NEW ORLEANS — South Alabama went into Boone Pickens Stadium and led wire-to-wire in a statement 33-7 win over Oklahoma State, headlining a 7-4 week in non-conference play for the Sun Belt Conference.
The victory marked the third-straight week that a Sun Belt football program outpaced an autonomy five foe, following Texas State’s 42-31 win over in-state foe Baylor in Week 1 and James Madison’s 36-35 victory over in-state foe Virginia in Week 2. The win also gave the Sun Belt three-or-more victories over autonomy five opponents for the fourth time in five seasons (2019, 2020, 2022 & 2023).
The Sun Belt boasts 18 wins over autonomy five foes over the past eight seasons—with 12-of-14 current members contributing to that tally.
The Jaguars win came in a dominant fashion, as Kane Wommack’s defense did not concede a point until the 12:14 mark in the fourth quarter.
Offensively, senior running back La’Damian Webb was a workhorse for South Alabama, rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Junior running back Kentrel Bullock spelled him with 18 carries of his own for 71 yards.
Two of the game’s explosive plays were connections from senior quarterback Carter Bradley to junior wide receiver Caullin Lacy—who hauled in 39 and 57-yard touchdown grabs as part of a five-catch, 104-yard day.
South Alabama’s defensive and special teams units provided key plays at key moments in the contest. An interception by junior cornerback Marquise Robinson deep in Oklahoma State territory set up Webb’s first touchdown run, while a recovery on an Oklahoma State muffed punt by junior long snapper Travis Drosos killed the Cowboys momentum following their lone score of the night in the fourth quarter.
App State made it two victories over East Carolina in as many weeks for Sun Belt programs (Marshall def. East Carolina, 31-13 on Sept. 9), outlasting the in-state rival Pirates, 43-28. The Mountaineer defense did its best to keep a Kidd Brewer Stadium record-tying crowd of 40,168—matching the total set at last year’s season-opener when North Carolina visited the High Country—entertained. The unit intercepted three passes, recorded four sacks and limited East Carolina to just 42 second-half yards.
Junior quarterback Joey Aguilar completed 17-of-29 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers, while junior running back Nate Noel rushed for 178 yards—including a 68-yard touchdown, the second-longest carry of his career. The effort was the fourth-straight 100-yard output for Noel, dating back to last season.
Redshirt senior quarterback Darren Grainger completed 27-of-33 passes for a career-high 466 yards and three touchdowns to lead Georgia State to a 41-25 win over Charlotte and the first 3-0 start in program history. The touchdown passes included a 97-yard connection with redshirt junior wide receiver Robert Lewis—the longest play in Panther program history.
Lewis finished the day with six receptions for a program-record 220 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow redshirt junior wide receiver Tailique Williams also had five catches for 129 yards and a score in the victory. Senior running back Marcus Caroll rushed for 67 yards and his seventh touchdown of the season.
James Madison prevailed, 16-14, over reigning Sun Belt champion Troy in the lone conference matchup of Week 3. The Dukes used three field goals from redshirt senior kicker Camden Wise and a nine-yard touchdown pass from redshirt senior quarterback Jordan McCloud to sophomore wide receiver Elijah Sarratt to snap Troy’s eight-game winning streak against conference foes.
McCloud completed 18-of-26 passes for 200 yards and the touchdown, while redshirt sophomore running back Kaelon Black rushed for a game-high 78 yards on 13 carries and Sarratt led the Dukes with 62 receiving yards on six grabs.
Troy senior quarterback Gunnar Watson completed 25-of-46 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort. With five sacks, James Madison held Troy to -12 rushing yards as a team.
Louisiana handed UAB its second-straight loss to a Sun Belt opponent (Georgia Southern def. UAB, 49-35 on Sept. 9), overpowering the Blazers, 41-21. UAB scored 18 of its 21 points over the final 4:10, in a game the Ragin’ Cajuns dominated from start to finish.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Zeon Chriss had a coming out party for Louisiana, completing 14-of-20 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 103 yards and two scores. Redshirt senior running back Jacob Kidobi also added 108 yards and a touchdown on seven carries in the ground game.
Linebackers junior K.C. Ossai—eight tackles—and redshirt sophomore Cameron Whitfield—five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks—made their presence felt in the non-conference win.
The Sun Belt ran its record to 13-0 against FCS opposition this season, outscoring those opponents 539-215.
A breakout effort from redshirt sophomore running back Ja’Qeuz Cross helped lift Arkansas State to a 31-7 win over Stony Brook. Cross rushed for a career-high 164 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries for the Red Wolves, who tallied 345 yards on the ground as a team. The team tally was the most for Arkansas State since a 469-rushing-yard outburst on Nov. 29, 2014 against New Mexico State.
Coastal Carolina scored on eight of their first nine possessions and used a balanced offensive attack to outpace Duquesne, 66-7. Three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year redshirt senior quarterback Grayson McCall completed 12-of-16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
The Chanticleers defense also put 14 points on the board via a 30-yard pick six by redshirt senior linebacker JT Killen and an NCAA record-tying 100-yard interception return touchdown by junior safety Tobias Fletcher.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback TJ Finley completed 17-of-21 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns to lead Texas State to a 77-34 victory over Jackson State and its first 2-1 start since 2013.
The Bobcats also added eight touchdowns on the ground—with two apiece for Finley, junior quarterback Malik Hornsby and redshirt senior running back Jahmyl Jeter and one each for sophomore running back Ismail Mahdi and junior running back Donerio Davenport. Hornsby (133 yards) and redshirt junior running back Damarius Good (105 yards) each posted 100-yard rushing games in the blowout win.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Deric Mourning Jr. led the way defensively for the Bobcats with nine tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack.
Old Dominion led 17-0 at the half and 14-7 midway through the third quarter, before succumbing to Wake Forest, 27-24. Junior cornerback LaMareon James had a career day for the Monarchs, returning a fumble 80 yards for a score in the second quarter—the longest defensive score in program history—and adding a 66-yard pick-six in the third quarter. In the process, he became the seventh player in FBS history to return a fumble and an interception for a touchdown in the same game.
Offensively, redshirt junior wide receiver Javon Harvey had three catches for a game-high and career-best 166 yards and a touchdown for the Monarchs. It was the third 100-yard receiving game of his career.
Georgia Southern took a 14-7 lead over Wisconsin at the 12:33 mark in the third quarter, but then conceded 28 unanswered points in a 35-14 defeat. Junior wide receiver Derwin Burgess Jr. paced the Eagles with eight catches for 124 yards, including a career-long 68-yard reception. The outing was the fourth 100-yard receiving game of Burgess Jr.’s career.
Southern Miss could not recapture the magic of 2022, when it was 1-of-2 teams to hand Tulane a loss, falling 21-3 to the Green Wave in the Battle for the Bell rivalry game. Senior safety Jay Stanley led the defensive unit with 10 tackles in the losing effort.
ULM fell to Texas A&M, 47-3.
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SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 3 RESULTS
Wisconsin def. Georgia Southern, 35-14
Wake Forest def. Old Dominion, 27-24
App State def. East Carolina, 43-28
Tulane def. Southern Miss, 21-3
Texas A&M def. ULM, 47-3
Georgia State def. Charlotte, 41-25
Arkansas State def. Stony Brook, 31-7
Coastal Carolina def. Duquesne, 66-7
South Alabama def. Oklahoma State, 33-7
James Madison def. Troy, 16-14
Texas State def. Jackson State, 77-34
Louisiana def. UAB, 41-21