2018 Sun Belt Football News and Notes:
Week 12 Release (PDF) | Standings | Composite Schedule | Stats | Championship Info
AROUND #SUNBELTFB
Sun Belt Breaks Regular Season Non-Conference Win Total
After a win by Texas State in the Sun Belt’s final non-conference game of the 2018 regular season, the Sun Belt total for non-conference wins this season now sits at 21. That total is good for the most regular season non-conference wins in league history, breaking the record of 19 that was set in 2013. Including the postseason, the Sun Belt’s record for non-conference wins in a season is 22, which was set in 2016. The conference has a minimum total of five remaining non-conference games this season when factoring in postseason bowl opportunities. Also of note, the Sun Belt Conference has the second highest non-conference win percentage amongst all Group of Five Conferences with a .538 mark (1. American - .543, 2. Sun Belt - .538, 3. Mountain West - .531, 4. Conference USA - .412, 5. Mid-American - .383).
Race for Sun Belt Championship Game Taking Shape
With two weeks to play, much could still happen as teams vie for a spot in the inaugural edition of the Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game. Troy took a big step forward to clinching a spot in the game by defeating Georgia Southern 35-21 this past weekend. The Trojans sit undefeated in league play and atop the East Division with a record of 6-0. Appalachian State (5-1) now sits alone in second place behind Troy and can still clinch a spot in the championship game with a win this weekend against Georgia State and a win the following weekend against Troy. Both of App. State’s games are at home. For Troy, a win this weekend and an App. State loss to Georgia State would clinch a spot for the Trojans before the head-to-head meeting takes place. In the West Division, much could still happen. ULM leads with a 4-2 record, which places them ahead of Arkansas State (3-3) and Louisiana (3-3). The Warhawks face both of those teams in the next two weeks with the Red Wolves on the road and the Cajuns at home. Best case scenario for ULM is a win this weekend against Arkansas State and a Louisiana loss against South Alabama. That would clinch ULM’s spot in the Dec. 1 game. Troy, followed by App. State, is the leading contender to host the game, but ULM has not been eliminated from the possibility of hosting.
Five Teams Now Bowl Eligible
Wins by Arkansas State (6-4) and ULM (6-4) this past Saturday upped the Sun Belt’s total number of bowl eligible teams to five. Georgia Southern (7-3) became the first Sun Belt team this season to hit the mark to be eligible for a postseason bowl game this year when they earned their sixth win on Oct. 20 against New Mexico State. Troy (8-2) followed up days later when it tallied its sixth win on Oct. 23. Appalachian State (7-2) hit their mark on Nov. 3 with a 23-7 win versus Coastal Carolina. Coastal and Louisiana, both 5-5, could still hit the six win mark as each has two games remaining.
Offensive Player of the Week
Raymond Calais, Louisiana (Jr., RB, Breaux Bridge, La.)
Louisiana junior running back Raymond Calais rushed for a career-best 186 yards, the second-most in the Sun Belt Conference this season, with three touchdowns on the ground in the 36-22 win over Georgia State. He ripped off a school-record 92-yard run, breaking a 47-year old record in the process, tied for eighth-most yards on the ground in the FBS this past weekend and is now one of just five running backs in the nation to have a rushing play of more than 90 yards this season. His 92-yard dash is the fourth-longest run by a back in the FBS this season. Calais’ overall game effort against Georgia State tied for the 17th-best rushing performance in school history while his three rushing touchdowns, individually, are the fifth time that has occurred in the conference this season. His three touchdowns are the most in a single game by a Sun Belt player this year. His 186-yard total output is second-best in the conference this season behind only Louisiana teammate Elijah Mitchell’s 191 yards at Texas State.
Defensive Player of the Week
Antione Barker, Troy (Jr., DE, Pensacola, Fla.)
Troy’s defense was dominant against Georgia Southern’s high-powered option attack and Antione Barker was a big reason why. In the Trojan’s 35-21 win over the Eagles, he recorded a career-best three tackles for loss and two sacks as Troy limited GS to just 101 rushing yards and 291 total yards. Troy held Georgia Southern to just 161 yards over the final three quarters of the game.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Tyler Sumpter, Troy (So., K/P, Hoover, Ala.)
Tyler Sumpter played a key role in three different special teams areas in Troy’s win over Georgia Southern. Sumpter averaged 57.0 yards on two punts, including a booming 65 yard kick, drilled a pair of field goals (45 yards, 42 yards) and was clean on all three of his extra point attempts.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 17
* Georgia State at Appalachian State, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
* ULM at Arkansas State, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
* Texas State at Troy, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
* South Alabama at Louisiana, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
* Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Friday, November 23
* Coastal Carolina at South Alabama, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, November 24
* Georgia Southern at Georgia State, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
* Troy at Appalachian State, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
* Louisiana at ULM, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
* Arkansas State at Texas State, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
Saturday, December 1
Sun Belt Championship Game, 11:00 a.m. (ESPN)
All Times are Central and Subject to Change
* - Sun Belt Conference contest
RECENT RESULTS
Saturday, November 10
* Troy 35, Georgia Southern 21 (ESPN+)
* Appalachian State 38, Texas State 7 (ESPN3)
* Louisiana 36, Georgia State 22 (ESPN+)
* ULM 38, South Alabama 10 (ESPN+)
* Arkansas State 44, Coastal Carolina 16 (ESPN+)
Saturday, November 3
* Texas State 40, Georgia State 31 (ESPN+)
* Arkansas State 38, South Alabama 14 (ESPN+)
* ULM 44, Georgia Southern 25 (ESPN3)
* Troy 26, Louisiana 16 (ESPN+)
* Appalachian State 23, Coastal Carolina 7 (ESPN+)
* - Sun Belt Conference contest
#SUNBELTFB TEAM NEWS AND NOTES
Appalachian State
Overall vs. Georgia State: Fifth Meeting – App. State Leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 25, 2017 (W, 31-10) – Atlanta, Ga.
With Saturday’s win, App State head coach Scott Satterfield improved his career record to 48-24, moving him into sole possession of third place for coaching victories at the school. Jerry Moore is first with 215 from 1989-2012, followed by E.C. Duggins at 57-25-3 from 1947-50 and 1952-55. Jim Brakefield went 47-48-4 from 1971-79.
App State holds a 4-0 lead in the series with Georgia State, including a 2-0 mark in Boone, the site of this weekend’s game.
App State has allowed single-digit points in six of its last eight games, and its opponents have totaled 14 second-half points in the Mountaineers’ seven victories.
Through nine games, App State’s defense has allowed only seven gains of at least 30 yards. Texas State’s longest play from scrimmage covered 15 yards.
The Mountaineers have held five teams this season to less than 100 yards rushing, and it was their second straight game doing so after Coastal Carolina totaled 72 yards rushing last weekend.
In his return to the lineup after missing almost two full games, quarterback Zac Thomas accounted for 323 yards of offense at Texas State by completing 25 of 36 passes for 247 yards and rushing for 76 yards.
Arkansas State
Overall vs. ULM: 40th Meeting – Arkansas State Leads, 25-14
Last Meeting: Nov. 25, 2017 (W, 67-50) – Monroe, La.
With its win over Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State became bowl eligible for the 11th time over the last 14 seasons, including the last eight in a row.
The Red Wolves hold a 6-4 or better record through 10 games for the eighth consecutive year.
A-State has compiled a 23-5 record over its last 28 games played in the month of November.
Blake Anderson has moved into a tie with Darrell Dickey (North Texas) for the fifth most Sun Belt Conference wins among all head coaches in league history.
Arkansas State has played ULM 39 previous times, which is the third most in school history among all opponents. The Red Wolves lead the all-time series 24-14 since the first meeting in 1959 and has won the last eight games between the two teams.
Senior quarterback Justice Hansen was named a College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) Honorable Mention National Performer of the Week and College Sports Madness’ Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Coastal Carolina.
A-State has held its last two opponents under 300 yards total offense and allowed no more than 16 points.
Coastal Carolina
Overall vs. Georgia Southern: Fifth Meeting – Georgia Southern Leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Dec. 2, 2017 (L, 17-28) – Conway, S.C.
Coastal Carolina (5-5, 2-4 Sun Belt) has dropped each of its last two games at home, both of which have come in Sun Belt Conference play, and will look to snap that skid this weekend versus Georgia Southern (Nov. 17, 5 p.m. ET).
Over the two-game skid, the Chanticleers have been held to just a combined 23 points after scoring 20 points or more in their previous seven games.
However, senior wide receiver Malcolm Williams has caught at least one pass in 14-straight contests dating back to last season, while freshman place-kicker Massimo Biscardi has scored at least one point in all 10 games this season.
Sophomore defensive end Jeffrey Gunter has recorded a team-high 14.0 tackles for loss this season which is just two shy of school single-season record of 16.0 TFL set back in 2003.
The Chants are still just one win away from making history, as their sixth victory of the season would make them bowl eligible for the first time in the program’s young FBS history.
It will not be an easy task however, as the Chants are just 1-3 all-time versus the Georgia Southern Eagles who also head into Saturday’s matchup on a two-game losing streak.
Georgia Southern
Overall vs. Coastal Carolina: Fifth Meeting – Georgia Southern Leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Dec. 2, 2017 (W, 28-17) – Conway, S.C.
This will be the fourth football meeting between Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina in a series that dates back to 2006. The Eagles lead the series 3-1 but lost last year’s game in Conway, 28-17, in the season finale.
The first matchup in the series came in 2006 when the 24th-ranked Eagles took down the Chanticleers 38-21 in Paulson Stadium.
In 2007, GS went to Brooks Stadium and came away with a 42-34 win behind a combined 459 yards rushing from Jayson Foster (253) and Lamar Lewis (206). Foster went wild, scoring a school-record six rushing touchdowns in the win. The Eagles returned to South Carolina in 2010 and downed the Chanticleers 43-26.
The Eagles are 26-13 all-time playing in the state of South Carolina (0-1 this year) and 63-25 against teams from the Palmetto State (1-1 this year).
This is the final of three games against teams from the Palmetto State this season (South Carolina State, Clemson).
Georgia State
Overall vs. Appalachian State: Fifth Meeting – App. State Leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 25, 2017 (L, 10-31) – Atlanta, Ga.
Head coach Shawn Elliott, a former Appalachian State player and assistant coach, returns to his alma mater as a head coach for the first time as Elliott’s Panthers play at App State Saturday.
Junior receiver Penny Hart ranks fourth in Sun Belt history with 2,891 yards receiving and seventh with 199 receptions.
With Hart at No. 4, Georgia State has two of the top four all-time receivers in Sun Belt history. Former Panther Robert Davis (2013-16) ranks No. 2 with 3,391 receiving yards.
Georgia State is on pace for the best rushing season in school history, averaging 176.6 yards rushing per game. The Panthers’ 20 rushing touchdowns are already a school record. GSU is averaging 216.7 rushing yards in Sun Belt Conference games.
Over the last three games, the Panthers have rushed for a total of 753 yards, easily the best three-game stretch in school history. GSU has averaged 253.0 yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry for the three games.
Quarterback Dan Ellington is third in the Sun Belt in passing (201.9 ypg) and total offense (254.2 ypg) while accounting for 14 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He is completing 60.5 percent with 1,817 yards passing and 471 net rushing yards.
Louisiana
Overall vs. South Alabama: Seventh Meeting – Louisiana Leads, 4-2
Last Meeting: Nov. 4, 2017 (W, 19-14) – Mobile, Ala.
Louisiana ran for a season-high 355 yards in Louisiana’s 36-22 win over Georgia State to move one win away from becoming bowl eligible.
The win was Louisiana’s third straight win at home which ties the previous best winning streak at home in 2009. A win over South Alabama would improve the streak to four which would be the longest such streak since 1995 when Louisiana took down UAB (9/9), New Mexico State (10/14), Pacific (10/21) and Louisiana Tech (11/4).
Junior running back Raymond Calais had a career day, finishing with 186 yards rushing, scoring three rushing touchdowns along the way, both career-highs. Calais ripped of a 92-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, breaking a 47-year old record in the process.
The 186 yards was the eighth longest in the FBS this past weekend, the 17th best performance in school history and Calais becomes one of five backs in the nation to have a run over 90 yards with his 92-yard dash being the fourth longest in the country this season.
Elijah Mitchell added 136 yards on the ground, scoring a rushing touchdown himself. That was the third time this season that Louisiana has had two running backs run for at least 100 yards in a single game and the Ragin’ Cajuns are one of the teams, the other being Mississippi State, that have accomplished that feat this season.
ULM
Overall vs. Arkansas State: 40th Meeting – Arkansas State Leads, 25-14
Last Meeting: Nov. 25, 2017 (L, 50-67) – Monroe, La.
ULM surged past South Alabama 38-10 his past Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium for a fourth-straight win that secured bowl eligibility for ULM for the first time since 2013.
With another solid all-around performance, ULM (6-4, 4-2) also maintained sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt West Division standings.
ULM’s defense continued its stellar play of late, contributing four sacks, nine tackles for losses and limiting the Jaguars to 218 yards and 11 first downs. South Alabama punted seven times in the game including five times in the second half as the Warhawks clamped down.
The ULM offense rang up 551 yards and scored on six consecutive possessions on drives covering 70 or more yards while building the lead. Quarterback Caleb Evans connected on 27-of-32 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns and ran 12 times for 54 yards and two scores. Evans completed throws to 11 different receivers.
On Nov. 17, ULM visits Jonesboro, Arkansas, to face Arkansas State (6-4, 3-3) in a key Sun Belt Conference West Division showdown. Kickoff is 2 p.m.
South Alabama
Overall vs. Louisiana: Seventh Meeting – Louisiana Leads, 4-2
Last Meeting: Nov. 4, 2017 (L, 14-19) – Mobile, Ala.
The Jaguars will be on the road for the final time in 2018 when they visit Louisiana Saturday afternoon.
They will be looking for their first victory away from home since defeating Troy in the “Battle For The Belt” on Oct. 11, 2017, having dropped eight straight road contests.
Until last fall, the home team had won each of the first five meetings in the series with the Ragin’ Cajuns. Each of the last three matchups between the two programs has been decided by one score.
South fell in its third straight Sun Belt Conference game on Saturday, 38-10, to ULM. It was the first time in 10 years the Jaguars have fallen in their annual Homecoming game, and also
the first time in the series that the visiting team has come away with the victory.
Jordan McCray gave the Jags their only lead of the contest with a 34-yard touchdown reception in the opening quarter and is now tied for team lead with four scoring catches this season, which also ranks among the top 10 on USA’s career list.
Bull Barge has made 10 or more tackles in three straight outings and has led the team in the category in two of the last three contests after being credited with a game-high 12 against the Warhawks.
Tyree Turner matched a season-high total with seven stops in the ULM game, which included posting one of the team’s two sacks. Not only did the junior equal his previous best with seven tackles for loss first set two years ago, he moved into the top 10 all-time in the category at South as he now has 19 since the start of the 2015 campaign.
Texas State
Overall vs. Troy: Ninth Meeting – Troy Leads, 7-1
Last Meeting: Nov. 24, 2017 (L, 9-62) – Troy, Ala.
Texas State seeks its third win in four games when the Bobcats travel to Troy for a Sun Belt Conference game. The Bobcats suffered a 38-7 loss against Appalachian State last Saturday after defeating New Mexico State 27-20 on Oct. 27 and winning 40-31 at Georgia State on Nov. 3.
The Bobcats had their two longest kickoff returns of the season against Appalachian State when Jah’Marae Sheread had a 54-yard return and Jeremiah Haydel had a 50-yard return.
Texas State has two of the top three tackling leaders in the Sun Belt Conference. Bryan London II ranks second in the league with an average of 8.6 per game after collecting seven tackles in the second half against Appalachian State.
Nikolas Daniels is averaging 8.3 tackles per game to rank third among league leaders. He collected a career-high of 13 tackles against Appalachian State to lead the Bobcats for the fourth consecutive game.
Frankie Griffin leads the league in forced fumbles with an average of 0.3 per game this season. Hal Vinson recorded his second forced fumble of the season against Appalachian State and ranks second among Sun Belt Conference leaders with an average of 0.25 per game.
Troy
Overall vs. Texas State: Ninth Meeting – Troy Leads, 7-1
Last Meeting: Nov. 24, 2017 (W, 62-9) – Troy, Ala.
Neal Brown has never been shutout as a head coach or as an offensive coordinator -- a span of 136 games … With Tyler Sumpter’s 45-yard field goal on the opening drive, the Trojans have scored on its opening drive in 5-of-6 Sun Belt Conference games (ULM) … Troy trailed Georgia Southern 14-3 at the end of the first quarter; Troy improved to 3-9 all-time under Neal Brown when trailing after one quarter … Troy led 17-14 at the half; Troy improved to 30-1 all-time under Neal Brown when trailing at the half … Troy led 28-14 at the end of the third quarter; Troy improved to 32-0 all-time under Neal Brown when leading after three quarters of play … After opening 3-8 under Neal Brown, Troy is now 30-8 in its last 38 games … Troy is now 20-4 in its last 24 game dating back to the 2016 Dollar General Bowl … The victory was Troy’s 12th straight Sun Belt Conference win which is the second-longest active conference winning streak in the country (UCF, 15). Troy has won 20 of its last 23 overall league games and seven straight road Sun Belt Conference games … Troy has won 29 games since the start of the 2016 season; the Trojans entered the weekend with the eighth most wins in the country over that time … Wide receiver Tray Eafford scored Troy’s first touchdown of the game with a 3-yard rush in the second quarter; it was his first career rushing touchdown. It was the first rushing touchdown by a Troy receiver since Deondre Douglas’ 35-yard touchdown at Georgia State in 2017 … Luke Whittemore’s 41-yard reception in the second quarter was the longest on his career; on the first next play he caught a 40-yard pass. He finished with a career-high 110 receiving yards on a career-best three receptions … Troy’s 92-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter was its third 90-plus yard scoring drive this season; the Trojans also had one against South Alabama and ULM -- all three resulted in touchdowns.