NEW ORLEANS – With its third-straight 6-0 start, Coastal Carolina became one of the first teams in the nation to clinch bowl eligibility.
For the third-straight week, the Chanticleers are joined by James Madison (5-0) as the only remaining unbeaten teams from non-autonomy conferences.
Behind a 115-yard, two-touchdown effort from redshirt sophomore running back CJ Beasley, Coastal Carolina defeated ULM, 28-21, to earn back-to-back wins over the Warhawks for the first time in program history. The victory is also the Chanticleers first-ever on the road in Malone Stadium.
Redshirt junior quarterback Grayson McCall threw for 246 yards and a touchdown—with 216 of those yards coming on connections to redshirt senior wide receiver Sam Pinckney (133 yards) and redshirt freshman wide receiver Jared Brown (83 yards, 1 touchdown). Defensively, redshirt junior linebacker JT Killen led the way for the Chanticleers with 13 tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack and a pass breakup.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Alred Luke had 138 all-purpose yards for ULM in the loss.
Graduate student quarterback Todd Centeio threw for 394 yards and four touchdowns as James Madison bested Arkansas State, 42-20, in its first-ever meeting with the Red Wolves and first-ever trip to The Natural State.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Kris Thornton caught nine passes for a career-high 173 yards for the Dukes, while graduate student running back Percy Agyei-Obese added a career-high 158 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Thornton's 173 receiving yards vaulted him over the 2,000-yard mark for his career.
The national leader in all-purpose yards, Arkansas State redshirt senior running back and return specialist Johnnie Lang Jr. added 108 yards to his season total, with 98 coming on kickoff returns.
Saturday was also a historic day for Texas State, as it blacked out Bobcat Stadium and topped App State, 36-24, for the first time in program history. The Mountaineers entered the matchup owning a 6-0 record in the all-time series.
The Bobcats led 24-3 at the break, before redshirt junior safety Tory Spears halted App State’s first drive of the second half with a 94-yard pick-six that proved to be the game-winner. Spears also led the Texas State defense with 12 tackles in the victory.
Texas State sophomore wide receiver Ashtyn Hawkins accumulated 105 yards and a touchdown on six receptions, while App State redshirt senior quarterback Chase Brice threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. With the win, the Bobcats moved to 3-0 in Bobcat Stadium for the first time since 2011.
Georgia State forced a program-record five turnovers, as the Panthers earned their third-straight victory over Georgia Southern, 41-33. Redshirt junior safety Antavious Lane tallied a career-high 15 tackles to pace the Panther defense. The five takeaways and four interceptions by the unit matched the school records set on Oct. 22, 2011, against South Alabama.
Offensively, Georgia State registered 335 yards in the ground game, getting 100-yard efforts from both redshirt senior running back Jamyest Williams (129 rushing yards, 1 touchdown) and senior running back Tucker Gregg (111 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns). Williams’ 129 rushing yards were a career-best, while Gregg’s 111 put him over the 2,000-yard mark for his career. Gregg now sits at 2,020 career rushing yards, trailing only Tra Barnett’s 2,156 in Panther lore.
Two Eagles—senior wide receiver Khaleb Hood (120 receiving yards) and redshirt senior wide receiver Jeremy Singleton (101 receiving yards)—posted 100-yard receiving days in the losing effort.
Troy outlasted Southern Miss, 27-10, to extend its winning streak to three games for the first time since 2018.
The Trojan defense forced four turnovers, which led to 20 of Troy’s 27 points in the victory. Troy senior safety Craig Slocum Jr. had a team-high eight tackles and an interception, while senior linebacker Carlton Martial—the two-time reigning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week—added seven tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
Senior quarterback Jarret Doege completed 17-of-24 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown for the Trojans, including five connections for 82 yards to junior wide receiver Deshon Stoudemire and four for 80 yards and a touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Tez Johnson.
Southern Miss senior wide receiver Jason Brownlee had a career-high 12 catches for 105 yards and the lone Golden Eagles touchdown in defeat.
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SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 6 RESULTS
Georgia State def. Georgia Southern, 41-33
James Madison def. Arkansas State, 42-20
Texas State def. App State, 36-24
Troy def. Southern Miss, 27-10
Coastal Carolina def. ULM, 28-21