NEW ORLEANS — James Madison and Georgia Southern earned rivalry game victories over in-state foes in the Sun Belt East Division in Week 8 play, with the Dukes clinching bowl eligibility and remaining unbeaten in conference contests. Troy and Southern Miss also remained unbeaten in Sun Belt action to co-lead the Sun Belt West Division.
A 38-yard field goal from junior kicker Clune Van Andel as time expired capped a 12-point fourth quarter that lifted Arkansas State to a 15-14 victory over South Alabama on Tuesday evening—the Red Wolves' first victory in Mobile since 2015. The Red Wolves scored on all three of their fourth-quarter possessions to erase a 14-3 deficit. Junior quarterback Jaylen Raynor threw for 209 yards and the lone Arkansas State touchdown, while adding a team-high 76 yards on the ground. The Red Wolves defensive unit held South Alabama to just 278 yards of total offense, buoyed by a 14-tackle effort from redshirt senior linebacker Kyle Taylor.
South Alabama running backs senior Kentrel Bullock (72 yards, 1 touchdown) and redshirt sophomore PJ Martin (54 yards, 1 touchdown) combined for both Jaguars touchdowns and nearly half of the team’s yardage in defeat.
Behind a two-touchdown day from senior wideout Tray Taylor and an impressive second half from the defense, Troy outpaced ULM, 37-14. Taylor caught two passes for 89 yards—including a 60-yard touchdown reception—and rushed for 20 yards and a score. Redshirt freshman defensive back Joe Lott carded two interceptions—including a 53-yard pick six—as the Trojans defense amassed four second-half takeaways to pull away from the Warhawks. Troy is off to a 3-0 start in Sun Belt play for the first time since 2018.
ULM redshirt sophomore quarterback Aiden Armenta threw for 171 yards and a touchdown and senior running back Zach Palmer-Smith rushed for a game-high 78 yards in the loss.
A strip sack by redshirt junior defensive lineman Zeke Campbell and a fumble recovery by senior defensive lineman Noah Arinze salted away a 45-37 Coastal Carolina victory over App State, in a game in which the Chanticleers took their first lead with just 3:19 remaining. Coastal Carolina registered touchdowns on four-straight drives to outscore App State 28-6 over the final 24:49. Redshirt senior quarterback Samari Collier accounted for three touchdowns—completing 12-of-19 passes for 118 yards and a score and rushing for a team-high 74 yards and two touchdowns.
App State redshirt sophomore quarterback JJ Kohl threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns and junior wide receiver Jaden Barnes added a 77-yard punt return touchdown for the Mountaineers, the team’s first since 2018, in the losing effort.
After trading blows throughout the first half, James Madison scored 35 unanswered second-half points in a dominant 63-27 win over Old Dominion in the Royal Rivalry game. Redshirt junior quarterback Alonza Barnett III filled up the stat sheet, accounting for six touchdowns in the rivalry win. Barnett III completed 17-of-25 passes for 295 yards and two scores and rushed for a team-high 153 yards and four touchdowns. Redshirt senior wide receiver Nick DeGennaro doubled his season output with three receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, redshirt junior defensive back Justin Eaglin hauled in a pair of interceptions for the Dukes, as the unit held Old Dominion to just one first down and 10 yards in the second half.
Redshirt sophomores quarterback Colton Joseph and wide receiver Tre’ Brown III connected on the longest offensive play in Old Dominion history—a 98-yard touchdown bomb. Joseph threw for 208 yards and three touchdowns, with Brown III amassing a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns in the receiving game for the Monarchs. Joseph was nearly perfect in the first half, completing 12-of-13 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns.
Two overtime touchdown runs from redshirt junior running back Jo’Shon Barbie lifted Marshall to a 40-37 double-overtime victory over Texas State. The Bobcats forced the extra periods on a 50-yard field goal from redshirt sophomore kicker Tyler Robles as time expired. Thundering Herd redshirt junior quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson threw for 277 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a team-high 88 yards in the win. Redshirt junior linebacker Javae Gilmore (12) and senior defensive back Boogie Trotter (10) each posted career-best tackle tallies for the Thundering Herd.
Texas State redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Jackson threw for 444 yards—the second-most in program history—and two touchdowns, with junior wideouts Chris Dawn Jr. (180 yards) and Beau Sparks (168 yards, 1 touchdown) serving as his top targets in the losing effort. Treylin Payne, a senior linebacker, registered 24 tackles for the Bobcats—a Texas State program record and the second-most in a single game in Sun Belt history.
The longest touchdown pass in Southern Miss program history—a 98-yard connection from redshirt senior quarterback Braylon Braxton to redshirt senior wide receiver Micah Davis—punctuated a 22-10 Golden Eagles victory over Louisiana. Braxton completed 13-of-18 passes for 237 yards and the touchdown and Davis caught three balls for 134 yards and the score. Sophomore linebacker Chris Jones headlined the defensive output with a team-high eight tackles, including a strip sack in the end zone for a safety with 3:44 to play.
With 112 passing yards and 98 rushing yards—including the lone Ragin’ Cajuns touchdown—redshirt sophomore quarterback Lunch Winfield provided the bulk of the Louisiana production. Defensively, senior linebacker Jaden Dugger carded 16 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in defeat.
Georgia Southern scored touchdowns on each of its second-half drives and posted 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points to outpace in-state rival Georgia State, 41-24, in the Georgia Grown Bowl. Senior wide receiver Camden Brown caught two touchdown passes to tie the Eagles single-season program record with eight touchdown receptions on the year. Redshirt junior quarterback JC French IV completed 17-of-25 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a team-high 85 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Senior running back OJ Arnold also carried the ball 12 times for 74 yards and caught four passes for a team-leading 85 yards in the rivalry win.
With 280 passing yards and 120 rushing yards—including a touchdown through the air and on the ground—redshirt junior quarterback Cameran Brown led the way for the Panthers in the loss.
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SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 8 RESULTS
Arkansas State def. South Alabama, 15-14
Troy def. ULM, 37-14
Coastal Carolina def. App State, 45-37
James Madison def. Old Dominion, 63-27
Marshall def. Texas State, 40-37 (2OT)
Southern Miss def. Louisiana, 22-10
Georgia Southern def. Georgia State, 41-24