Appalachian State 45, Georgia State 17
BOONE, N.C. -- Zac Thomas was 20 of 24 for 282 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions to help Appalachian State beat Georgia State 45-17 on Saturday.
The Mountaineers (8-2, 6-1 Sun Belt Conference) won their third straight and kept their hopes alive to win a share of the East Division title, closing the season next Saturday against Troy, which is 7-0 in conference play.
Darrynton Evans ran 15 times for 127 yards and a touchdown and Corey Sutton caught four passes for 101 yards and a score.
App. State outgained the Panthers 524-329, had no penalties and converted all three of its fourth down attempts.
Dan Ellington passed for 132 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions and ran 19 times for 113 yards for Georgia State (2-9, 1-6).
Georgia State scored a touchdown on the opening possession. App. State then scored 31 straight and outscored the Panthers 45-3 before Georgia State capped the scoring with another TD.
Arkansas State 31, ULM 17
JONESBORO, Ark. -- Justice Hansen threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns as Arkansas State rolled past ULM 31-17 on Saturday, snapping the Warhawks' four-game win streak.
Kirk Merritt caught six passes for 89 yards and two scores, Justin McInnis also caught a touchdown pass as Hansen spread the ball between seven receivers. Blake Grupe added field goals of 26 and 47 yards and Justin Clifton returned an interception 43 yards for the Red Wolves (7-4, 4-3 Sun Belt Conference), who have won three straight.
Caleb Evans went 17-for-28 passing with a touchdown for ULM, but was picked off three times and sacked three times. Clifton had two interceptions.
Arkansas State jumped to a 10-0 lead before Evans connected with Josh Pederson for a 34-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. Hansen responded with a 77-yard drive for Arkansas State capped by a 10-yard strike to Merritt 31 seconds before the half.
The Warhawks (6-5, 4-3) were held to 58 yards rushing.
Troy 12, Texas State 7
TROY, Ala. -- Tyler Sumpter drilled four field goals to provide the winning margin in Troy's 12-7 victory over Texas State on Saturday afternoon to give the Trojans their 13th straight Sun Belt Conference victory.
The Trojans (9-2, 7-0) will play Appalachian State next Saturday for the right to host the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Championship game on December 1. Appalachian State (8-2, 6-1) beat Georgia State 45-17 on Saturday.
Sumpter tied the school record with four field goals in a game. He also had four in a 26-16 victory over Louisiana two weeks ago. Sumpter connected on field goals of 36, 47 and 42 yards in the first half to take a 9-0 lead. He added a 27-yarder for a 12-0 advantage early in the fourth quarter.
Texas State (3-8, 1-6) got on the board when Anthony Taylor ran in from the 3 with 9:10 remaining. On the next series Sumpter punted and pinned the Bobcats on their own 14 after Troy failed to convert on a third-down play. Texas State got to its own 29 before Jarvis Hayes and Travis Sailo sacked Tyler Vitt, forcing a punt. The Trojans kept the ball until the time ran out.
Louisiana 48, South Alabama 38
LAFAYETTE, La. -- Elijah Mitchell had 104 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 12 carries and Ja'Marcus Bradley had three TD receptions to help Louisiana beat South Alabama 48-38 on Saturday night.
The Ragin' Cajuns (6-5, 4-3 Sun Belt Conference) won their fourth consecutive home game and moved into a three-way tie with ULM and Arkansas State atop the conference's west division. Louisiana wraps up its regular season against the Warhawks in Monroe -- where it has won six in a row -- next Saturday.
Mitchell, on third-and-2, took a handoff up the middle and raced 45 yards for a score to make it 31-24 and the Ragin' Cajuns led the rest of the way. He added a 1-yard TD run that pushed the lead to 17 points going into the fourth quarter and his 3-yard scoring run made it 48-31 with 2:12 to go.
Cole Garvin threw two TD passes and Kawaan Baker had two rushing touchdowns for South Alabama (2-9, 1-6).
Bradley caught touchdown passes of 17, 44 and 1 yard in the first half as the Ragin' Cajuns took a 24-10 lead into the break.
Georgia Southern 41, Coastal Carolina 17
CONWAY, S.C. -- Wesley Fields ran for 148 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns to help Georgia Southern pull away for a 41-17 victory over Coastal Carolina on Saturday.
The Eagles (8-3, 5-2 Sun Belt Conference) trailed 10-3 early in the second quarter before ripping off 38 unanswered points. Shai Werts' 12-yard TD run pulled Georgia Southern even at 10 with 6:35 left before halftime. The Eagles took a 13-10 lead at intermission on Tyler Bass' 20-yard field. Bass had a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter, making him a perfect 6-for-6 on attempts between 40 and 49 yards this season.
Fields took over in the third quarter, scoring on runs of 6 and 2 yards, and when Logan Wright raced 59 yards for a score with 37 seconds left in the quarter the Eagles had a 34-10 lead. Monteo Garrett capped the scoring for Georgia Southern with a 5-yard fourth-quarter run.
The Eagles finished with 442 yards of offense, but they had just 33 through the air. The Chanticleers (5-6, 2-5), who had just 189 total yards, fell a win shy of qualifying for a bowl game.