Sun Belt Conference Weekly News and Notes (Complete PDF)
2015 Sun Belt Conference Media Guide
2015 Sun Belt Conference Composite Schedule
2015 Sun Belt Conference Standings
2015 Sun Belt Conference Stats
Sun Belt Football Looking to Capitalize on Momentum
After having gone a combined 9-8 over non-conference opponents the past two weeks, a number of Sun Belt teams will play key contests on Saturday. Notably, four of the scheduled six games are against Group of Five peers as Appalachian State plays at Old Dominion (C-USA), Arkansas State visits Toledo (MAC), UL Lafayette hosts Akron (MAC) and Texas State travels to Houston (AAC).
Two games on the docket are against Power 5 opponents as UL Monroe travels to Alabama and South Alabama hosts NC State.
UL Monroe’s trip to Alabama may seem daunting, but the Warhawks did come away with a 21-14 win in Tuscaloosa in 2007.
For South Alabama, the Jags are coming off a hard-fought overtime win against San Diego State in which Sun Belt Special Teams Student-Athlete of the week Aleem Sunanon drilled a 46-yard field goal at the end of regulation. USA struck quickly in overtime as quarterback Cody Clements connected with Gerald Everett for 15 yards to set up Xavier Johnson’s 2-yard TD run.The Jaguar defense then held San Diego State on four plays to seal the victory. USA’s next test comes at home against NC State and is the final meeting in a three-game agreement between the two schools, with N.C. State claiming the first two match-ups in Raleigh in 2011 and 2012.
Arkansas State’s matchup against Toledo will be a rematch from the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl, which saw the Rockets claim a 63-44 victory. Saturday’s game is the first of a home-and-home series between A-State and Toledo, which includes a game in Jonesboro next season.
Saturday’s meeting between the Ragin’ Cajuns and Akron will be a reunion between former North Alabama head coaches Mark Hudspeth and Terry Bowden. Hudspeth was head coach at UNA from 2002-08 before joining the staff at Mississippi State in 2009 and being succeeded by Bowden (2009-11).
Texas State enters the Houston game ranked among the Top 20 national teams and leading the Sun Belt Conference in total offense. Sun Belt Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week Tyler Jones, a three-year starter at quarterback for the Bobcats, accumulated 470 yards in total offense and was responsible for five touchdowns against Southern Miss with career-high rushing totals of 160 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
Following a bye week, Appalachian State returns to action with its first-ever matchup versus Conference USA’s Old Dominion. App. State is 5-1 in its last six games that immediately followed a regular season bye.
The second conference game of the season is also on tap for Saturday as Idaho hosts Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt opener for both teams. Georgia Southern will bring an unblemished 8-0 all-time Sun Belt record into the matchup as the Eagles went undefeated in their first year in the conference last season.
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, September 26
Appalachian State at Old Dominion - 2:30 p.m. (American Sports Network)
UL Monroe at #12 Alabama - 3 p.m. (SEC Network)
Akron at UL Lafayette - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Arkansas State at Toledo - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Texas State at Houston - 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
NC State at South Alabama - 7 p.m. (ESPNEWS)
* Georgia Southern at Idaho - 8 p.m. (ESPN3)
* denotes Sun Belt Conference game
All times Central (CT) and subject to change
Recent Results
Saturday, September 19
#12 Oregon 61, Georgia State 28 - 1 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
#24 Wisconsin 28, Troy 3 - 2:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
Idaho 41, Wofford 38 - 4 p.m. (ESPN3)
Georgia Southern 48, The Citadel 13 - 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
Southern Miss 56, Texas State 50 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Arkansas State 70, Missouri State 7 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
UTEP 50, New Mexico State 47 (OT) - 7 p.m. (ESPN3/AggieVision)
South Alabama 34, San Diego State 27 (OT) - 7 p.m. (Mountain West Network)
All times Central (CT)
Sun Belt Student-Athletes of the Week
Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week
Tyler Jones (Texas State, QB, Jr., Nutrition)
Tyler Jones accumulated 470 yards in total offense and was responsible for five touchdowns against Southern Miss with career-high rushing totals of 160 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. He also completed a career-high 31 passes on 46 attempts for 310 yards and three TDs. Jones scored Texas State’s first touchdown in the game with a 35-yard run before recording a career-best 66-yard run to set up a field goal and scoring another TD on a 54-yard run. His first touchdown pass was a 32-yard pass that gave Texas State a 25-21 halftime lead. Then, he threw a team-high 36-yard pass to set up his four-yard TD pass on Texas State’s final offensive possession.
Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week
Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama, DB, So., Leisure Studies)
For the second straight week, Reaves posted a career-high 10 total tackles to lead a unit that surrendered just 305 yards in a seven-point overtime win at San Diego State Saturday. The sophomore also had a pass break up on third down that ended the Aztecs’ opening possession of the contest, and was credited with a tackle for loss for the third time in as many weeks. It’s the first time this season that a Jaguar defender has recorded a double-digit stop total, as he has already surpassed his 13-game total in the category from his freshman season.
Special Teams Student-Athlete of the Week
Aleem Sunanon (South Alabama, PK, Jr., Professional Health Sciences)
Sunanon kicked a pair of field goals, with the second tying the longest of his career as time expired to send the game to overtime, while becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer in the Jaguars’ win at San Diego State on Saturday. The junior surpassed former teammate Kendall Houston with his first field goal that opened the scoring, also tying his school record with his 12th straight successful conversion, then hit from 46 yards out on the final play of regulation to tie the contest 27-27. Sunanon also was 4-of-4 on extra-point attempts, as he now has 182 points in two-plus seasons.
Team News and Notes
Appalachian State Mountaineers
Appalachian State comes off its first bye week of the season with a 1-1 record following a 41-10 loss at No. 12 Clemson.
Appalachian State trailed the 12th-ranked Tigers just 3-0 after one quarter but, spurred by three interceptions in four pass attempts, Clemson scored 28 points in the second period to take a commanding 31-0 lead.
Appalachian State fell to 1-12 all-time against nationally-ranked FBS opponents.
With 104 yards against Clemson, junior running back Marcus Cox has now rushed for 100 yards in five-straight games, eight times in the last nine games and 16 times in 26 career games.
Cox became the first individual from a non-power conference team to rush for 100 yards against Clemson since Ball State’s Horactio Banks in 2012 (120 yds. on 9/8/2012.
Senior defensive lineman Ronald Blair led all student-athletes with eight tackles and two sacks against Clemson.
Blair’ two sacks were the most by an individual against Clemson since Georgia’s Amario Herrera and Leonard Floyd each had two sacks against the Tigers in the 2014 season opener and the most by a student-athlete from a non-power conference opponent since South Carolina State’s Michael Wilson had two sacks against CU on Sept. 7, 2013
Following the bye week, Appalachian State returns to action with its first-ever matchup versus Conference USA’s Old Dominion.
Appalachian State is 5-1 in its last six games that immediately followed a regular-season bye.
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Arkansas State faces Toledo this weekend in a rematch from the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl, which saw the Rockets claim a 63-44 victory . . . Saturday’s game is the first of a home-and-home series between A-State and Toledo, which includes a game in Jonesboro to begin the 2016 season . . . Following back-to-back games against top-25 ranked opponents to begin the season, the Red Wolves claimed their first victory last week with a 70-7 win over Missouri State . . . Seven players made their first career start at A-State during the game, including quarterback James Tabary. The redshirt freshman completed 21-of-24 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns, helping lead A-State to their sixth largest margin of victory and fifth most points in school history . . . A-State posted 624 yards total offense against the Bears, which was the 10th most in school history and gave the Red Wolves at least 400 yards in two of their first three games . . . A-State has won 22 of its last 26 home games, but this week will be looking for its first non-conference road victory since 2008 . . . A-State has posted at least 300 yards total offense in 60 of its last 67 games . . . With three interceptions in each of the last two games, the Red Wolves have now posted at least one turnover gained in 14 of its last 16 games.
Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern leads the all-time series against Idaho 2-0 as the two teams have met only twice previously, a 28-27 Eagle win on on Dec. 1, 1990 in the NCAA Division I playoffs en route to their fourth I-AA National Championship, and last year in Statesboro. The Eagles won that game 47-24.
Both Georgia Southern and Idaho are in their second seasons as Sun Belt Conference members, although Idaho is in its second stint in the league.
This will be the Eagles’ first game in the state of Idaho since losing the 1988 Division I-AA National Championship Game to Furman in Pocatello.
It will be the farthest west the Eagles’ have played since beating Arkansas State in the 1986 National Championship Game in Tacoma, Washington.
Georgia Southern defensive line coach Kevin Peoples and Idaho head coach Paul Petrino are both graduates of Carroll College, where they played for Coach Bob Petrino, Sr. Peoples and Petrino helped lead the Saints to the 1989 Frontier Conference crown and a berth in the NAIA playoffs. Additionally, both hail from Butte, Montana.
You can add the Kibbie Dome to the list of indoor stadiums the Eagles will have played in after this weekend as it joins the six other “domes” GS has played in over the years. Georgia Southern is 9-7 all-time when the roof is over its head.
Georgia Dome (2-0): def. MTSU (95); def. Georgia St (14)
Tacoma Dome (2-0): def. Furman (85); def. Ark St (86)
UNI-Dome (1-0): def. Northern Iowa (85)
Mini-Dome (4-4): went 4-4 against ETSU
Holt Arena (0-1): lost to Furman (88)
Fargo Dome (0-2): went 0-2 against NDSU
Georgia State Panthers
Georgia State scored its most points against a Power 5 opponent in the Panthers’ 61-28 loss at No. 12 Oregon. The Panthers had 431 yards of offense but allowed Oregon to score 24 points off four turnovers, including an interception and a fumble returned for touchdowns.
Quarterback Nick Arbuckle leads the Sun Belt in passing (329.7 ypg) and total offense (325.7). He is eighth in FBS in passing yards per game.
Freshman receiver Penny Hart had another big game at Oregon with nine receptions for 128 yards, giving him 20 catches for 278 yards over the last two games. Hart leads the Sun Belt with three touchdown receptions and is second in receptions (7.0 pg) and receiving yards (110.3 pg). Hart leads all FBS freshman in the nation in receptions (7.0 pg, T-15th overall) and receiving yards (110.3 pg, 17th overall). His three touchdown catches are tied for 12th among all FBS players (second among freshmen).
Robert Davis caught a 75-yard touchdown pass vs. Oregon, his sixth career reception of over 50 yards. Davis moved into second place in GSU history with 1,671 career receiving yards, trailing only Albert Wilson (3,190).
With four points vs. Oregon, senior placekicker Wil Lutz raised his career total to 157 points to eclipse Albert Wilson’s GSU scoring record of 156 points. Lutz is averaging 47.3 yards per punt to lead the Sun Belt and rank sixth in FBS.
Outside linebacker Alonzo McGee leads the Sun Belt with six tackles for loss, safety Bobby Baker is first with three fumble recoveries, and cornerback Bruce Dukes is first with six pass breakups.
The Georgia State defense is second in the Sun Belt in sacks (2.67 pg).
Idaho Vandals
Three games into the 2015 season and the Idaho Vandals are showing up at or near the top of several football ranking categories as they head into Sun Belt Conference action.
Junior kicker/punter Austin Rehkow, who has made all five of his field goal attempts, is tied for the national lead with 27 other kickers who are perfect so far this fall. He also is knotted at the top with a group that is averaging 1.67 field goals per game. On the other side of the ball for the Vandals, Rehkow is second in the league in punting average at 44.8.
Sophomore quarterback Matt Linehan is ranked second in the Sun Belt and eighth nationally in completions per game with an average of 27. He also is ranked second in the league and 13th nationally in completion percentage after being on the mark on 71.1 percent of his throws. His 36 completions in the Vandals’ opener against Ohio remains one of the top single-game performances of the season in a tie for fourth nationally. He is third in the league with 825 total passing yards and fourth in passing yards per game (275). He has climbed into 13th on Idaho’s all-time passing yards list with 3,365.
The primary recipient of those passes has been senior Dezmon Epps, who is ranked second in the league with 299 receiving yards. Also making the list are junior tight end Trent Cowan in 13th at 140 and junior receiver Callen Hightower in 14th at 124. Epps’ 15 receptions vs. Ohio in the opener is tied for the second-best single-game in the NCAA this fall.
Cowan is second in the conference in receiving touchdowns with two, and sophomore running back Aaron Duckworth is third in rushing touchdowns with three – all last Saturday against Wofford. Duckworth’s tally against Wofford ties for 11th best single-game and his rushing TDs in that game tie for seventh-best so far this fall.
UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
After an open date last week, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns football team will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 26, when it faces Mid-American Conference member Akron in a 6:04 p.m. CDT contest at Cajun Field.
UL Lafayette (1-1) returns to the gridiron after earning a 44-17 victory over in-state opponent Northwestern State on Sept. 12 at Cajun Field. The Ragin’ Cajuns built a 27-7 lead at halftime behind four of a school-record tying five rushing touchdowns by Elijah McGuire.
Saturday’s meeting between the Ragin’ Cajuns and Akron will be a reunion between former North Alabama head coaches Mark Hudspeth and Terry Bowden. Hudspeth was head coach at UNA from 2002-08 before joining the staff at Mississippi State in 2009 and being succeeded by Bowden (2009-11).
The Ragin’ Cajuns enter their second-ever meeting against Akron (1-2) ranked No. 9 nationally in rushing yards per game (303.5), No. 22 among FBS schools in total offense (513.0) and No. 31 in scoring offense (38.5).
McGuire has rushed for 248 yards in his first two games of the season to rank second in the Sun Belt Conference in yards per game (124.0). The junior leads the SBC, and is 21st among FBS players, in all-purpose yards (155.0).
McGuire’s 88-yard touchdown run on the Ragin’ Cajuns second possession of the game was the third-longest run in school history behind a 90-yard run by Reggie Dupre (vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 1971) and an 89-yard touchdown run by Tyrell Fenroy (vs. ULM, 2008). His scoring run is currently the fifth-longest run by an FBS player this season.
McGuire’s five rushing TDs matched the record established by Brian Mitchell (vs. Lamar, 1989) and reached by Alonzo Harris (vs. New Mexico State, 2013). The junior running back accumulated 162 rushing yards on 14 carries for his 10th 100-yard game of his career.
UL Monroe Warhawks
The 593 yards of total offense (391 passing, 202 rushing) were the most by a ULM squad since Nov. 3, 2007 against Middle Tennessee State (624).
The Warhawks went to intermission with a 40-0 lead over Nicholls State. It marked the most points by a ULM team since the same date in 2009 (42-0 first-half lead versus Texas Southern).
ULM held Nicholls State to 260 yards of offense, the fewest any opponent has had on the Warhawks since Texas A&M had 243 on Nov. 1, 2014.
ULM limited the Colonels to just 18 yards of offense in the first quarter on three three-and-outs.
The victory improved ULM’s record in the series to 23-3 against the long-ago Southland Conference foe. It was the first meeting between the schools since Sept. 16, 2000.
Rashon Ceaser continued his torrid pace that dates back to the 2014 finale. He caught 10 passes for 97 yards against the Colonels, giving him 31 catches for 388 yards in his last three outings.
Ajalen Holley had eight catches for 155 yards, all in the first half. His career-high of 175 yards came in the 2014 home opener as well. Holley tied a career-high as he hauled in his second TD of the quarter, a 47-yard touchdown reception with 1:21 to play in the opening half. Marcus Green hauled in his first career reception, a 48-yard pitch-and-catch with QB Garrett Smith late in the second quarter.
Garrett Smith hit 26 of his 33 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns, all in just over a half of play. He begins his Warhawk career with a 79 percent completion rate (49 for 62).
Smith had a 28-yard rush against Nicholls State on the heels of having a 24-yard scramble against Georgia in his collegiate debut.
Harley Scioneaux caught his first touchdown of the season, a 17-yard reception, to put ULM in front 31-0 with 2:09 to play in the second quarter.
Caleb Tucker blocked a Chris Sciambra punt with 1:37 to play in the first half and the ball went out of the endzone for a safety to increase the lead to 33-0. It is the second consecutive season that the defense as ULM recorded a safety in last season’s game vs. Texas State (Oct. 25, 2014).
New Mexico State Aggies
The NM State football team will have a week off to prepare for before they travel to Albuquerque to take on Rio Grande Rival New Mexico on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. (CT). The contest will air on ROOT Sports and will be broadcast on AM 570 in Las Cruces.
The Aggies dropped a heartbreaking 50-47 overtime loss to Battle of I-10 rival UTEP on Sept. 19. After NM State took an early lead on its first drive, the two teams traded touchdowns often for a regulation score that was knotted at 44-44. The Aggies began overtime with the ball and freshman Parker Davidson hit his second career field goal, this time a 44-yard score, to give the home team the lead. On UTEP’s drive, Miners quarterback Ryan Metz found Cedrick Lang in the end zone for a 6-yard pass and the win.
NM State led the game in passing yards with 285 yards compared to UTEP’s 273 yards and in total offense with 551 yards to the Miners’ 542 yards. The Aggies scored on all six red zone chances with five touchdowns and one field goal from inside the 20-yard line. Davidson also went 2-for-2 on field goals.
Larry Rose III continues to lead the Aggies’ rushing efforts as he amassed 196 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. The sophomore averaged 9.8 yards per carry and had a long rush of 82 yards. Rose III now has 329 total rushing yards and three touchdowns. He averages 109.7 yards per game and 6.6 yards per carry.
Teldrick Morgan racked up 151 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. The Hanover, Md. native had a long reception of 78 yards against the Miners. He also collected 45 return yards and nine rushing yards for a game-high 205 all-purpose yards. Morgan is second on the team in receiving yards with 249 on 13 catches. He averages 83.0 yards per game and 19.2 yards per catch. Tyrian Taylor leads the team in receiving with 264 yards and three touchdowns on 14 catches. The junior chipped in 39 receiving yards and a touchdown on two catches against UTEP.
Tyler Rogers completed 14 of his 28 pass attempts for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Rogers has seven touchdowns on the season and has thrown for 866 yards through the first three games. Overall, the junior has completed 60-of-111 pass attempts for a 54.1 percent completion rate.
South Alabama Jaguars
South Alabama improved to 2-1 on the season with a 34-27 overtime victory at San Diego State in what head coach Joey Jones called “the biggest win by far in the program’s history” … The Jaguars tied the contest on the final play of regulation when junior Aleem Sunanon tied a career long with a 46-yard field goal … It was the Jaguars’ first overtime contest since defeating Florida Atlantic, 37-34, on Oct. 20, 2012 … The Jags return home for the first time since beginning the season with a 10-point victory over Gardner-Webb on Sept. 5. … This the final meeting in a three-game agreement between the two schools, with N.C. State claiming the first two match-ups in Raleigh in 2011 and ’12. … The Wolfpack’s 35-13 win on Sept. 17, 2011, was the first-ever loss suffered by the Jags. … This contest ends a three-game streak for USA against opponents who played in postseason bowl games during the 2014 campaign. … It also will mark the first time since beginning Sun Belt Conference play in 2012 that the Jags will complete their non-league schedule in September. … Only three Jaguars who saw action at N.C. State in 2012 remain on the roster today — Cameron Broadnax (who had one catch for nine yards), OL Chris May and RB Terrance Timmons … Xavier Johnson recorded a game- and career-high 142 yards rushing in the SDSU win, scoring twice after the intermission to help the Jaguars overcome a 14-point deficit. He tied the game 17-17 on the second play of the second half with a 74-yard touchdown run — his second of 70-plus yards this season — before providing the game-winning score on a two-yard run in the extra period. Johnson, who also contributed 34 yards on four attempts on USA’s opening drive of the day that resulted in a field goal, averaged 7.5 yards per carry against an Aztec defense that allowed the opposition just 121.5 yards per game and 3.28 per attempt on the ground in its first two contests this year. … For the second straight outing, the Jaguars had an individual post the second-highest single-game receiving yard total; Gerald Everett caught eight balls for 164 yards against the Aztecs one week after Josh Magee recorded 147 yards receiving. In addition to marking the first time a Jag tight end has surpassed 100 receiving yards, it was the first time the team had individuals with more than 100 yards rushing and receiving since a Nov. 30, 2013, win at Georgia State. … Sunanon kicked a pair of field goals, with the second tying the longest of his career as time expired to send the game to overtime, while becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer in the Jaguars’ win at San Diego State on Saturday. The junior surpassed former teammate Kendall Houston with his first field goal that opened the scoring, also tying his school record with his 12th straight successful conversion, then hit from 46 yards out on the final play of regulation to tie the contest 27-27. Sunanon also was 4-of-4 on extra-point attempts, as he now has 182 points in two-plus seasons … For the second straight week, CB Jeremy Reaves posted a career-high 10 total tackles to lead a unit that surrendered just 305 yards in a seven-point overtime win at San Diego State Saturday. The sophomore also had a pass break up on third down that ended the Aztecs’ opening possession of the contest, and was credited with a tackle for loss for the third time in as many weeks. It’s the first time this season that a Jaguar defender has recorded a double-digit stop total, as he has already surpassed his 13-game total in the category from his freshman season.
Texas State Bobcats
Texas State looks to win its second game of the season when the Bobcats travel to Houston for a non-conference game on Saturday at TDECU Stadium. The Bobcats enter the game with a 1-2 record after dropping a 56-50 decision against Southern Miss at Bobcat Stadium last Saturday. Texas State has a 0-1 record in road games this season following the season-opening contest at No. 10 Florida State after posting a 4-2 record in 2014 road games.
Texas State enters the Houston game ranked among the Top 20 national teams and leading the Sun Belt Conference in total offense. The Bobcats and Southern Miss are tied for 20th place with an average of 513.3 yards per game.
Texas State is tied with Houston for 17th nationally and leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense with an average of 43.0 points per game this season. The Bobcats scored 50 points against Southern Miss last Saturday after logging 63 points versus Prairie View A&M and 16 at No. 10 Florida State.
The Bobcats lead the league with 17 touchdowns after scoring nine TDs on the ground, throwing for seven and scoring another on a punt return. Texas State has also scored a pair of two-point conversions and a safety.
Texas State ranks fourth nationally and leads the Sun Belt Conference after recovering four fumbles in the first three games this season. Brandon McDowell recovered a fumble against Southern Miss after Trey McGowan and Dallas McClarty each recovered a fumble against Prairie View A&M. In addition, Dante Clanton recovered a fumble at Florida State. Clanton’s recovery came on a punt at Florida State’s 29-yard line and set up the first touchdown for the Bobcats this season. Texas State scored two plays later on Chris Nutall’s touchdown run.
The attendance for Texas State’s first two home games were both above 24,000 to mark the first time in school history that the Bobcats have had back-to-back crowds of more than 24,000 at Bobcat Stadium. The attendance for the Southern Miss game was 27,252, which is the third-largest crowd at Bobcat Stadium. The attendance for Texas State’s home opener against Prairie View A&M is the fourth-largest crowd with 24,561.
Texas State quarterback Tyler Jones is the only Sun Belt Conference player ranked among the top six rushing and passing leaders this season. Jones is averaging 82.3 yards rushing per game and 229.3 yards passing per game after rushing for career-bests of 160 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries and completing a career-best 31 of 46 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns against Southern Miss. Jones completed 12 of his 14 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns against Prairie View A&M and 16 of 25 passes for 100 yards at Florida State.
Troy Trojans
Brandon Silvers extended his streak without an interception to 189 straight attempts and 33 quarters after attempting 34 passes at Wisconsin without an interception; both are the longest active streaks in the country … Head coach Neal Brown has coached 91 games as an offensive coordinator & head coach; his offenses have never been shutout … Troy has the highest all-time winning percentage in Sun Belt games in league history; 52-30, .634. Middle Tennessee is second (.575) and UL Lafayette is third (.559) (among schools that have been in the league for multiple seasons) … True freshman Deontae Crumitie became the first true freshman to start a season opener on the offensive line in Troy’s recorded history when he started at right guard at NC State … Neal Brown is the second-youngest head coach at the FBS level. Brown turned 35 on March 11 ... only Western Michigan’s P.J. Fleck is younger (turns 35 on Nov. 29) … The Trojans are 54-17 at home since moving to the FBS level in 2001 In Troy’s game against Wisconsin - Running back Brandon Burks moved into 17th place all-time in Troy history with 1,495 rushing yards after rushing for 62 yards against the Badgers … Wide receiver Ismail Saleem posted career highs in catches (4) and receiving yards (4) … Super back Nick McLaughlin caught one pass for a career-high 12 yards in the second quarter … Wide receiver John Johnson caught a career-high five passes for 51 yards … Wide receiver Jarvis Bentley posted career highs in catches (5) and receiving yards (58) … Cornerback Jalen Harris tallied a career-high four tackles … Cornerback LaMarcus Farmer picked up a Troy-high four tackles … Defensive tackle Trevon Sanders picked up his first career tackle for loss … Linebacker Justin Lucas picked up his first career tackle for loss … Kicker Bratcher Underwood earned the first start of his career … Ryan Kay moved into 15th place in Troy history with 11 field goals made after his one make against Wisconsin … Ryan Kay’s 16 attempted field goals ranks 15th in Troy history … Ryan Kay’s field goal percentage of 68.8 (11-of-16) percent ranks ninth in Troy history … Ryan Kay moved into 12th place in Troy history with 83 punt attempts after five attempts against the Badgers … Ryan Kay has punted for 3,300 yards in his career, which ranks 12th in Troy history ... Kay had 208 punting yards in the game … Ryan Kay upped his career punting average to 39.76 yards per punt, eighth best in Troy history.