WEEK 11 CONFERENCE NOTES
NEW ORLEANS – Three teams—Arkansas State, ULM and Marshall—will attempt to clinch bowl eligibility in Week 11 competition, while a head-to-head clash between Arkansas State and Louisiana—the last remaining unbeaten team in Sun Belt Conference play—will determine the Sun Belt West Division frontrunner.
App State and Coastal Carolina—at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, on ESPN—and Texas State at ULM—at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, on ESPNU—will air on national television.
Marshall will attempt to keep the pace with Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt East Division, as it renews a rivalry with Southern Miss for the first time as Sun Belt Conference foes.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- POSTSEASON PEDIGREE – App State and Coastal Carolina—the two programs that have combined to represent the Sun Belt East Division in every Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game thus far—will square off in a mid-week primetime battle at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN on Thursday, Nov. 7. The Mountaineers will aim to build on back-to-back one-possession conference wins, while the Chanticleers will attempt to snap a three-game skid against conference foes. Explosive plays may be the difference in the contest, with both teams boasting a pair of wide receivers ranking among the Top 45 in the country by averaging more than 17 yards per reception on the year—senior Christan Horn (26th, 18.67) and redshirt junior Dalton Stroman (47th, 17.20) of App State and redshirt junior Jameson Tucker (24th, 18.82) and redshirt junior Cameron Wright (43rd, 17.38) of Coastal Carolina. App State leads the all-time series 7-3, though Coastal Carolina has won three of the last four matchups including 2-of-3 all-time in Conway, S.C.
- CONTROL OF THE SKIES – ULM will put its perfect 4-0 home record on the line at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, on ESPNU when it hosts Texas State. Control of the skies will be paramount in the matchup, as the Sun Belt’s second-best passing offense (Texas State – 31st, 265.9 yards per game) goes head-to-head against its second-best passing defense (ULM – 23rd, 184.1 yards per game). Each of the past two contests have been decided in the closing seconds, with Texas State scoring the game-winning touchdown with 41 seconds to play in 2023 and missing a potential game-winning field goal with seven seconds remaining in 2022. The Warhawks lead the all-time series 6-5, though the Bobcats have won three of the last four meetings. A ULM victory would clinch bowl eligibility for the Warhawks for the first time since 2018.
- RIVALRY RENEWED – Marshall seeks its first road victory on the season when it travels to Southern Miss at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, on ESPN+, as the Thundering Herd attempts to keep the pace with Georgia Southern atop the Sun Belt East Division. The Golden Eagles will look to snap a six-game skid as they return home to M.M. Roberts Stadium for the first time under interim head coach Reed Stringer. While the matchup will be the first for the Thundering Herd and Golden Eagles as Sun Belt Conference foes, the teams have squared off on 14 prior occasions, with Southern Miss leading the all-time series 8-6. Marshall won five-straight matchups from 2011-15, before Southern Miss rattled off three-straight wins from 2016-18. A Marshall victory would clinch bowl eligibility for the Thundering Herd for the eighth-straight season—which would be the second-longest active streak among non-autonomy conference programs.
- SELLING OUT – James Madison will host Georgia State at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, in front of a 10th-straight sellout crowd at Bridgeforth Stadium, with the game being broadcast on ESPN+. The Dukes are 1-of-3 Sun Belt programs to have clinched bowl eligibility on the season, alongside Sun Belt East Division leader Georgia Southern and Sun Belt West Division leader Louisiana. James Madison will put its perfect 4-0 home record on the line against the Panthers, who are still in search of their first road win on the season. The Dukes lead the all-time series 3-0—though 2-of-3 prior matchups have been decided by one-possession.
- BEST IN THE WEST – The winner of Saturday’s head-to-head clash between Arkansas State and Louisiana will take over the top spot in the Sun Belt West Division and control its own destiny in pursuit of a Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game berth. The Red Wolves will face off against the Ragin’ Cajuns at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN+. Louisiana leads the all-time series 29-22-1, though Arkansas State snapped a five-game losing streak with a 37-17 win in Jonesboro, Ark., a year ago. Each team features a player in pursuit of a program record, with Arkansas State redshirt junior wide receiver Corey Rucker needing 140 receiving yards to become the Red Wolves all-time leader and Louisiana redshirt senior kicker Kenneth Almendares needing five points scored to become the Ragin’ Cajuns all-time leader. An Arkansas State victory would clinch bowl eligibility for the second-straight season.
WHERE TO WATCH
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