NEW ORLEANS — Southern Miss, James Madison and Troy remained unbeaten in Sun Belt play, as Marshall and App State secured the first Sun Belt Conference wins of the Gibson and Loggains eras in dominant fashion. 
 
Southern Miss withstood a second-half rally by Georgia Southern to come away with a 38-35 Thursday night victory in the first-ever cross-division matchup between the two programs. Golden Eagles redshirt senior quarterback Braylon Braxton threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns, while redshirt junior running back Jeffery Pittman carried the ball 31 times for 140 yards and two scores. Those four touchdowns came as part of a 28-0 Southern Miss run to close the first half, building a 28-7 halftime advantage. Georgia Southern scored touchdowns on 4-of-5 second-half drives to narrow the margin to three, but could not recover the pivotal onside kick with 2:13 remaining. Senior wideout Camden Brown hauled in a Georgia Southern program record 12 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown in defeat, becoming the second Eagle ever to record three-straight 100-yard receiving games.
 
The Golden Eagles defense produced three takeaways on interceptions by redshirt sophomore defensive back Jonathan Pennix, junior linebacker Michael Montgomery and redshirt senior defensive back Josh Moten. The Southern Miss road victory was its first since topping Louisiana, 34-31 in overtime, on Nov. 9, 2023. 
 
A career-high three-touchdown day from junior wide receiver Landon Ellis, paired with another stout defensive effort, lifted James Madison to a 24-14 win over Louisiana in the first-ever cross-division clash between the teams. The Dukes scored 17 unanswered second-half points, as the defensive unit pitched a shutout over the final two frames and held the Ragin’ Cajuns to just 288 yards of total offense.  
 
Dukes redshirt junior quarterback Alonza Barnett III completed 26-of-40 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns—both season highs. Ellis (120 receiving yards) and redshirt junior running back Wayne Knight (111 rushing yards) surpassed the century mark in the victory, which senior defensive back Jacob Thomas helped seal with an interception in the end zone with 1:41 to play. Ragin’ Cajuns redshirt sophomore quarterback Lunch Winfield threw for 243 yards—the most passing yards allowed by James Madison this season—and two scores, with redshirt senior wide receivers Robert Williams (134 yards) and Dale Martin (72 yards, 1 touchdown) serving as his top targets. Louisiana’s defense tallied three takeaways on two fumble recoveries and an interception. 

Marshall never trailed in a 48-24 victory over Old Dominion, scoring 24-straight second-half points—including a 17-0 third quarter—to build upon an early advantage. Senior defensive back Boogie Trotter opened the Thundering Herd scoring with a 22-yard pick six and later added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as part of a five-tackle outing. The Thundering Herd defense recorded a pair of goal-line stands, while its special teams unit recovered a pair of muffed punts to contribute to the total team effort. Offensively, redshirt junior quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson did it all for the Thundering Herd, completing 17-of-24 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns and adding a team-high 95 yards and two scores in the ground game. With eight receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown, senior wide receiver Demarcus Lacey headlined the Marshall receiving corps as the Thundering Herd picked up the first Sun Belt Conference win of the Tony Gibson era and improved to 10-1 in the all-time series against the Monarchs. 
 
A career-high 12 tackles from redshirt senior linebacker Seth Naotala headlined the Monarchs defensive output. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Tre’ Brown III’s 71-yard touchdown reception was the longest of his career and the fifth of 70-or-more yards for Old Dominion this season. 
 
App State raced out to a 31-0 advantage en route to a 41-20 win over Georgia State, running its record to 12-0 in the all-time series. In just his second collegiate start, redshirt sophomore quarterback JJ Kohl threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns to four different receivers. Redshirt senior tight end Izayah Cummings paced all Mountaineer pass-catchers with six receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown. App State’s defense held Georgia State to just 78 rushing yards—with seven tackles for loss and three sack— as the Mountaineers earned the first Sun Belt Conference win of the Dowell Loggains era. 

Panthers quarterbacks redshirt junior Cameran Brown (career-high 212 yards, 2 touchdowns) and redshirt senior TJ Finley (91 yards) combined for 303 passing yards in the losing effort, with senior wideout Ted Hurst recording a game-high nine catches for 105 yards. 
 
With yardage at a premium as both teams battled torrential rain throughout the contest, Coastal Carolina outpaced ULM, 23-8. The Chanticleers used three field goals from redshirt junior kicker Kian Afrookhteh and a seven-play, 73-yard, closing-minute touchdown drive to build a 16-0 halftime advantage they would never relinquish. Redshirt senior quarterback Samari Collier had a hand in both Chanticleer touchdowns, while leading the team with 86 rushing yards and 37 passing yards. Fourth-quarter interceptions by Chanticleer redshirt senior defensive back Xamarion Gordon and redshirt junior defensive back Avyonne Jones helped seal the Coastal Carolina win. 
 
Warhawks redshirt sophomore quarterback Aidan Armenta threw for 176 yards and the lone ULM touchdown in defeat. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jonathan Bibbs caught five passes for 79 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown snare, and redshirt junior running back Braylon McReynolds rushed for 78 yards on 14 carries. 
 
Troy battled back from a 21-0 deficit to earn an eventual 48-41 win over Texas State in overtime. Trojans junior quarterback Tucker Kilcrease found junior wide receiver DJ Epps on back-to-back plays, connecting on the touchdown and the ensuing game-tying two-point conversion with 1:13 to play. A potential Texas State game-winning 42-yard field goal caromed off the right upright as time expired, forcing overtime. There, Troy manufactured a five-play, 25-yard scoring drive dotted by three completions to Epps—including the go-ahead touchdown. The Trojan defense held the line on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 on the ensuing Texas State possession in the first overtime period to salt away the win.

Kilcrease completed 30-of-39 passes for 415 yards and five touchdowns, with Epps catching 10 balls for 148 yards and two scores. Defensively, senior linebacker Jordan Stringer led the way for the Trojans with 15 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. Texas State redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Jackson completed 19-of-22 passes for 248 yards and rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown in defeat. Two Bobcats—sophomore running back Greg Burrell (136 yards, 1 touchdown) and redshirt senior running back Lincoln Pare (113 yards, 3 touchdowns)—crossed the century mark on the ground. Junior wideout Chris Dawn Jr. also crossed the threshold through the air with 119 yards on seven catches. Sixty-six of his yards came on the potential game-winning drive at the end of regulation. 
 
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SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 7 RESULTS
Southern Miss def. Georgia Southern, 38-35
James Madison def. Louisiana, 24-14
Marshall def. Old Dominion, 48-24
App State def. Georgia State, 41-20
Coastal Carolina def. ULM, 23-8
Troy def. Texas State, 48-41 in OT