Football 12/1/2014 10:30:00 AM Sun Belt Conference

Georgia Southern Claims Outright Sun Belt Title - Sun Belt Winners Score Big on Saturday

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

Georgia Southern Claims Outright Sun Belt Title - Sun Belt Winners Score Big on Saturday
Georgia Southern won its first-ever Sun Belt Conference championship with a 22-16 win over UL Monroe Saturday. The Eagles are one of only three teams (Florida State and Ohio State) to go undefeated in conference play this season.

Georgia Southern becomes only the third team in history to win a conference championship in its first-year of FBS membership with Nevada (1992- 7-5 overall, 5-1 Big West) and Marshall (1997, 10-3 overall, 8-1 MAC) the other two.

This past weekend’s winners - Appalachian State, Arkansas State, UL Lafayette and Texas State - all won by wide margins. Of those four teams, the lowest scoring total was 42 points by UL Lafayette against Troy. Appalachian State notched 45 points against Idaho, Arkansas State scored 68 versus New Mexico State and Texas State put up 54 points against Georgia State.

Appalachian State closed the regular season with a 7-5 record in its first-ever NCAA Division I FBS campaign. Appalachian State finished with a 6-2 record in Sun Belt Conference play, good for a third-place finish in its first season in the league. After a 1-5 start, Appalachian State won its final six games of the regular season.

Arkansas State had a record breaking day against the Aggies as the Red Wolves set a new Sun Belt Conference record for total offense in a game with 764 total yards. A-State finished the regular season 7-5, securing its fourth consecutive season with a winning record.

UL Lafayette secured its fourth straight 8-4 regular-season record under head coach Mark Hudspeth after posting a come-from-behind win against Troy. After allowing 342 yards of total offense and trailing 23-21 at halftime, the Ragin’ Cajuns shut down the Trojan offense in the final 30 minutes yielding 52 yards and keeping Troy off the board.

Texas State’s victory at Georgia State gives the Bobcats a winning record for just the first time since 2009 and ninth time in the last 32 seasons. The Bobcats were coached by Dennis Franchione during three of those seasons. They were also 6-5 in 1990 and 7-4 in 1991.

Upcoming Schedule

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
10 a.m. - Saturday, December 20
New Orleans, La. - ESPN
Teams TBA

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
8:15 p.m. - Saturday, December 20
Montgomery, Ala. - ESPN
Teams TBA

GoDaddy Bowl
8 p.m. - Sunday, January 4
Mobile, Ala. - ESPN
Teams TBA

All times Central (CT) and subject to change

Recent Results

November 29
* UL Lafayette 42, Troy 23 (ESPN3)
* Texas State 54, Georgia State 31 (ESPN3)
* Appalachian State 45, Idaho 28 (ESPN3)
* Arkansas State 68, New Mexico State 35 (ESPN3)
* Georgia Southern 22, UL Monroe 16 (Sun Belt/ESPN3)

November 28
Navy 42, South Alabama 40 (ESPN3)

* denotes Sun Belt Conference game

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 a career-high 449 yards total offense and was responsible for a career-tying record four touchdowns, leading Arkansas State to a Sun Belt Conference record 764 yards total offense in a 68-35 victory over New Mexico State. His 449 yards total offense were the most by a Sun Belt player this season and the second most in A-State history, falling just five yards shy of the school record. Knighten posted a career-best 153 rushing yards, averaging 10.2 yards per attempt while also scoring two rushing touchdowns. He also completed 15-of-21 passes for 296 yards and another two touchdowns through the air. Knighten had a 63-yard run that was the third longest by an A-State player this season, and he also recorded a 67-yard completion that was the second longest passing play by the Red Wolves this year.

Defensive Player of the Week

John Law (Appalachian State, ILB, So.)
John Law led all players with 14 tackles in Appalachian State’s 45-28 win over Idaho … his 14 stops were tied for the third-most of his career … no other player in the Appalachian State-Idaho game had more than nine tackles … led Appalachian State’s defensive effort that limited Idaho to 365 total yards – 55 fewer than its season average going in to the game (420.7 ypg).

Special Teams Player of the Week

Will Johnson (Texas State, Kicker, Senior)
Will Johnson had a perfect day as Texas State’s kicker and punter in Texas State’s win at Georgia State. Johnson tied a school record when he kicked a career-best four field goals against the Panthers. The four field goals also equal a Sun Belt Conference single-game high for this season and the third-highest single game total in SBC history. He also had all 11 of his kickoffs result in a touchback and he made all six of his extra-point attempts. As Texas State’s punter, Johnson placed his only punt in the game inside the 20-yard line when his 34-yard kick was taken for a fair catch at the 13-yard line in the fourth quarter. Johnson scored Texas State’s first points in the game with a 21-yard field goal and gave the Bobcats their lead of 6-3 with a 28-yard field goal on Texas State’s next possession. He also kicked field goals from 36 yards and 31 yards in the third quarter.

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.

Troy’s Kitchens Named Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week
Troy junior safety Montres Kitchens was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week following his three interception performance against Idaho on Nov. 15.

Kitchens, a native of Waynesboro, Ga., is the first Troy player and just the eighth Sun Belt Conference player to ever earn a Walter Camp National Player of the Week award.

With Troy leading by seven in the third quarter, Kitchens intercepted passes on three straight Idaho possessions and returned one for a 28-yard touchdown. His second interception was the No. 4 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Day.

His three interceptions tied a school record for the most in a game and are tied with six other players for the most nationally in a game this season. Kitchens also led the Trojans with eight tackles in the game.

Kitchens is tied for fourth nationally with six interceptions on the season and ranks eighth nationally averaging 0.55 interceptions per game. His six picks are the most by a Trojan player since Terence Moore also had six in 2008.

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.

Georgia Southern’s Saint-Amour Included on Rimington Trophy Watch List
Georgia Southern senior Manrey Saint-Amour, has been added to the watch list for the Rimington Trophy to honor the nation’s most impressive FBS center. Saint-Amour, a three-year starter for the Eagles at that position, is the anchor of an offensive line that owns the top rushing average in the nation.

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.

Knighten Earns Manning Award Star of the Week Honor
Arkansas State University junior quarterback Fredi Knighten was selected as a Manning Award Star of the Week after his outstanding performance in the Red Wolves’ 52-10 Sun Belt Conference victory over Georgia State on Oct. 11. Knighten was one of eight players on the week to earn such national recognition. The week’s (Oct. 13) Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week, Knighten generated 308 yards in total offense and was responsible for four touchdowns in A-State’s decisive win. He passed for 215 yards and three TD’s while rushing for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Rehkow Named Ray Guy Award Finalist
University of Idaho punter Austin Rehkow was recently named a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, which annually honors the nation’s best punter. The three finalists were chosen from a Watch List of 82.

He was honored as the Ray Guy Award Player of the Week following his average of 49.8 yards against South Alabama. Four of his six punts in that game were downed inside the 20 and four were longer than 50 yards. It was his second career weekly honor after being chosen in October 2013 as well.

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	8	0	1.000	1
Appalachian State	6	2	0.750	1
Troy	52	30	0.634	11
UL Lafayette	57	44	0.564	14
Arkansas State	52	42	0.553	14
UL Monroe	49	52	0.485	14
New Mexico State	16	18	0.471	5
Texas State	7	8	0.467	2
South Alabama	10	13	0.435	3
Idaho	8	26	0.235	5
Georgia State	0	15	0.000	2

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.

Five Sun Belt Punters Named 2014 Ray Guy Award Candidates
The Augusta Sports Council recently announced the nominees for the 2014 Ray Guy Award, which identifies the nation’s top collegiate punter. Among the nominees were five Sun Belt punters - Luke Ferguson of Arkansas State, Austin Rehkow of Idaho, Daniel Cadona of UL Lafayette, Will Johnson of Texas State and Justin Manton of UL Monroe.

Georgia Southern’s Breida Selected as One of 10 Doak Walker Award Semifinalists
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors announced recently the 10 semifinalists for the 2014 Doak Walker Award, which includes Georgia Southern sophomore Matt Breida. The semifinalists (in alphabetical order) are: Ameer Abdullah (Sr.), Nebraska; Jay Ajayi (Jr.), Boise State; Javorius Allen (Jr.), USC; Cameron Artis-Payne (Sr.), Auburn; Matt Breida (So.), Georgia Southern; Tevin Coleman (Jr.), Indiana; James Conner (So.), Pittsburgh; Melvin Gordon (Jr.), Wisconsin; Devon Johnson (Jr.), Marshall and Duke Johnson (Jr.), Miami.

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.

Idaho’s Austin Rehkow Named Ray Guy National Punter of the Week
The Augusta Sports Council and the Ray Guy Award named Austin Rehkow of the University of Idaho as the Ray Guy Award Player of the Week for his efforts in the Vandals game against South Alabama on Saturday, September 27. Rehkow had six punts and 299 yards against the Jaguars. He averaged 49.8 yards per punt with four marked inside the 20-yard line and no touchbacks. His net average per punt was 48.7 yards. Four of Rehkow’s six punts went for 50+ yards with a long punt of 56 yards. This is Rehkow’s second career Ray Guy Award Player of the Week, with his first awarded in October 2013. Rehkow was also on the 2014 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List announced in July.

Two Sun Belt Tight Ends on Mackey Midseason List
Two Sun Belt tight ends were recently named to the 2014 John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List as Georgia State’s Joel Ruiz and South Alabama’s Wes Saxton were among the honorees. The John Mackey Award is given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end.

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 closed the regular season with a 7-5 record in its first-ever NCAA Division I FBS campaign.

Appalachian State finished with a 6-2 record in Sun Belt Conference play, good for a third-place finish in its first season in the league.

After a 1-5 start, Appalachian State won its final six games of the regular season.

Appalachian State’s six-game winning streak is its longest since it opened the 2010 season with eight-straight victories.

Appalachian State’s six-straight victories are tied for the seventh-longest current winning streak in NCAA Division I FBS.

Saturday’s 45-28 win over Idaho was Appalachian State’s 22nd in its last 23 home games played in the month of November.

Appalachian State redshirt freshman quarterback Taylor Lamb finished the season with 2,381 passing yards to set a new school record for passing yards by a freshman. The previous record for passing yards by an Appalachian State freshman was 2,251, set by Armanti Edwards in 2006. Lamb broke the record on a 32-yard touchdown pass to Tacoi Sumler in the second quarter of Saturday’s 45-28 win over Idaho. In his final game of the 2014 regular season, Lamb threw for 223 yards and a career-high-tying three touchdowns on 13-of-20 passing.

Appalachian State sophomore running back Marcus Cox rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in Saturday’s win over Idaho. The 100-yard game was his sixth in the last seven games, eighth of the season and 14th in 24-career games. He finished the season with 1,415 yards on the season and 2,665 for his career, which is on pace to shatter Appalachian State’s career record of 4,804, held by Kevin Richardson (2004-07).

Appalachian State sophomore place kicker Bentlee Critcher made a career-long 49-yard field goal on the final play of the first quarter that gave the Mountaineers the lead for good in Saturday’s 45-28 win over Idaho. His previous long was a 39-yard game-winner vs. UL Monroe on Nov. 8.

Arkansas State Red Wolves
A-State finished the regular season 7-5, securing its fourth consecutive season with a winning record. The last time A-State had four consecutive winning seasons was 1984-87 . . . The Red Wolves’ seven victories are their fourth most since joining the FBS in 1992 . . . A-State ended its regular-season schedule with a 7-5 record for the second consecutive year . . . With a 5-3 league record, A-State secured its seventh season with a winning Sun Belt Conference record . . . The Red Wolves hold a 35-16 overall record and 25-6 Sun Belt mark since 2011 . . . A-State ended the regular season with a 5-1 record at Centennial Bank Stadium and has won 21 of its last 24 home games . . . A-State has appeared in the GoDaddy Bowl the last three years and is bowl eligible for the seventh time over the last 10 seasons . . . A-State’s 5,726 yards total offense are the third most in school history and just 341 yards shy of the A-State record set in 2012 . . . The Red Wolves broke the Sun Belt Conference record for total offense in a game with 764 yards in their regular-season finale against New Mexico State . . . A-State has posted at least 300 yards in all 12 games this season, 400 or more in eight, over 500 in five, and 600-plus in two . . . A-State has scored over 400 points (433) in a season for just the fifth time in school history . . . A-State broke the school record for touchdowns in a season with 59 . . . A-State’s defense is ranked among the top 30 teams in the nation in turnovers gained (12th), sacks (14th), passes intercepted (16th), 3rd down conversion defense (18th), fumbles recovered (23rd), tackles for loss (26th), defensive touchdowns (26th), turnover margin (26th) and fourth down conversion defense (29th).

Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern (9-3, 8-0) won its first-ever Sun Belt Conference championship with a 22-16 win over ULM Saturday night at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. It is the 11th league title for the Eagles and seventh won outright. Key defensive plays in the final quarter and final seconds of the game held off a Warhawk comeback after third-string quarterback Ezayi Youyoute led the Eagles to their go-ahead and game-winning touchdowns.

Georgia Southern is one of only three teams, Florida State and Ohio State the others, to go undefeated in conference play this season.

The Eagles became the first team in their first year of Sun Belt Conference membership, other than the league’s initial year in 2001, to win a title. It is the first undefeated conference season in the Sun Belt since 2011 and the first-ever undefeated league record by a team in its first year of FBS participation. Georgia Southern, picked eighth in the preseason poll, is the lowest-ranked team in the poll to ever win a Sun Belt Conference championship.

Coach Willie Fritz, now with 10 seasons at least nine wins in his career, joins Paul Johnson and Mike Sewak as the only other two Georgia Southern coaches to register nine wins during the regular season in their first-year leading the Eagle program.

The full 60 minutes was needed to determine the outcome. A single field goal was the only scoring in the first quarter with Georgia Southern taking a 3-0 lead, but ULM came back with a two-play 77-yard drive keyed by a 63-yard touchdown pass for a 7-3 advantage. The two teams traded touchdowns in the third, both failing to convert extra-point opportunities with ULM holding a 13-9 lead headed into the final period. A blocked punt after ULM’s initial possession gave the Eagles their best field position of the night for their first drive of the fourth quarter.

Following injuries to quarterbacks Kevin Ellison and Favian Upshaw, senior quarterback Ezayi Youyoute, who had only five carries for 81 yards in his three games played this season, matched those totals with 81 yards rushing on five carries in the fourth-quarter Eagle comeback. On fourth-and-five, Youyoute burst through the line with an 18-yard carry to keep the drive alive. The Eagles converted that fourth-down situation and then got a penalty on first down on a ULM hold for a first-and-10 at the 12.

Georgia State Panthers
In his first season at Georgia State, quarterback Nick Arbuckle broke nearly every school record for passing in a season and career. The junior from Camarillo, Calif., now holds the GSU season records for passing yards (3,283), touchdown passes (23), completions (259), total offense (3,293) and touchdown responsibility (25). He also has the career records for passing yards, touchdown passes, completions and TDR and is second in total offense by just five yards.

Arbuckle leads the Sun Belt in passing (273.6 yards per game, 16th in NCAA) and touchdown passes (23, 22nd NCAA) while ranking second in total offense (274.4).

Georgia State’s wide receiver trio of Donovan Harden, Robert Davis and LynQuez Blair each caught at least 50 passes, combining for 161 receptions, 2,153 yards and 15 touchdowns. Tight end Joel Ruiz added 39 catches for 478 yards and three scores, despite missing two games.

The trio of Harden, Davis and Blair all rank among the top five in Georgia State history in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions.

Harden caught seven touchdown passes to come within one of the Georgia State season record. He is third in the Sun Belt in receiving yards (885) and touchdown receptions and fifth in receptions per game (5.0).

Georgia State set team records for passing yards (3,348), touchdown passes (23) and total offense (4,504).

Senior LynQuez Blair had 14 catches for 149 and three touchdowns over his final three games to finish his career among the top five receivers in Georgia State history. He has career totals of 67 receptions (4th), 681 yards (5th) and six touchdowns (T-4th).

Linebacker Joseph Peterson is third in the Sun Belt with 9.7 tackles per game. He has led the Panthers in tackles each of his three seasons and is GSU’s career leader with 265 tackles.

Safety Tarris Batiste finished the season with 25 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss in the final two games. After two seasons, he ranks fourth in GSU history in tackles (163) and third in tackles for loss (15.0).

Idaho Vandals
The University of Idaho football team wrapped up a 1-10 season at Appalachian State.. What isn’t readily visible in the record is the improvement made by the Vandals in 2014, the achievement of senior and first-year receiver Joshua McCain, and the promise in a returning group of players who have made their marks already.

McCain, who only started playing receiver in the spring of 2014, finished the season ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference in receiving yards, receiving yards per game, receptions per game and receiving touchdowns per game. His total receiving yards of 1,162 were 13th nationally and the best by a Vandal since Antonio Wilson had 1,203 in 1996. His average of 105.6 yards per game ranks ninth nationally, while his 6.9 receptions per game are 13th and his nine receiving touchdowns are 16th. He became only the second Vandal to have six games of 100 or more receiving yards in a single season. He matched Idaho legend Kasey Dunn, who achieved the feat three times.

Sophomore punter Austin Rehkow, a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, led the nation in punting for the second year in a row with an average of 47.8 yards per kick, which also makes him Idaho’s all-time career average leader. His skill as a punter enabled Idaho to lead the nation in net punting average at 43.45 yards per kick.

Quarterback Matt Linehan had the best season by a Vandal freshman in school history. His 2,540 yards are the best since Nate Enderle threw for 3,314 in 2010.

Elijhaa Penny, a junior college transfer who started to hit his stride as the season progressed, was third in the Sun Belt and 24th nationally in rushing touchdowns with 12. That is the most by a Vandal since DeMaundray Woolridge had 18 in 2009 and 13th best in school history.

Senior defensive tackle QuayShawne Buckley finished the season ranked second in the Sun Belt and 19th nationally in tackles for loss with 1.4 per game, while junior linebacker Marc Millan was fourth in the league and 24th nationally at 1.3.

Millan also was fourth in the league in total tackles and solo tackles. His 9.3 total tackles per game are 29th nationally and his 5.8 solo stops per game are 22nd nationally.

UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns football team secured its fourth straight 8-4 regular-season record under head coach Mark Hudspeth after posting a come-from-behind 42-23 victory at Troy on Saturday.

After allowing 342 yards of total offense and trailing 23-21 at halftime, the Ragin’ Cajuns shut down the Trojan offense in the final 30 minutes yielding 52 yards and keeping Troy off the board. The Cajuns held an opponent scoreless for the second time in 2014, previously holding South Alabama scoreless in the second half of a 19-9 victory on Nov. 1.

Elijah McGuire rushed for 169 yards and became the fourth player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, Alonzo Harris added 86 yards and three touchdowns while Terrance Broadway rushed for 78 yards with a touchdown and completed 14 of 19 passes for 142 yards.

After Troy built a 23-21 lead at halftime behind an offensive performance that produced 342 yards, the Ragin’ Cajuns stuffed the Trojans in the final 30 minutes as UL Lafayette yielded 52 yards and finished with a 486-394 advantage.

McGuire increased his season total to 1,165 yards, joining Brian Mitchell (1989), Michael Desormeaux (2007-08) and Tyrell Fenroy (2005-08) as the only players to rush for 1,000 yards. McGuire joins Fenroy as the only running backs to reach 1,000 yards.

The win marked the 35th at UL Lafayette for head coach Mark Hudspeth, who moved into sole possession of fifth-place on the school’s all-time list. Hudspeth improved to 35-16 in his career at UL Lafayette with his .686 winning percentage the best in school history among coaches with 10 or more wins.

With a pair of takeaways in the game, UL Lafayette increased its turnover margin in Sun Belt Conference games to +12 and +3 on the season. During non-conference play, the Ragin’ Cajuns had a minus-9 turnover margin.

McGuire’s 75-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was a career-high, eclipsing his previous mark of 74 set against Arkansas State on Oct. 21. McGuire has accounted for five plays for over 50 yards on the season.

UL Monroe Warhawks
ULM finished its 83rd season of football with a 4-8 record overall and a 3-5 mark in Sun Belt Conference play.

ULM closed out its regular season with a 22-16 setback at Georgia Southern on Saturday night... The Warhawks moved the ball 62 yards on their final drive and had two shots at the game-winning TD from the Georgia Southern 19, but the squad was unable to come up with the game winning TD in the final nine seconds.

The Warhawk defense limited the Eagles to just three first half points and 22 overall - a mark that was 18 points below Georgia Southern’s season average.

Pete Thomas finished his final collegiate game 28-of-45 for 307 yards and two TD passes... The totals in Saturday’s game at Georgia Southern put Thomas at the top of the single-season record books in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and total plays.

Kenzee Jackson finished his final collegiate game with a game-high 10 receptions and 87 yards... Rashon Ceaser led all receivers in Statesboro, Ga., with 138 receiving yards.

Four different Warhawk defenders tallied double-digit tackles at Georgia Southern... Hunter Kissinger led the way with 12 total stops... Mitch Lane, Gerrand Johnson and Michael Johnson each tallied 11 tackles... Gerrand Johnson recorded two of the team’s five tackles for loss.

The 36 sacks by the ULM defense in 2014 are the most since of the Sun Belt era (2001-pres.) and ULM finished with +20 compared to 2013 season (16 sacks)... The sack total of 36 was three shy of the ULM FBS-era (1994-pres.) record of 39 in the 1997 season.

New Mexico State Aggies
Freshman running back Larry Rose III became the first freshman since 1995 to run for over 1,000 yards in a season after posting 137 yards in a 68-35 loss to Arkansas State Nov. 29 in Jonesboro, Ark.

The New Mexico State football team ends the season 2-10 overall and 1-7 in Sun Belt Conference play.

Rose III accomplished what legendary running back Denvis Manns accomplished in 1995, rushing for more than 1,000 yard as a true freshman. Rose III posted 1,102 yards on the year averaging 5.9 yards per rush. He was the first Aggie rusher to go for over 200 yards in a game since 2003 as he rushed for 229 yards against UL Monroe.

South Alabama Jaguars
The Jaguars fell to Navy, 42-40, in their regular-season finale despite scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter, as they had a pair of two-point conversions nullified by penalties after scoring with 39 seconds remaining in regulation. USA rushed for 238 yards in the contest — its highest total in five November games — falling for the first time in 23 outings since the program’s inception in 2009 when gaining 200 or more yards on the ground. … It also marked the first time this year that the Jags have dropped a contest when scoring first and recording 30 or more points. … QB Brandon Bridge threw a school-record four touchdown passes in the Jaguars’ season finale against Navy, finishing 19-of-28 passing for 172 yards for a season-high-tying 67.9 completion percentage. Making his first start since suffering an injury at Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 1, the senior led USA to 17 first-quarter points — its highest total over the opening 15 minutes this year — while with the team trailing by 15 entering the final period he went 8-of-9 for 104 yards while throwing for three scores to rally the Jags to within a two-point conversion (two were nullified by penalties after he hit Shavarez Smith then dove into the end zone from eight yards out) of sending the contest into overtime. … Terrance Timmons led the Jaguars with a career-best 124 yards on 15 attempts, which included a career-long 44-yard gain on USA’s second touchdown drive after providing the team’s initial points with a touchdown from four yards out. It was the second time in three outings that he has led the Jag rushing attack, as he has collected 276 of his 382 yards (72.3%) this fall in November. … Smith tied the school game record with two touchdown catches, giving him a season-record eight in 2014. The senior finished with six receptions for 80 yards, tying a program standard he set a year ago with 50 on the season, while he now owns the top two marks for receiving yards in a campaign with a team-high 714 in 2014. … Maleki Harris recorded a double-digit tackle total for the third time this fall after posting 10 stops against Navy, adding a fumble recovery that led to a USA field goal on the Midshipmen’s opening possession of the contest; it was his school-record-tying third of the season as well as the seventh of his career, also an all-time mark in the program’s record books. The senior tied for team-high honors in tackles, the second straight week — and third occasion this fall — that he has paced USA. … Fellow senior Terrell Brigham also recorded 10 tackles against the Midshipmen, the fifth time he has reached double figures he has in the category and seventh occasion this fall Brigham has led the squad in stops. He’s just the third individual in USA history to post more than 100 tackles in a year after ending the regular season with a team-best 101. … Brandon McKee became the first Jaguar player in program history to average better than 50 yards per punt (with a minimum of four kicks) in the regular-season finale against Navy, finishing with a mark of 52 yards per kick. Three of the sophomore’s punts covered at least 50 yards, while the last two — including one that ended inside the 10-yard line — led to USA drives that began in Midshipmen territory in the second half and resulted in points.

Texas State Bobcats
Texas State’s victory at Georgia State gives the Bobcats a winning record for just the first time since 2009 and ninth time in the last 32 seasons. The Bobcats were coached by Dennis Franchione during three of those seasons. They were also 6-5 in 1990 and 7-4 in 1991.

It also is the just the eighth time that Texas State has won seven games in the last 32 years. The Bobcats were 9-2 in 1983, 7-4 in 1984, 7-4 in 1991 under current head coach Dennis Franchione, 7-4 in 2000, 11-3 in 2005, 8-5 in 2008 and 7-4 in 2009.

Texas State also finished the season with five Sun Belt Conference wins which marks the first time since 2009 that the Bobcats have won five conference games, and just the sixth time in the last 32 seasons that Texas State has accomplished the feat.

Texas State’s win at Georgia State gives the Bobcats four road wins for the first time since 2008 and just the fifth time in 34 seasons. Texas State also won four road games in 1981, 1983 and 1984.

Texas State kicker Will Johnson had a perfect day at Georgia State when he tied a school record with a career-best four field goals, made all six of his extra points and placed his only punt inside the 20 when his 34-yard boot resulted in a fair catch at the 13-yard line. In addition, he had touchbacks on all 11 of his kickoffs.

Tyler Jones tallied 332 yards in total offense and was responsible for four of Texas State’s six touchdowns to lead the Bobcats to a 54-31 victory over Georgia State and give the Bobcats their first winning season since 2009. Jones threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions while completing 26 of his 32 passes for a completion percentage of 81.25 percent. In addition, he rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries. It marks the first time that he has rushed for more than one touchdown in a game throughout his career.

Robert Lowe caught his first touchdown reception of the season against Georgia State on a nine-yard reception from Tyler Jones. He has scored 13 touchdowns this season overall with 12 rushing TDs.

Lowe rushed for 146 yards on 20 carries against the Panthers to mark the second straight week and third time this season that he has run for 140 or more yards. He began the season running for 150 yards against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and had a career-best 236 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries against Arkansas State.

Troy Trojans
The game was the final of Troy head coach Larry Blakeney’s career. In his 24 seasons at Troy, Blakeney compiled a 178-113-1 record. He finished with the third most wins in the history of the state of Alabama … Redshirt freshman Brandon Silvers set an NCAA freshman record, with a season completion percentage of 70.5 (191-of-271). The previous record was held by Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, who completed 237-of-341 passes in 2007. … Redshirt freshman Brandon Silvers completion rate of 70.5 percent ranks him first in Troy history in completion percentage … Redshirt freshman Jalen Harris caught a career-long 27-yard pass … Junior Teddy Ruben caught a 17-yard pass for a touchdown in the second quarter, the first touchdown of his career … Junior Teddy Ruben caught five passes for a career-high 67 yards … Sophomore Jordan Chunn currently sits in a tie in 7th place in Troy history with 20 career rushing touchdowns … Senior Chandler Worthy capped off his career with 1,767 receiving yards, which ranks 10th in Troy’s history. He also finished his career with 137 pass receptions, 7th in Troy history … Senior Chandler Worthy finished his career with 11 pass reception touchdowns. He currently sits at a tie for 17th place in Troy history … Senior Bryan Holmes scored his 12th receiving touchdown on a 28-yard pass from Brandon Silvers, moving him into a tie for 14th place in Troy history … Senior Chandler Worthy is second in Troy history with 81 kick returns and 1,919 kick return yards … Senior Chandler Worthy ranks second in Troy history with two kick return touchdowns … Senior Chandler Worthy ranks 6th in Troy history with 3,848 all-purpose yards … Troy’s offense tallied 238 completions in 2014, which ranks 10th in passing completions in Troy’s history … Troy’s quarterbacks finished 238-of-357, for a completion percentage of 66.7, which ranks 2nd in Troy history … Troy’s quarterbacks in 2014 threw four interceptions, which ranks 1st in Troy history for the least thrown in a season … Redshirt freshman Brandon Silvers had 191 completions in the 2014 season, which ranks tied for 10th in Troy history for single-season completions … Senior Chandler Worthy ranks 4th in Troy history with 27 kickoff returns and 685 kickoff return yards in a season … Senior Chandler Worthy ranks tied for 1st in Troy history with two kickoff returns for a touchdown in a single season … The Troy defense recorded its first safety since UAB in September 9, 2012 … Junior Montres Kitchens finished the season with one interception returned for a touchdown, which ranks tied for 5th in Troy history for a single season … Sophomore Ryan Kay remained perfect on PATs this season going 30-of-30. He ranks tied for first in single season PAT kick percentage at 100 percent … In the 2014 season, Ryan Kay and Jed Solomon remained perfect this season in PATs. They went 32-of-32 and rank tied for first in single season PAT kick percentage at 100 percent.