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
ESPN2 Features Showdown of Reigning Sun Belt Champions
When an ESPN2 national television audience tunes in for Tuesday night’s feature of Arkansas State and UL Lafayette, they will be treated to a matchup of teams coming off of multiple bowl wins and the current title holders of the Sun Belt Conference.
A-State, winners of at least a share of the last three Sun Belt titles, will be looking to win its fifth game of the season and third game in conference play. The back-to-back GoDaddy Bowl winners are visiting a formidable foe in UL Lafayette as the Cajuns have won three consecutive R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowls.
The two teams are facing off on a Tuesday night ESPN2 game for the third consecutive year. Interestingly, the visiting team has won in the two previous matchups. UL Lafayette leads the all-time series 22-19-1 and the Ragin’ Cajuns lead 7-5 in Sun Belt Conference games.
Elsewhere around the Sun Belt, rivals Troy and South Alabama will meet in a nationally televised ESPNU game on Friday night. Troy has won the two previous meetings to date – including a thrilling 34-33 last season at Troy.
Another budding rivalry game will be played Saturday when Georgia Southern travels to Atlanta to face Georgia State. Though the two teams have never met on the field before the conference and in-state battle has caught the eye of many in the state of Georgia.
Weekend action concludes Saturday night with Texas State visiting UL Monroe. Both teams enter the game with 3-3 overall records. ULM defeated Texas State 21-14 last season (Oct. 12) in the first meeting between the two schools since 2000. The 2000 contest was the first match-up between the two programs since the former Southland, now Sun Belt rivals, met each season from 1986 to 1993.
Upcoming Schedule
October 21
* Arkansas State at UL Lafayette – 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
October 24
* Troy at South Alabama - 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
October 25
* Georgia Southern at Georgia State - 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
* Texas State at UL Monroe - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
October 30
* Troy at Georgia Southern - 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
All times Central (CT) and subject to change
* denotes Sun Belt Conference game
Recent Results
October 18
* Appalachian State 53, Troy 14 (ESPN3)
* Idaho 29, New Mexico State 17 (ESPN3)
* South Alabama 30, Georgia State 27 (ESPN3)
October 14
* UL Lafayette 34, Texas State 10 (ESPN2)
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)
Sun Belt Players of the Week - As selected by a media voting panel
Offensive Player of the Week
Brandon Bridge (South Alabama, Sr., QB)
Bridge had a hand in all three touchdowns while accounting for 263 yards of total offense, which included 137 rushing — a game record for a USA quarterback — to help lead the Jaguars to a come-from-behind win over Georgia State. He played a key role in the Jags’ final scoring drive, opening the three-play-85-yard march with a career-long 65-yard dash before finding Danny Woodson II for the game-winning 18-yard touchdown pass with just over four minutes left in the contest. The senior also opened the scoring when he capped USA’s first possession with a five-yard touchdown run, and he capped the opening drive of the second half with a 15-yard scoring pass to Shavarez Smith. Bridge led a Jaguar offense that recorded 447 yards and scored 30 points for the third straight game.
Defensive Player of the Week
Christian Ringo (UL Lafayette, Sr., DL)
The senior registered four tackles, with three stops for loss, a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the Ragin’ Cajuns 34-10 win at Texas State on Tuesday. After quarterback Tyler Jones fumbled on a sack by Trae Johnson, Ringo extended the Cajuns lead to 14-3 in the second quarter when he scooped up the loose ball and ran 41 yards for his first career touchdown. He also recorded a sack in the first quarter with a 5-yard loss on the Bobcats’ first drive of the fourth.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Austin Rehkow (Idaho, So., P/K)
Rehkow kicked three field goals (19, 30 and 33 yards) as well as both of the PAT kicks in addition to kicking off and punting. He averaged 42.7 yards on three kicks with a long of 53. What was impressive was his ability to drop two inside the five – one at the two-yard line and the other on the five.
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.
A-State’s Greve Added to Rimington Trophy?Watch List
Arkansas State senior center Tyler Greve has been added to the 2014 Rimington Trophy Watch List. Greve joins 55 other players across the nation on the watch list for the award presented annually to the nation’s premier college center. Greve is the fourth A-State player ever named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List.
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 |
27 |
0.649 |
11 |
|
Arkansas State |
49 |
39 |
0.557 |
14 |
|
UL Lafayette |
51 |
44 |
0.537 |
14 |
|
New Mexico State |
16 |
14 |
0.533 |
6 |
|
UL Monroe |
48 |
48 |
0.500 |
14 |
|
South Alabama |
8 |
11 |
0.421 |
2 |
|
Texas State |
3 |
5 |
0.375 |
2 |
|
Appalachian State |
1 |
2 |
0.333 |
1 |
|
Idaho |
8 |
23 |
0.258 |
6 |
|
Georgia State |
0 |
11 |
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 snapped a four-game losing streak and moved to 2-5 on the season with a 53-14 rout at Troy.
The win was Appalachian State’s first-ever in Sun Belt Conference play.
The win was Appalachian State’s first over an NCAA Division I FBS opponent since its historic 34-32 victory at Michigan in 2007. Appalachian State had lost 10-straight games to FBS opponents.
Appalachian State avoided losing five-straight games for the first time since 1977.
Appalachian State’s 39-point margin of victory was its largest in a conference game since it toppled Wofford, 70-24, in a Southern Conference matchup on Oct.
31, 2008.
The 39-point margin of victory was also the second-largest in a Sun Belt game this season, behind only Arkansas State’s 52-10 win over Georgia State last Saturday.
Appalachian State outgained Troy, 551-308, in Saturday’s romp, marking the fourth time in seven games this season that App State has outgained its opponent.
441 of Appalachian State’s 551 yards at Troy came on the ground, which was its highest rushing total since it ran for 448 yards against Jacksonville in 2008.
Appalachian State’s 441 rushing yards were the second-most by a Sun Belt team this season, behind only Georgia Southern’s 564 rushing yards against Savannah State on Sept. 6
For the second-straight game, Appalachian State had two 100-yard rushers – Marcus Cox (123) and Ricky Fergerson (107) against Troy. Prior to Cox (111) and Terrence Upshaw (111) both rushing for 100 yards against Liberty last Saturday, Appalachian State had not had two 100-yard rushers in the same game since Travaris Cadet (133) and Steven Miller (102) both accomplished the feat against The Citadel on Oct. 15, 2011.
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, 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) travels to Georgia State for the first-ever meeting on the football field between the in-state and Sun Belt Conference rivals for a 1 p.m. (CT) game at the Georgia Dome on Saturday, October 25th. This is the fifth of the Eagles’ seven games played in the state of Georgia and is their second trip to Atlanta this season. Georgia Southern is 1-0 in games played in the Georgia Dome with a 1995 win over Middle Tennessee State in 1995. Coach Willie Fritz is 3-1 in games played in an NFL stadium with three-straight wins at NRG Stadium (previously Reliant Stadium) in Houston, Texas, during his tenure at Sam Houston State.
The Eagles enjoyed an open week with no game scheduled on October 18th and after a 47-24 homecoming victory over Idaho October 11th to become the first team in Sun Belt history to start its inaugural year in the league with a 4-0 mark in conference games. In its 33rd year in its modern era of competition, another history-making number is within reach this season as the program currently stands at 299 wins. The Eagles reached the 100-victory mark in 1991 and celebrated their 200th win in 2001.
Prior to the bye week Georgia Southern played seven consecutive games with only Idaho and New Mexico State having longer stretches before their open dates, each with eight straight games scheduled. The Eagles head into the game against the Panthers with a 24-10 mark after bye weeks and with Coach Willie Fritz posting a career 10-4 record in contests after an off week.
Five different Georgia Southern players have combined for 11 instances of 100 or more yards rushing, contributing to the Eagles’ 372.0 rushing yards per game, highest average in the FBS. Matt Breida ran for 155 yards, his fourth game with 100-plus yards on the ground and pulled in his first-career touchdown reception against Idaho. Kevin Ellison had his second-straight game with two rushing touchdowns against the Vandals and has either run or passed for at least one score in his last 10 games. Favian Upshaw passed for 105 yards while L.A. Ramsby was just two yards shy of his second 100-yard rushing game.
Defensively, senior linebacker Edwin Jackson leads the team with 58 total tackles, split evenly between solo and assists with three tackles for loss. Antwione Williams has led the Eagles in two games and is second on the team with 44 tackles and shares the team lead with four TFL with linemen Jay Ellison and Bernard Dawson.
Georgia State Panthers
Georgia State suffered another heart-breaking loss in Sun Belt Conference play with a 30-27 defeat at South Alabama. In a back-and-forth game with eight lead changes, Georgia State drove 76 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 9:48 left, but South Alabama answered with the winning touchdown with 4:02 to play. Georgia State moved to the USA 40 on its final drive before the Jaguars held on fourth down and then ran out the clock.
Three of Georgia State’s four Sun Belt Conference losses have been by three points, and in each one, the Panthers rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter before falling.
The Panthers have scored 25 touchdowns, but they have accomplished that the hard way. The average length of Georgia State’s touchdown drives is 73 yards, and the Panthers have travelled 70 yards or more on 15 of their 25 touchdown drives. Only one touchdown drive all season has been less than 50 yards.
One reason that the Panthers have been able to sustain drives is efficiency on third down. Georgia State leads the Sun Belt, converting 47 percent of third-down opportunities.
Three Panthers were named last week to the Midseason All-Sun Belt first team announced by Phil Steele: TE Joel Ruiz, LB Joseph Peterson and PK Wil Lutz.
Quarterback Nick Arbuckle leads the Sun Belt in passing (294.9 yps) and total offense (300.3 ypg). As a team, the Panthers are averaging 27.0 points and 417.4 yards per game.
Tight end Joel Ruiz, who had seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown vs. South Alabama, leads the nation in receiving yards by a tight end with 67.7 yards per game, and he is second among tight ends with 5.2 receptions per game. Last week, Ruiz was named to the John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List and to the Midseason All-Sun Belt first team by Phil Steele.
Donovan Harden enjoyed his best game in a Georgia State uniform with 10 catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers’ three-point loss to South Alabama. Harden’s 10 catches left him just one shy of the school single-game record of 11, and he is only the second receiver in Georgia State history with 10 or more receptions in a game. The junior from Rialto, Calif., caught touchdowns of 44 yards and five yards from Nick Arbuckle in the back-and-forth battle. He also had a 34-yard reception on third down down to the 4-yard line to set up another Georgia State touchdown. Harden is the Panthers’ leading receiver with 34 catches for 521 yards and three touchdowns.
Idaho Vandals
Josh McCain had his fourth 100-plus receiving game this season on a career-high 11 catches. His efforts Saturday (139 yards) not only enabled him to maintain his conference lead in two categories – receiving touchdowns (seven) and receiving yards per game (114.9) but pushed him to the top of two others. He now is the conference leader in total receiving yards (804) and receptions per game (7.7). Nationally, he is sixth in receptions per game, seventh in receiving touchdowns and receiving yards, and ninth in receptions per game.
He is just one of four Vandal receivers in the league’s top 15 in catches per game. Richard Montgomery is fifth (5.7), Justin Podrabsky is 11th (4.4), and Deon Watson is 13th (4.1). Podrabsky is fourth among the nation’s tight ends in receptions per game.
Despite being knocked out of the game on the Vandals’ first series, quarterback Matt Linehan stayed near the top of the Sun Belt rankings. He is second in yards per game (272.6) and total passing yards (1,908). Those numbers put him at 20th nationally in total passing yards and 24th nationally in passing yards per game.
Against New Mexico State, Jerrel Brown carried the ball a career-high 23 times for a career-high 151 yards. He scored one touchdown – a 14-yarder in the fourth quarter that secured the victory for Idaho. His 151 yards were a big part of Idaho’s 310 rushing yards, which is the Vandals’ best team total since their 1996 game against Boise State.
Austin Rehkow, one of two players nationally who both kicks and punts for his team, retained his national punting lead with his average of 44.0 yards per kick. He is the Sun Belt’s leader in field goals per game with 1.29 after kicking three against New Mexico State.
Idaho’s total offense output of 536 yards was its second 500-plus of the season after covering 523 at Texas State. It was the first time this season the Vandals gained more yards on the ground (310) than they did passing (226) but they still maintained the league lead in passing offense at 305.9 yards per game – that’s 19th nationally.
UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns football team will return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 21, when it plays host to Arkansas State in a nationally-televised contest at Cajun Field.
UL Lafayette (3-3, 2-0 SBC) evened its record and remained unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference play after a dominating 34-10 win at Texas State before a nationally-televised audience on Tuesday. The Ragin’ Cajuns scored 27 unanswered points in the game to pull away from a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Elijah McGuire caught a 62-yard scoring pass from Terrance Broadway on the second play from scrimmage and added a 13-yard run to open the second half in leading the Cajuns to the win. Broadway completed 14 of 21 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown while recording 113 yards rushing for his first 100-yard performance since a 108-yard game against East Carolina in the 2012 New Orleans Bowl.
Alonzo Harris added 79 yards and a touchdown for UL Lafayette, which posted season-highs in total offense (528) and rushing (288) while controlling the football for nearly 39 minutes (38:22)
The UL Lafayette defense held a high-octane Texas State attack to 270 yards of total offense and forced a pair of turnovers after recording one takeaway through the first five games. Christian Ringo bolstered the defensive effort for UL Lafayette with a 41-yard fumble return for a touchdown and a pair of sacks. Corey Trim added an interception, which led to a Hunter Stover field goal in the fourth quarter.
Broadway is 67 yards shy of becoming the third player in school history to record 8,000 yards of total offense. Jake Delhomme (8,876) and Brian Mitchell (8,782) are the all-time leaders in UL Lafayette history.
UL Lafayette is 24-2 when leading at halftime under head coach Mark Hudspeth.
Punter Daniel Cadona is ranked No. 18 nationally in punting averaging 44.7 yards per attempt.
The Cajuns have won three straight Tuesday games on ESPN2 dating back to 2013.
Senior right guard Daniel Quave has started in 45 consecutive games.
UL Monroe Warhawks
After its second bye week of the season, the Warhawks return to action as they begin a six-game stretch to close out the regular season... ULM will host Texas State on Oct. 25 with kickoff slated for 6 p.m.
Following the tilt against the Bobcats, the Warhawks will play their final non-conference game of the season at Texas A&M (Nov. 1), followed by four straight Sun Belt games (at Appalachian State, Nov. 8; UL Lafayette, Nov. 15; at New Mexico State, Nov. 22; at Georgia Southern, Nov. 29).
ULM defeated Texas State 21-14 last season (Oct. 12) in the first meeting between the two schools since 2000... The 2000 contest was the first match-up between the two programs since the former Southland, now Sun Belt rivals, met each season from 1986 to 1993.
The Warhawks lead the all-time series, 8-2, and the Warhawks have equal marks of 4-1 at both Malone Stadium as well as San Marcos, Texas.
Former ULM safety Isaiah Newsome returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Texas State last season and Centarius Donald’s nine-yard TD run in the final minute lifted the Warhawks to a 21-14 win over the Bobcats. Newsome’s interception returns were of 71 and 75 yards and he became just the fourth player in FBS history to tally two 70-plus yard interception returns for scores.
Saturday’s home tilt against the Bobcats will be the first home game for ULM since a 22-20 win over Troy on Sept. 27... ULM also has wins over Wake Forest (W, 17-10, Aug. 28) and Idaho (W, 38-31, Sept. 6).
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).
New Mexico State Aggies
The New Mexico State football team fell 29-17 to Idaho in Sun Belt Conference action Saturday, Oct. 18 in the Kibbie Dome.
Once again turnovers played a role in the outcome of the game for the Aggies with NM State throwing three interceptions and losing one fumble. Freshman quarterback Andrew Allen got his first career start and ended the game going 6-of-11 passing for 88 yards and one interception. Tyler Rogers, who made an appearance late in the game, recorded 3-of-5 passing for 12 yards and two interceptions.
The Vandals recorded two turnovers to the Aggies four. More importantly, Idaho scored 16 points off turnovers, missing a two point conversion on one score. The Aggies scored three points off the Vandal interception.
Larry Rose III had another big game for the Aggies, leading the team with 155 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns. The Aggies recorded 100 yards passing and 140 yards on the ground, compared to Idaho’s 226 through the air and 310 on the ground. Vandals running back Jerrel Brown finished with 151 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
The Aggies are off next week before hosting Texas State Nov. 1. The game between NM State and Texas State is the start of a three game home stand for the Aggies heading into the final third of the season.
South Alabama Jaguars
The Jaguars earned their first home win of the season with a come-from-behind 30-27 victory over Georgia State Saturday, improving to 6-0 all-time in Homecoming contests in the process. … USA will have less than a week to prepare for rival Troy, with the two facing off Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in a match-up that will be televised nationally on ESPNU. … It will be the latest that the Jags and Trojans have met. … Troy is one of two Sun Belt Conference schools to defeat USA each of the last two years (Arkansas State is the other). … The Jags enter this contest 4-1 all-time in weeknight contests, although all of those have come on a Thursday. … Against the Panthers, senior Theo Rich set a school game record with 3½ sacks and posted a career-best eight total stops to help the Jaguars limit GSU to just 90 yards rushing in the contest. That was one more sack than Rich’s season total entering play and equaled the number he had posted in 14 appearances coming into the game, and it helped move to seventh nationally in the category. … Brandon Bridge had a hand in all three touchdowns while accounting for 263 yards of total offense, which included 137 rushing — a game record for a USA quarterback — to help lead the Jaguars to the come-from-behind win. He played a key role in the Jags’ final scoring drive, opening the three-play, 85-yard march with a career-long 65-yard dash before finding Danny Woodson II for the game-winning 18-yard touchdown pass with just over four minutes left in the contest. It was actually the third-highest individual rushing total against an NCAA Division I opponent in the school’s record books — Kendall Houston’s all-time mark of 175 also came against GSU in the first-ever meeting between the two programs — and the most a Jaguar has posted in a Sun Belt Conference contest. … PK Aleem Sunanon, making his first start since USA’s last home game against Georgia Southern on Sept. 20, tied a career high with three field goals and also converted all three extra-point attempts in the Jaguars’ three-point victory over GSU. The sophomore hit a season-long 43-yard field goal late in the first quarter to put USA up 10-7, then converted on consecutive possessions in the second half with the second — also from 43 yards out — giving the Jags a 23-21 advantage on the second play of the fourth quarter. Sunanon also recorded a season-best four touchbacks on seven kickoffs after having just three in the first five games this season combined. … In addition to Bridge’s performance, three Jaguar running back gained more than 50 yards each to help the team finish with 321 yards on the ground, the most ever gained against a Division I foe; the previous mark of 293 was set against the Panthers on Oct. 30, 2010.
Texas State Bobcats
Texas State enters the ULM game with a 3-3 record. It marks the third straight year and sixth time in the last seven years that the Bobcats have begun a season with 3-3 records.
Texas State enters the ULM game with a 1-1 record in road games this season and looking to win its second straight road game following its triple overtime victory at Tulsa on Sept. 27. The Bobcats dropped a 42-35 decision at Illinois on Sept. 20.
The Bobcats also are looking to win their first Sun Belt Conference road game since joining the league in 2013.
Texas State is tied with Arkansas State for the lead in the Sun Belt Conference with 22 sacks this season after logging three sacks against UL Lafayette. It marks the fourth time that Texas State has recorded three or more sacks in a game this season. The Bobcats also had a season-best nine sacks against Idaho, logging four sacks at Tulsa and three sacks against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
David Mayo enters the UL Monroe game leading the Sun Belt Conference in tackles after averaging 13.8 tackles per game. He has recorded 10 or more tackles in each of the first six games this season and the last eight straight games dating back to 2013. He also had 11 tackles against UL Lafayette, 16 tackles against Idaho, 20 tackles at Tulsa, 11 tackles at Illinois, 15 stops against Navy and 10 stops versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Mayo ended the 2013 season with 16 tackles at Troy and 11 stops versus Western Kentucky.
Senior defensive end Michael Odiari enters the UL Monroe contest ranked third among team leaders with 36 tackles after logging 10 stops in a game for the second time this season against UL Lafayette. He recorded 10 tackles against the Ragin’ Cajuns and a career-best 13 tackles at Tulsa.
Dallas McClarty also recorded 14 of his season total of 19 tackles during the last three games. McClarty tallied four tackles against UL Lafayette after recording five tackles against both Idaho and Tulsa. He also ranks second among team leaders after logging his third sack against UL Lafayette.
Germod Williams enters the UL Monroe game tied for the lead in the Sun Belt with three interceptions this season. Williams has 24 tackles this season after logging a career-best nine stops against UL Lafayette.
Troy Trojans
Troy scored a touchdown on its opening possession of the game for the fourth time this season and for the second straight week … Brandon Burks rushed for his second touchdown of the season with a 5-yard run to cap Troy’s opening drive of game … Right tackle Terrence Jones extended his team-leading consecutive games started streak to 37 games … Cameron Peterson became the 21st Trojan to catch a pass this season with his reception in the fourth quarter … Fifteen different Trojans had a catch in the game, which is a season high. The previous was 13 at Georgia … Chandler Worthy moved into ninth place in Troy history with 3,563 career all-purpose yards; he passed current Green Bay Packer DuJuan Harris … Safety JaQuadrian Lewis forced two fumbles in the opening half of play. It marked the first time a Troy player forced two fumbles in a game since Jadarius Garner did so against Savannah State in 2013 … JaQuadrian Lewis finished the game with a career-high 10 tackles and two tackles for loss … Mark Wilson recovered a fumble with one second remaining in the second quarter, it was his second fumble recovery in his career (Western Kentucky, 2013) … Chandler Worthy returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Worthy has now returned a kickoff for a touchdown in back-to-back games … Chandler Worthy is one of three players to return multiple kickoffs for a touchdown in Troy history and the first since Frank Sadler in 1957 to return two in a season … Chandler Worthy’s kickoff return marked the first time since 2000 that Troy returned multiple kickoffs for a touchdown in a season … Chandler Worthy’s kickoff return for a touchdown was the 14th in the 24-year tenure of head coach Larry Blakeney … Troy head coach Larry Blakeney has 176 career victories in his 24 seasons at Troy; the other 10 head coaches in the Sun Belt have COMBINED for 114 victories at their current school … Troy has the highest all-time winning percentage in Sun Belt games in league history; 50-27, .649. Middle Tennessee is second with a .575 winning percentage … 50 Sun Belt victories for Troy since joining the league in 2004; Troy reached 50 SBC wins in just 76 games, which is the fastest in league history (MTSU, 87; ULL, 92) … 26 different players with an offensive touch this season; 11 players have a rush, four have attempted a pass and 21 have caught a pass … 21 different Trojans with at least one reception; the total leads the country … Two kickoff returns for a touchdown by Chandler Worthy over the last two games; he is just the seventh player in FBS history to return a kickoff for a touchdown in back-to-back games.