NEW ORLEANS — In front of a sellout crowd of 31,475 fans at Joan C. Edwards Stadium and a national television audience on ESPN2, Marshall outpaced Virginia Tech, 24-17, for its second victory over an autonomy five program in as many seasons.
The victory gave the Sun Belt four-straight weeks with a win over an autonomy five team to open the 2023 campaign and helped the conference run its non-conference record to 31-15 and its non-conference winning percentage to .674 on the season.
The Sun Belt boasts 19 wins over autonomy five foes over the past eight seasons—with 12-of-14 current members contributing to that tally. The Sun Belt’s four victories over autonomy five teams this season match the conference record set in 2019 and 2022.
Three Sun Belt teams—Georgia State (4-0), James Madison (4-0) and Marshall (3-0)—remain undefeated on the year.
Marshall junior running back Rasheen Ali rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the game, reaching the 2,000-yard rushing plateau in the process.
The defensive unit came up with big stops in big moments—none bigger than a pass breakup by sophomore defensive back Josh Moten on a fourth-and-6 attempt from the Marshall 36-yard line to halt a Hokies drive with 47 seconds to play. Redshirt senior defensive back Micah Abraham had a team-high three pass breakups, redshirt senior defensive lineman Owen Porter led the way with 1.5 tackles for loss and senior linebacker Eli Neal finished with a team-high 10 tackles.
Senior running back Marcus Carroll took every handoff in the Georgia State backfield—rushing for 150 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries—to help propel the Panthers to a 30-17 victory over Coastal Carolina on ESPN on Thursday night and the first 4-0 start in program history. Conway native redshirt senior quarterback Darren Grainger completed 15-of-26 passes for 191 yards and a score, while adding 47 yards and another touchdown in the ground game.
The Panthers defense held Coastal Carolina to just three points on four trips to the red zone. Senior linebacker Jordan Veneziale came up with the dagger on special teams, recovering an onside kick attempt after the Chanticleers pulled within 10 with 7:01 to play.
Three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year redshirt senior quarterback Grayson McCall completed 26-of-42 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown, surpassing 9,000 career passing yards in defeat.
Arkansas State earned the other conference win on the week, outlasting Southern Miss, 44-37, in a shootout in Jonesboro.
In his first collegiate start, freshman quarterback Jaylen Raynor threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns for the Red Wolves, while adding a team-high 97 yards and two scores on the ground. Redshirt junior wide receiver Courtney Jackson—with three receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns—and senior wide receiver Jeff Foreman—with three catches for 77 yards and a score—were Raynor’s top targets.
Junior running back Frank Gore Jr. rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries for the Golden Eagles, reaching the 3,000-yard rushing milestone in the process.
Senior quarterback Gunnar Watson threw for a season-high 349 yards—including a 40-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Chris Lewis on a Hail Mary to end the first half—to lift Troy to a 27-24 win over Western Kentucky.Lewis turned in a career-high 101-yard receiving game, while junior running back Kimani Vidal rushed for 156 yards and a pair of scores—the fourth multi-touchdown game of his career.
The Trojans defense held the Hilltoppers to just 51 offensive plays in the game—the fewest by a Western Kentucky team since Sept. 11, 2010, at Kentucky. The Hilltoppers 12 rushing attempts were the fewest ever by a Troy opponent.
The Eagles of Georgia Southern controlled the airways en route to a 40-3 thumping of the Ball State Cardinals. Sixth-year quarterback Davis Brin completed 34-of-46 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns.
Fifth-year wide receiver Khaleb Hood was Brin’s favorite target, catching seven passes for a game-high 107 yards and a score. Hood went over the 2,000-yard receiving plateau during the game and tied the Eagles program-record with his fifth career 100-yard receiving effort. Sophomore running back OJ Arnold led the way on the ground with 90 yards on nine carries.
Defensively, the Eagles held the Cardinals to just 197 yards of total offense and 37 yards rushing. Sophomore defensive back Marc Stampley II paced the unit with eight tackles—including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
GJ Kinne became the first Texas State head coach to start his debut season 3-1 since 1997, as his Bobcats earned the come-from-behind 35-24 win over Nevada. After trailing 17-0 at the half, Texas State scored 35-straight points after the break to turn the tide. Redshirt sophomore quarterback TJ Finley completed 25-of-31 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. Finley’s top targets were sophomore wide receiver Kole Wilson (93 yards, 1 touchdown) and junior wide receiver Joey Hobert (90 yards, 1 touchdown). Sophomore running back Ismail Mahdi sprung touchdown runs of 46 and 36 yards, as part of a 216-yard, two-touchdown outing.
Redshirt senior linebacker Brian Holloway led the way for the Bobcat defensive unit with 12 tackles, two tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Redshirt sophomore safety Tyree Skipper secured a 45-38 Louisiana victory over Buffalo with a game-sealing interception with 15 seconds remaining.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Zeon Chris completed 22-of-29 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate start, while the Ragin’ Cajuns got 100-yard rushing efforts from both redshirt sophomore running back Dre’Lyn Washington (13 carries, 103 yards) and redshirt senior running back Jacob Kibodi (7 carries, 100 yards, 2 touchdowns). Chriss added 70 yards and two scores of his own in the ground game—including his second-straight week with a touchdown run of 50-or-more yards.
James Madison led by as many as 24 points on three separate occasions, but saw Utah State score 24-straight to tie the game at 38-38 with 11:01 to play. The Dukes responded with a 74-yard touchdown strike from redshirt senior quarterback Jordan McCloud to redshirt senior wide receiver Reggie Brown to retake the lead for good, 45-38.
The James Madison defensive unit recorded back-to-back interceptions on the Aggies final two offensive plays of the game—the first by sophomore linebacker Aiden Fisher and the second by freshman cornerback D’Angelo Ponds—to secure the Dukes win.
McCloud completed 23-of-34 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns, while Brown tallied 160 yards and two scores on five receptions. Fisher paced the defense with nine tackles to go along with his game-changing interception.
Junior cornerback LaMareon James intercepted a go-ahead two-point conversion attempt with 28 seconds to play—and Old Dominion recovered the ensuing onside kick—to preserve a 10-9 victory over Texas A&M-Commerce. The Sun Belt improved to 14-0 against FCS opposition this season, outscoring those opponents 549-224.
Sophomore wide receiver Kelby Williams caught eight passes for a career-high 197 yards for the Monarchs. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Shields completed 14-of-20 passes for 258 yards and Old Dominion’s lone touchdown—a 40-yard strike to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Dominic Dutton. Sun Belt Preseason Defensive Player of the Year junior linebacker Jason Henderson tallied a game-high 17 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in the win.
South Alabama and App State each saw leads slip away over the final two minutes of their respective non-conference games.
The Jaguars got two touchdowns apiece from junior wide receiver Caullin Lacy (132 yards, 2 touchdowns) and senior running back La’Damian Webb (68 yards, 2 touchdowns), but fell to Central Michigan, 34-30, on a go-ahead score with 13 seconds to play.
With App State leading 19-14, Wyoming blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt and returned it for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:52 to play. Junior quarterback Joey Aguilar drove the Mountaineers to the Wyoming 20-yard line, but a Cowboys interception with 12 seconds remaining secured the 22-19 win for the home team. Junior running back Nate Noel rushed for 107 yards on a career-high 30 carries in the defeat, while redshirt senior cornerback Tyrek Funderburk scored App State’s lone touchdown on an 18-yard interception return.
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SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 4 RESULTS
Georgia State def. Coastal Carolina, 30-17
Marshall def. Virginia Tech, 24-17
Troy def. Western Kentucky, 27-24
Georgia Southern def. Ball State, 40-3
Old Dominion def. Texas A&M-Commerce, 10-9
Central Michigan def. South Alabama, 34-30
Texas State def. Nevada, 35-24
Wyoming def. App State, 22-19
Arkansas State def. Southern Miss, 44-37
Louisiana def. Buffalo, 45-38
James Madison def. Utah State, 45-38