NEW ORLEANS – Arkansas State defeated Texas State in a game that featured six, fourth-quarter touchdowns – including three in the final 80 seconds – while Troy outlasted South Alabama in overtime in the Battle for the Belt in a pair of Sun Belt Conference West Division battles. In the East Division, James Madison surged past Georgia State and Old Dominion cruised over Coastal Carolina, as App State nailed down a non-conference home win over Oregon State.
Arkansas State (2-4, 1-1 SBC) junior quarterback Jaylen Raynor accounted for four touchdowns and ran for a game-winning touchdown from four yards out with seven seconds remaining to lift the Red Wolves to a 31-30 home win over Texas State (3-2, 0-1 SBC). Raynor was 27-of-35 passing for 248 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 19 times for another 92 yards and two more scores. Redshirt senior wide receiver Corey Rucker caught eight passes for 102 yards, as redshirt junior running back Kenyon Clay ran for 28 yards to complement five catches, 58 receiving yards and a touchdown for the Red Wolves.
After going into halftime tied at 10 and neither team scoring in the third quarter, the two sides exchanged touchdowns on their first fourth-quarter possessions while chewing up over eight minutes of game clock. Texas State redshirt senior running back Lincoln Pare scored two touchdowns at the 3:45 and one-minute marks, sandwiching a Clay touchdown reception with 1:20 remaining. Redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Jackson broke a 63-yard run to set up Pare’s second touchdown to give the Bobcats a 30-24 advantage after a missed extra point try. Arkansas State took advantage, piecing together a six-play, 75-yard drive in just 53 seconds to set up Raynor’s game-tying touchdown run and junior kicker Clune Van Andel’s go-ahead extra point.
For Texas State, Jackson completed 18-of-26 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown while adding 131 rushing yards on 10 carries with another score. Pare took 21 carries for 105 yards and his two scores while adding two receptions for 39 yards. Defensively, the Bobcats tallied eight tackles for loss and five sacks.
Troy (3-2, 1-0 SBC) secured its seventh victory in the last eight editions of the Battle for the Belt with South Alabama (1-5, 0-2 SBC) for 31-24 overtime win at home. Troy junior quarterback Tucker Kilcrease completed 13-of-21 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 19 times for 102 yards and one touchdown. Junior running back Tae Meadows added 19 carries for 79 yards and the game-winning score in overtime. Big-play scoring highlighted the first half, which began with a 34-yard touchdown run by Kilcrease on a read option for the game’s first score at the 7:12 mark of the opening quarter. South Alabama responded with a 33-yard jet sweep, pitch-and-catch by redshirt senior wideout Micah Woods to tie the game four minutes later. Troy took a 14-7 lead into halftime on a 25-yard strike from Kilcrease to senior wideout RaRa Thomas inside the final two minutes.
A 56-yard rushing touchdown by redshirt junior quarterback Bishop Davenport midway through the third quarter gave the Jaguars their first lead, 17-14. The score began the pendulum swing of momentum for the remainder of the game, including 10-straight points by the Trojans to reclaim the lead, 24-17, with 6:47 left in the fourth quarter. Davenport tied the game at 24 with a 15-yard touchdown pass to his left in the flat to senior running back Kentrel Bullock with 1:54 remaining to send the game to overtime. Meadows scored on Troy’s third play in the first overtime from three yards out before the Trojans’ defense stopped South Alabama at the nine-yard line for a turnover on downs.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Colton Joseph matched a career-high with five touchdowns – including four passing scores in the first half – as Old Dominion (4-1, 1-0 SBC) rolled to a 47-7 home win over Coastal Carolina (2-3, 1-1 SBC). The Monarchs compiled 619 total yards, including over 300 through the air and more than 300 on the ground. Joseph finished the night 17-for-30 passing for 315 yards while running for 66 yards and one more score, as Old Dominion built a 34-0 lead at halftime while racking up 379 yards of offense. Among the Monarchs’ most explosive plays was an 80-yard catch and run down the middle of the field by sophomore wide receiver Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding on the first play of an early second-quarter drive to increase the lead to 17-0. Joseph’s rushing touchdown came on a 50-yard dash on ODU’s first possession of the second half. Gladding caught all three of his touchdowns in the first half and finished with seven receptions for 101 yards. For the Chanticleers, redshirt junior defensive end Zeke Campbell registered six tackles and one sack.
Despite trailing, 7-0, at halftime, James Madison’s (4-1, 2-0 SBC) defense clamped down to pitch a scoreless second half while allowing just 85 total yards, as the offense scored a pair of rushing touchdowns to complete the comeback in a 14-7 victory. The Dukes got 211 of their 285 yards on the ground, including a game-high 94 yards from redshirt-senior running back Jordan Fuller. Redshirt junior running back Wayne Knight added 85 more with a touchdown. A 22-yard run by Knight set up a one-yard rushing score by redshirt junior quarterback Alonzo Barnett with 6:50 left in the third quarter to cap an eight-play, 85-yard drive to tie the game. Knight was responsible for the go-ahead touchdown when he took a direct snap for a nine-yard score with just under 10 minutes left in the game. Georgia State (1-4, 0-1 SBC) grabbed the early lead when graduate quarterback T.J. Finley found senior tight end Cam Overton-Howard for a 19-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
App State (3-2) scored 17 first-quarter points and never trailed in a thrilling 27-23 home win over Oregon State in its final non-conference game of the season. Redshirt sophomore quarterback J.J. Kohl passed for 218 yards and accounted for two touchdowns – one on the ground and one through the air – to pace the Mountaineers. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Davion Dozier caught four passes for 140 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown strike from Kohl midway through the third quarter to extend App State’s lead to 24-14. Defensively, the Mountaineers held the Beavers to just two scores in five red zone trips, including a goal-line stand with 1:55 remaining to force a turnover on downs with a 27-21 lead. Oregon State scored on a safety two plays later, but an interception by redshirt sophomore defensive back Zyeir Gamble with 25 seconds remaining ended the Beavers' comeback attempt. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Colton Phares led App State’s defense with a team-high 10 tackles, including one-and-a-half tackles for loss and an interception.
Making his season debut, ULM (3-2) redshirt sophomore wide receiver Nic Trujillo scored on a 35-yard touchdown pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback Aidan Armenta over the top of the Northwestern defense to cap a seven-play, 75-yard drive on the game’s first possession. The Warhawks offense was held to 274 total yards compared to the 515 amassed by the Wildcats who scored 42 unanswered points in their victory. Junior linebacker Noah Flemmings and senior defensive back Kristopher Robinson led the ULM defense with eight tackles apiece.
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SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 6 RESULTS
App State def. Oregon State, 27-23
James Madison def. Georgia State, 14-7
Northwestern def. ULM, 42-7
Arkansas State def. Texas State, 31-30
Old Dominion def. Coastal Carolina, 47-7
Troy def. South Alabama, 31-24 (OT)