sun Belt will have four new members in the league this year as Appalachian State and Georgia Southern were added as all-sports members and Idaho and New Mexico State were added as football playing members. Both Appalachian State and Georgia Southern bring with them highly successful football programs and each team will begin the process of transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) immediately. The 2014 Sun Belt football season will mark the debut of both in the league schedule and standings. Additionally, both the Mountaineers and Eagles will be able to compete for the league championship in football for the 2014 season. Both teams will first be eligible to compete in a spot for a postseason bowl game come the 2015 season. Idaho and New Mexico State are familiar partners of the Sun Belt Conference, having been football members from the league’s inaugural year of football in 2001 through the 2004 season. Both members played an integral part of forming the Sun Belt Conference for football and now add strength to the league. Both teams will be immediately eligible to compete for the Sun Belt football championship and also for a spot in postseason bowl games.
Sun Belt Undefeated in 2013 Bowl Games
The 2013 football season saw two teams take home bowl championship trophies, as UL Lafayette won its third consecutive R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and Arkansas State won its second consecutive GoDaddy Bowl. The Red Wolves won their second consecutive GoDaddy Bowl by defeating Ball State 23-20. The previous season the Red Wolves defeated Kent State in the annual bowl game played in Mobile. The Red Wolves have made three consecutive appearances in the game, having lost to Northern Illinois in their first appearance. The Ragin’ Cajuns closed the 2013 football season with a 9-4 record that included a share of the 2013 Sun Belt Conference title and a 24-21 win over Tulane in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
Preseason Awards Candidates
Paul Hornung Award Watch List - Rashon Ceaser, UL Monroe, J.D. McKissic, Arkansas State; Lou Groza Award Watch List - Maxwell Johnson, New Mexico State; Ray Guy Award Watch List - Austin Rehkow, Idaho Justin Manton, UL Monroe; Rimington Award Watch List-Bryce Giddens, Arkansas State, Mike Marboe, Idaho, Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, New Mexico State; John Mackey Award Watch List- Darion Griswold, Arkansas State; Wes Saxton, South Alabama; Jim Thorpe Award Watch List - Sterling Young, Arkansas State, Rocky Hayes, Arkansas State; Biletnikoff Award Watch List -Rashon Ceaser, UL Monroe, Wes Saxton, South Alabama, Shaverez Smith, South Alabama, Jamal Robinson, UL Lafayette; Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List - Justin Hamilton, UL Lafayette,Gerrand Johnson, UL Monroe, Qushaun Lee, Arkansas State, Mykhael Quave, UL Lafayette, Daniel Quave, UL Lafayette, Tyler Roberts, Troy, Dominique Tovell, UL Lafayette, David Mayo, Texas State, Davey O’Brien Watch List - Terrance Broadway, UL Lafayette; Dick Butkus Award Watch List - Michael Orakpo, Texas State; Doak Walker Award Watch List - Marcus Cox, Appalachian State, Michael Gordon, Arkansas State, Alonzo Harris, UL Lafayette, Robert Lowe, Texas State; Maxwell Award Watch List - Qushaun Lee, Arkansas State; All-State Sugar Bowl Manning Award Watch List - Terrance Broadway, UL Lafayette.
Sun Belt Bowl Games
The Sun Belt Conference maintains primary bowl tie-ins with the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the GoDaddy Bowl and the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. A team from the Sun Belt Conference has played in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl since its inception in 2001. The SBC has won five consecutive R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl games and seven out of the last eight. The GoDaddy bowl matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and Mid-American Conference. Arkansas State has helped lead the Sun Belt to two consecutive wins in the GoDaddy Bowl. The Camellia Bowl will match-up the Sun Belt Conference against the Mid-American Conference beginning in December. The game will be played yearly at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Come 2015, the Cure Bowl will feature a team from the Sun Belt Conference against the American Athletic Conference. The game will be played yearly at the newly renovated Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the weekend before the Christmas holiday. The Cure Bowl is the first of its kind to combine the passions of college football with the goal of supporting breast cancer research.
The Sun Belt Conference will also be part of the rotation for the newly created Bahamas Bowl and Miami Beach Bowl.
With the 2014-15 year marking the debut of the College Football Playoff (CFP) the Sun Belt continues to find itself among the 10 premier college football conferences and the new system is guaranteed universal access based on performance – there are no automatic qualifiers for the playoff system. Additionally, the CFP will mean that a spot among the premier bowl games of college football will be guaranteed to the highest-ranked champion from the “Group of Five” conferences: the Sun Belt Conference, American Athletic Conference, Mountain West Conference, Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.
Georgia State’s Ruiz Named John Mackey Tight End of Week
Georgia State tight end Joel Ruiz was named John Mackey Tight End of the Week after his season opening performance in the Panthers’ 38-37 win over Abilene Christian. Ruiz, a junior from Kingsland, Ga., had a career-best game with seven receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Sun Belt Bowl Game Winning Percentage
Over the last five years the Sun Belt Conference ranks second out of the 10 FBS conferences in postseason bowl game winning percentage. In fact, the Sun Belt Conference ranks ahead of noted leagues – the ACC, Pac-12 and the Big Ten.
|
Conference |
Winning % |
|
SEC |
0.625 |
|
Sun Belt |
0.571 |
|
Mountain West |
0.538 |
|
C-USA |
0.536 |
|
Big 12 |
0.513 |
|
Pac-12 |
0.500 |
|
ACC |
0.439 |
|
American |
0.400 |
|
Big Ten |
0.385 |
|
MAC |
0.346 |
All-Time Sun Belt Standings for Current Members (Sorted by Winning Percentage)
|
School |
Wins |
Losses |
Percentage |
Years in Sun Belt |
|
Georgia Southern |
4 |
0 |
1.000 |
1 |
|
Troy |
50 |
26 |
0.658 |
11 |
|
Arkansas State |
49 |
39 |
0.557 |
14 |
|
New Mexico State |
16 |
13 |
0.552 |
6 |
|
UL Lafayette |
51 |
44 |
0.537 |
14 |
|
UL Monroe |
48 |
48 |
0.500 |
14 |
|
South Alabama |
7 |
11 |
0.389 |
2 |
|
Texas State |
3 |
5 |
0.375 |
2 |
|
Idaho |
7 |
23 |
0.233 |
6 |
|
Appalachian State |
0 |
2 |
0.000 |
1 |
|
Georgia State |
0 |
10 |
0.000 |
2 |
UL Lafayette Football Honored for Academic Performance
The UL Lafayette football team was recognized recently for having the highest grade point averages in the Sun Belt Conference last school year. This year’s Sun Belt Team Academic Award will be presented to the Cajuns as they had the highest average GPA of all Sun Belt football teams. The academic award is calculated by totaling individual GPAs of team members, then dividing by the total number of student-athletes on that particular team. All GPAs are based on the previous school year and include the total GPA for the year (not the average of semesters).
Georgia Southern’s Frye Named a Candidate for Senior CLASS Award
Georgia Southern offensive tackle Garrett Frye has been selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS Senior and have notable achievements in the four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Georgia Southern University’s Male Student-Athlete for both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years as well as earning first-team All-America honors, Frye was a 2013 CoSIDA/Capital One Division I Academic All-District selection. He owns a 3.77 cumulative grade point average in the Exercise Science curriculum.
UL Lafayette’s Cadona Named Ray Guy National Punter of the Week
UL Lafayette punter Daniel Cadona was named the Ray Guy National Punter of the Week following his performance against Ole Miss on Sept. 13. Cadona, a native of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia averaged 51.1 yards on seven attempts for the Ragin’ Cajuns against the No. 14-ranked Rebels. Cadona, who recorded a net average of 48.7 yards, recorded punts of 50 yards or greater on his first six attempts and placed three inside the Ole Miss 20-yard line.
Sun Belt to Expand Live Event Distribution with ESPN3
The Sun Belt Conference and ESPN announced recently a content expansion within their agreement that will result in the exclusive distribution of up to an additional 50 Sun Belt events on ESPN3 - ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network.
“ESPN continues to live up to its billing as the ‘Worldwide Leader in Sports’ with the advances that it has made in digital content,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson. “ESPN3 and WatchESPN have revolutionized how viewers consume sports – we are excited to be part of that and eager to display the Sun Belt to the 92 million homes that ESPN3 reaches.”
Fans will begin seeing the product of the expanded agreement this fall when a number of Sun Belt football games will be exclusively produced and distributed on ESPN3. The fall sports season will also feature the conference’s Women’s Soccer, Men’s Soccer, and Volleyball Championships on the network. A number of men’s and women’s regular-season basketball games will be available along with every contest from the 2015 Sun Belt Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. Baseball will be featured heavily in the spring with a run of regular-season games and up to seven matchups from the conference championship being made available. Several games from the 2015 Softball Championship will also be carried on ESPN3.
The deal that has been struck will also be instrumental in the future of airing more live events as the conference and ESPN will work jointly to develop a school production based model. This will result in Sun Belt members being able to deliver high quality productions that can be featured on ESPN3 throughout the year.
Sun Belt Conference Head Football Coaches Teleconference
Every Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:47 a.m. beginning August 25 to November 24
All times Central (CT) and subject to change
Contact John McElwain (mcelwain@sunbeltsports.org) for info
10:30 a.m. – Announcements – If Necessary
10:30 a.m. – Scott Satterfield, Appalachian State
10:37 a.m. – Willie Fritz, Georgia Southern
10:44 a.m. – Dennis Franchione, Texas State
10:51 a.m. – Larry Blakeney, Troy
10:58 a.m. – Paul Petrino, Idaho
11:05 a.m. – Doug Martin, New Mexico State
11:12 a.m. – Blake Anderson, Arkansas State
11:19 a.m. – Mark Hudspeth, UL Lafayette
11:26 a.m. – Todd Berry, UL Monroe
11:33 a.m. – Trent Miles, Georgia State
11:40 a.m. – Joey Jones, South Alabama
Sun Belt Conference Video Feed
Contact Travis Llewellyn (llewellyn@sunbeltsports.org) for info.
The Sun Belt Conference will provide a weekly video feed of head coach interviews and game highlights each Tuesday during the 2014 football season. The video feed will be made available exclusively through a digital download this season using the website https://sunbeltsports.egnyte.com/. New videos made available on this site will be uploaded on Tuesday of each week by 2 p.m. The videos will also be maintained and archived throughout the season. Members of the media may also find supplementary content on this site such as logos and photos. For login information please contact Travis Llewellyn (llewellyn@sunbeltsports.org) or John McElwain (mcelwain@sunbeltsports.org).
Team News and Notes
Appalachian State Mountaineers
Appalachian State fell to 1-5 with its fourth-straight loss, a 55-48 overtime defeat to Liberty.
Appalachian State amassed 637 yards of total offense against Liberty but scored only once in four red-zone opportunities, committed four turnovers and missed a 32-yard field goal at the end of regulation that would have won the ballgame.
During its four-game losing streak, Appalachian State has come away with points in just nine of its 18 trips into the red zone.
In its two closest losses of the season (21-20 at Southern Miss on Sept. 20, 55-48 in overtime vs. Liberty on Saturday), Appalachian State has outgained its opponents by an average of 126.5 yards per game but has totaled seven turnovers, missed four field goals and two extra points and is just 4-of-9 in the red zone.
Making the fourth start of his career, redshirt freshman Taylor Lamb set an Appalachian State freshman record with 397 passing yards in the loss to Liberty. Lamb’s 397 yards shattered the longstanding Appalachian State freshman record of 334 yards that was set by Randy Joyce vs. VMI in 1981.
Lamb’s 397 passing yards were the eighth-most in Appalachian State history and the most by a Mountaineer since Armanti Edwards threw for 415 yards against Wofford in 2009.
Lamb finished with 415 yards of total offense against Liberty, which is good for a tie for 10th in Appalachian State history and were the most by a Mountaineer since Edwards accounted for 461 yards against Furman in 2009.
In Saturday’s loss to Liberty, Appalachian State had two 100-yard rushers (Marcus Cox – 111, Terrence Upshaw – 111) in a game for the first time since Travaris Cadet (133) and Steven Miller (102) both broke the 100-yard barrier against The Citadel in 2011.
On Saturday, Appalachian State resumes Sun Belt Conference play at Troy. The Mountaineers and Trojans have met three times previously, including twice during the 2000 season when App State avenged a 34-28 home loss to Troy during the regular season by upsetting the fourth-seeded Trojans, 33-30, in the opening round of that year’s NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Arkansas State has a winning record after six games for the first time since the 2011 season and just the fourth time since joining the FBS in 1992 (2014, 2011, 2008, 2006) . . . The Red Wolves are off to a 2-0 start in Sun Belt play for the second straight year, third time over the last four seasons and sixth time since the football league was formed in 2001 . . . A-State holds a 22-3 Sun Belt Conference record since 2011 . . . A-State holds an overall 32-13 record over the last four seasons . . . The Red Wolves are 11-1 over their last 12 games played in the month of October, and they are also 11-1 over their last 12 road conference games . . . A-State scored 52 points and piled up 618 yards total offense, both season highs, last week versus Georgia State. The 52 points were its most ever in a road game against a Sun Belt Conference opponent and the its most against any FBS opponent (home or away) since scoring 52 against UL Lafayette in 2007. Its 618 yards total offense were the 11th most in school history . . . Junior quarterback Fredi Knighten has recorded over 300 yards of total offense the last two games and three times this season. He is also responsible for eight touchdowns over the Red Wolves’ last two games, picking up four against both UL Monroe and Georgia State . . . Junior running back Michael Gordon has recorded back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 188-yard performance last week versus Georgia State. The last time an A-State player had three consecutive 100-yard rushing games was 2005 (Antonio Warren in a school-record six straight games) . . . A-State has scored a touchdown on one of its first two offensive possessions in four of six games this season . . . A-State entered the Georgia State game ranked 42nd in the nation in fourth-down defense and held Georgia State to 0-of-2 on fourth down conversions . . . The A-State defense has not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season and held its last two opponents (three for the season) to under 100 yards rushing as a team . . . A-State has intercepted at least one pass in five of six games this season . . . A-State has held its last three opponents to 14 points or less. The Red Wolves have not allowed more than 14 points four times this year, the most since 2008 (four) . . . A-State has won 16 consecutive games when holding its opponent to 17 points or less . . . Junior punter Luke Ferguson has recorded at least two punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line every game this season (17 total).
Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern (5-2, 4-0) will have a bye week for October 18th before heading to Atlanta for a first-ever meeting with Georgia State at the Georgia Dome on October 25th. Seven games on the 2014 Eagles’ schedule occur in the state of Georgia with their second trip to Atlanta set for the Eagles-Panthers contest. This is only the second time ever the Eagles will play in the Georgia Dome, the last a 1995 win over Middle Tennessee State.
The Eagles improved to 4-0 in Sun Belt play with a 47-24 victory over Idaho at Paulson Stadium Saturday night to become the first team in Sun Belt history to start its inaugural year of conference play 4-0. Matt Breida and L.A. Ramsby combined for 328 all-purpose yards, and Matt Dobson dashed any hopes of an Idaho comeback with an interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Breida had a game-high 155 rushing yards, his fourth-career game with 100 or more yards on the ground, while Kevin Ellison (2), Ramsby (1) and Ean Days (1) all scored rushing touchdowns.
Idaho (0-6, 0-4) scored twice late in the third quarter, cutting the 23-point deficit to nine points, but Dobson’s fourth-career interception quickly stopped the Vandals’ momentum. He returned the picked off pass 26 yards unencumbered for the touchdown to put the Eagles up 40-14. It was the first touchdown off an interception for the Eagles since September 2012.
Georgia Southern scored on its first three possessions of the game, and stopped Idaho on two fourth-down plays to build a 20-10 lead at the half. The Eagles started the second half with touchdowns on their first two possessions and the Georgia Southern defense stepped up again to shut down Idaho in the final period.
The Eagles eclipsed the 500-yard mark for total offense for the third time this year with 550 yards with Breida’s contribution of 155, Ramsby with 98 yards rushing, Ellison’s 128 rushing and passing and Upshaw’s 114 total with 105 yards through the air. Upshaw was a perfect 3-for-3 passing for 76 yards in directing the Eagles’ third scoring drive and finished the day 4-4 with 105 of the 201 total yards passing. Upshaw’s TD pass to Breida was Georgia Southern’s seventh of 2014, one more than the Eagles had all of last season.
Edwin Jackson led the Eagles with 13 tackles, including seven solo stops, and Dobson finished with his interception to go along with six tackles and a tackle for loss.
Georgia State Panthers
Tight end Joel Ruiz has been named to the 2014 John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List. Ruiz ranks second in the nation among tight ends in receiving yards per game (66.2) and receptions per game (4.8). He is Georgia State’s fourth-leading receiver with 24 receptions for 331 yards and two touchdowns. He ranks fourth overall in the Sun Belt in receiving yards per game. Ruiz was honored as the John Mackey Award National Tight End of the Week after Georgia State’s season-opening victory over Abilene Christian.
Georgia State’s improved offense has helped the Panthers put together numerous long scoring drives this season. The Panthers have scored 21 touchdowns, but they have accomplished that the hard way. The average length of Georgia State’s touchdown drives is 73.4 yards, and the Panthers have travelled 70 yards or more on 13 of their 21 touchdown drives. Only one touchdown drive has been less than 50 yards. One reason that the Panthers have been able to sustain drives is efficiency on third down. Georgia State is third in the Sun Belt, converting 46 percent of third-down opportunities. The Panthers are also 7-for-11 on fourth-down conversions.
Quarterback Nick Arbuckle leads the Sun Belt in total offense, averaging 295.3 yards per game, while ranking second in passing yards with 292.2 per game.
Georgia State has four players with 24 or more receptions in Robert Davis (29-334-1), LynQuez Blair (27-341-3), Donovan Harden (24-389-1) and Joel Ruiz (24-331-2).
Junior inside linebacker Joseph Peterson is second in the Sun Belt and seventh in the nation with 11.5 tackles per game. Peterson is Georgia State’s career tackling leader with 237, including 13 tackles for loss and five sacks.
Junior placekicker Wil Lutz is second in the Sun Belt in points by kicking at 6.0 per game, hitting on 5-of-5 field goals and 21-of-21 PAT. Lutz, Georgia State’s career leader with 115 points by kicking, also has 11 touchbacks on kickoffs and has averaged 38.8 yards on 12 punts.
Idaho Vandals
Austin Rekhow’s 73-yard punt was his career long (previous as 65), it was just four yards shy of the nation’s longest this year, and yet it was eight yards short of the Idaho record held by Flip Kleffner. Kleffner boomed an 81-yarder in 1953.
With his average of 54.0 yards on three kicks at Georgia Southern, Rehkow took over the national lead in punting average (48.5)
Matt Linehan continues to lead the Sun Belt Conference in completions per game – 27.33 (ninth nationally), passing yards per game – 312.3 (12th nationally), passing yards 0 1,874 (13th nationally).
Joshua McCain also kept his place atop two Sun Belt receiving categories. He leads the league in:
receiving touchdowns – 6 (10th nationally), receiving yards per game – 110.6 (10th nationally). He is second in: receiving yards – 665 (13th nationally), receptions per game – 7.2 (16th nationally)
Idaho still has four receivers among in the league’s top 15 in terms of receptions per game. In addition to McCain, Richard Montgomery is third with 6, Justin Podrabsky is 11th with 4.5, and Deon Watson is 13th with 4.3. Podrabsky is fifth among the nation’s tight ends in receptions per game.
Elijhaa Penny’s three-touchdown outburst at Georgia Southern puts him in a logjam for third in most rushing TDs scored in a single game this fall. Two players have scored five and eight have scored four.
Penny’s three rushing touchdowns are the most by a Vandal since DeMaundray Woolridge scored four against Hawai`i on Oct. 17, 2009. Woolridge and five others (Willie Alderson, Joel Thomas, Sherriden May, Kerry Hickey and Russell Davis) hold the Idaho single-game record of four. He became the 12th Vandal in school history to score three in a game and he did it for the 21st time in school history.
Saturday’s game against New Mexico State is Idaho’s Homecoming game. Homecoming has been celebrated on the University of Idaho campus since at least 1915.
Idaho has played New Mexico State more often than any other team on the Vandals’ 2014 schedule. They first played in 1971. Idaho leads the series 14-6.
UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Terrance Broadway went 20-for-26 for 216 yards and two touchdowns while Jamal Robinson caught eight passes for 119 yards and two scores in UL Lafayette’s 34-31 Sun Belt-opening win over Georgia State on Saturday night.
UL Lafayette (2-3, 1-0 SBC) totaled 461 yards of offense compared to Georgia State’s 425, and outgained the Panthers on the ground, 195-138. Elijah McGuire led the Cajuns with 90 rushing yards on six attempts.
Robinson, who returned to the lineup after missing two games with an injury, caught a 19-yard scoring pass from Broadway with 1:13 remaining in the first half before his 21-yard TD reception with 3:34 remaining in the game was the eventual game-winner. Robinson moved into eighth-place on the school’s all-time list in receiving yards (1,829), moving past Marcus Wilridge (1,742, 1997-2001) while his two TDs moved him into a fifth-place tie with former Cajun Javone Lawson (15, 2009-12).
Broadway moved into sole possession of second-place on the school’s all-time list for touchdown passes (42) behind Jake Delhomme with 64. Broadway, who increased his career passing total to 6,153 yards, became the third quarterback in school history to record 6,000 yards passing behind Delhomme (9,216) and Jerry Babb (6,241).
Broadway and Robinson teamed up for their 14th scoring opportunity to move within one of the scoring combo of Delhomme and Brandon Stokley (15, 1995-96) and six of the record set by Delhomme and Donald Richard (20, 1994-96).
Alonzo Harris carried the football 16 times to increase his career total to 595, moving him past Darren Brister (594, 1996-2000) for third place in school history. Tyrell Fenroy (808, 2005-08) and Brian Mitchell (678, 1986-89) are the top two rushers in school history.
UL Lafayette heads to San Marcos, Texas, on Oct. 14 when it takes on Texas State in a 7 p.m. game that will be televised on ESPN2.
UL Monroe Warhawks
ULM has the week off for the second time this season as is it is coming off of a 48-14 loss at (RV) Kentucky on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium... Following the bye week, the Warhawks will play their first home game since Sept. 27 as they welcome the Bobcats of Texas State to JPS Field at Malone Stadium for a 6 p.m. contest.
After the bye week, the Warhawks will close the season with six straight Saturday games, including five league games... ULM will line up against the following teams: Texas State, at Texas A&M, at Appalachian State, UL Lafayette, at New Mexico State and at Georgia Southern.
The Warhawks own a 3-3 record and a 2-1 mark at the mid-point of the season... ULM has faced ACC member Wake Forest as well as SEC members LSU and Kentucky... In the conference portion of the schedule, ULM has faced Idaho, Troy and Arkansas State.
ULM faced its third of four Power Five teams as it faced Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium on Oct. 11... ULM has also faced Wake Forest and LSU -- still on the docket is a road trip at Texas A&M... The Warhawks are one of two FBS teams to have a non-conference schedule comprised completely of Power Five teams (UMass is the other).
Justin Manton connected on a pair of PATs at Kentucky and became the third kicker in ULM history to tally 200 or more points in a career... Manton entered the game tied for third in program history with Stepfret Williams (WR, 1992-95) at 198 points... Teddy Garcia (1984-87) holds the record with 246 points, followed by Rob Tallent (1989-92) at 232 points.
New Mexico State Aggies
The New Mexico State football team lost 41-24 to Troy in Sun Belt Conference action, Saturday, Oct. 11 in Troy, Ala., falling 2-5 on the year and 1-3 in league play.
NM State posted a total of 395 yards on the afternoon while giving up 571 yards to the Trojans. Freshman running back Larry Rose III looked to be back to form as he tallied a team-high 85 yards on the ground, which included a 53-yard touchdown run. The run was the longest of his career as he finished the afternoon posting 135 total yards, including 50 yards receiving.
Teldrick Morgan continued his high level of play on the season, leading the Aggies with 67 receiving yards on 7 receptions and one touchdown. He also had 139 kick-off return yards to finish with 213 all-purpose yards against the Trojans. Morgan’s quarterback, Tyler Rogers, went 22-of-32 passing for 272 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions. He was sacked four times on the afternoon, which was the first time this season any sacks were given up by the Aggie offensive linemen.
The Aggies struggled to stop the run giving up 360 yards on the ground. The NM State offense also did what Head Coach Doug Martin did not want from his offense to by turning the ball over four times. Troy scored twice off of the four NM State turnovers, with the first Aggie turnover resulting in Troy ending their drive with a turnover of their own. Rogers’ interception resulted in a Troy 41-yard field goal to push their lead to 20-7. The Aggies second fumble of the day came with 10:48 remaining in the fourth quarter resulting in a four play, 26-yard touchdown drive to double the score, 34-17.
Defensively, linebackers Derek Ibekwe and Rodney Butler led the charge with 14 and 12 tackles respectively. Linebacker JB Copeland stepped up and made 10 tackles while he joined defensive lineman Drew James for a sack. Butler also forced a fumble that was recovered by Dalton Herrington with 5:29 left in the second quarter. The Aggies could not capitalize on that turnover as they gave the ball back to the Trojans on an interception at the Troy six yard line.
The Aggies continue Sun Belt action heading to Moscow, Idaho Saturday, Oct. 18 to take on the Idaho Vandals at 3 p.m. (MT).
South Alabama Jaguars
After a week off, South Alabama returns home to play host to Georgia State; the Jaguars and Panthers are meeting for the fourth time in five seasons. … It will be GSU’s first trip to Ladd-Peebles Stadium since the initial match-up in the series, a 39-34 Jag victory on Oct. 30, 2010 — the last two games between the schools have been contested in Atlanta. … A total of 13 Jaguars remain from the ’10 roster, including six who saw action against the Panthers that fall; Melvin Meggs was the only one of the group to start, although Kendall Houston recorded 175 yards on 31 carries — both still school game records — and T.J. Glover added 116 all-purpose yards. … USA’s 38-17 victory in last year’s meeting was the first on the road for either school in the series. … This will be the Jags’ first home game since opening Sun Belt Conference play against Georgia Southern on Sept. 20 — it’s the second straight fall that USA has gone at least three straight weeks away from home after beginning league action. … The Jaguars are coming off their only open date of the season; they did not begin the 2014 campaign Labor Day weekend, instead making their debut at Kent State on Sept. 6. USA is 6-4 all-time after a bye week, but has won just one of the last five with extra time to prepare for its upcoming opponent. … In their last outing at Appalachian State Oct. 4, the Jaguars’ 47 points were the most scored against an NCAA Division I opponent, surpassing the 41 posted in a two-point win at Tulane on Sept. 7 last fall. One similarity between those two outings was the USA offense’s ability to move the ball early — against the Green Wave, the Jags piled up 245 yards on 20 snaps in the opening 15 minutes, while last week the unit had recorded 192 yards by the end of the opening period. … After averaging 329.33 yards per game in their first three outings this season, the Jaguars have gained over 1,000 yards the last two weeks. The one common denominator in those contests has been the starting lineup, as last week’s trip to Appalachian State marked the first time this fall that the USA offense has run the same starting 11 on the field in back-to-back games. A year ago, nine of 11 individuals on that side of the ball started all 12 contests — including the entire offensive line — as the unit averaged over 425 yards per outing. … Shavarez Smith’s first touchdown in the Appalachian State contest capped a three-play, 80-yard drive for the Jags, the second straight week that they have put together at least one scoring march of 80 or more yards. It’s the first time that’s happened since USA had at least one 80-yard drive in five consecutive contests from Sept. 7-Oct. 19 a year ago.
Texas State Bobcats
Texas State improved its home record to 2-1 in Bobcat Stadium this season with its 35-30 victory over Idaho. The win followed a 35-31 setback against Navy and a 65-0 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Texas State has a combined record of 13-8 in home games since 2011 and an all-time record of 112-79 in home games at Bobcat Stadium after winning two of its first three home games this season.
Texas State also improved to 3-2 for the second straight season and the fifth time since 2005. The victory over Idaho gives Texas State a two-game winning streak after the Bobcats won a 37-34 triple overtime game at Tulsa on Sept. 27. The Bobcats also opened with 3-2 records in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013 after beginning 2005 with a 6-1 mark.
Texas State enters the UL Lafayette game looking to improve to 4-2 for just the third time since 2005. The Bobcats opened the 2008 and 2011 with 4-2 records after opening 2005 with a 6-1 record.
Texas State played in front of three of the top five home crowds in school history during the first three home games this season. Texas State had an attendance of 21,345 against Idaho after playing against Navy in front of the second-largest crowd in Bobcat Stadium history with an attendance of 32,007. The attendance for Texas State’s first game this season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff was 20,850.
Terrence Franks set a school record with a 95-yard touchdown run Franks had the sixth-highest yardage total in Sun Belt Conference history and fourth highest total in school history when he ran for a career-high of 284 yards. Franks also had three rushing touchdowns and equaled his career-high that he set in 2011 when he set a freshman record with three touchdowns against Tarleton State.
He had also had two 70-yard runs against the Vandals, which gives him five runs of 70-or-more yards in his career.
Craig Mager recorded a career-best 12 tackles and three tackles for loss of 20 yards in Texas State’s victory over Idaho. Mager also recorded the first two sacks of his career and broke up a game-high two passes against the Vandals.
David Mayo has recorded 15 or more tackles in three games this season, including the last two, He logged a career-best 20 tackles at Tulsa, 16 versus Idaho and 15 against Navy.
Troy Trojans
Brandon Silvers rushed for his fourth touchdown of the season on Troy’s opening drive of the game; it is the most rushing touchdowns by a Troy quarterback since Deon Anthony had eight in 2013 … Troy scored on its opening drive for the third time this season and for the first time since the Duke game on Sept. 7 … Brandon Burks’ 53-yard run in the first quarter was a career long and the longest by a Trojan player since Shawn Southward had a 55-yard rush at UAB to open the 2012 season … Brandon Burks added a 44-yard rush late in the second to put him over the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in his career … Brandon Silvers set the Troy FBS record with 119 consecutive pass attempts without an interception to start his career; Levi Brown held the record with 118 consecutive attempts in 2008 … Troy rushed for 210 yards in the first half on 25 carries; it was the most rushing yards in an opening half by a Troy team since the Trojans rushed for 251 yards against Austin Peay on Oct. 5, 2002 … Jordan Chunn moved into a tie for eighth place in Troy history with his 17th career rushing touchdown; he scored from the 2-yard line on Troy’s first drive of the third quarter. It was his first touchdown since Troy’s second game of the season; against Duke. He moved into sole possession of eighth place with his 18th career touchdown; a 18-yard score in the fourth quarter … Brandon Burks finished with 176 rushing yards on just 10 carries; it was a career high and the most by a Troy player since Shawn Southward had 204 yards on 28 carries at UAB to open the 2012 season. Burks finished with three runs of 40-plus yards … Brandon Burks averaged 17.6 yards per carry in the game; it was the second-highest average in a game in Troy history (min. 10 carries) -- Dwayne Thompson 18.0 yards per carry … Troy finished with 360 rushing yards in the game to mark the sixth time in its FBS history that the Trojans topped the 300-yard rushing mark. It was the most rushing yards by a Troy team since Nov. 22, 2008, when the Trojans rushed for 391 yards on 55 carries against UL Lafayette … Chandler Worthy moved into 10th place with 3,395 all-purpose yards in his career after totaling 180 against New Mexico State … Chandler Worthy moved into 11th place with 1,640 receiving yards in his career after picking up 51 against New Mexico State … Chandler Worthy moved into third place with 1,609 kickoff return yards in his career after picking up 109 against New Mexico State … Chandler Worthy moved into eighth place with 117 receptions in his career after catching four passes against New Mexico State … Jamal Stadom forced and recovered a fumble in the first quarter on a sack of Tyler Rodgers; it was the first sack allowed by New Mexico State this season … Jamal Stadom picked up his second sack of the game and fourth in the last two games in the fourth quarter … Tyler Roberts picked up Troy’s third sack of the game and forced a fumble on the play; Jamal Stadom recovered the fumble for his second recovery of the game.