NEW ORLEANS — No. 24/25 James Madison won its eighth-straight game and ran its Sun Belt Conference record to 7-0, clinching the Sun Belt East Division and its first-ever berth into the Credit Union 1 Sun Belt Football Championship Game presented by Visit Pensacola in the process. 

Marshall and Georgia Southern earned victories to move within a win of bowl eligibility with two weeks remaining on the regular-season schedule. Despite a loss in the absence of injured starting quarterback Braylon Braxton, Southern Miss continues to occupy the catbird seat in the Sun Belt West Division and control its own destiny in pursuit of a championship game berth. 
 
James Madison held App State scoreless for three quarters, carding the first 44 points of the contest in an eventual 58-10 victory to stay unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference play. The nationally-ranked Dukes are 1-of-2 remaining one-loss non-autonomy conference teams and have planted themselves firmly in the conversation for the Sun Belt’s first-ever berth into the College Football Playoff. 
 
James Madison possessed the ball for 42:18 and rushed for each of its seven touchdowns, led by a three-touchdown performance on a 105-yard rushing day for redshirt senior running back Jobi Malary. Redshirt junior quarterback Alonza Barnett III threw for 303 yards and rushed for two touchdowns, while redshirt senior quarterback Matthew Sluka rushed for 70 yards and a score in relief. Redshirt junior running back Wayne Knight led all Dukes with 197 all-purpose yards, including 94 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. The well-publicized Dukes defense held App State to just 146 total yards, with 117 of those yards coming in the fourth quarter with the game in hand.
 
App State freshman kicker Dominic De Freitas ended James Madison’s shutout bid with a 48-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, his fourth conversion of 45-or-more yards this season. 
 
Three-touchdown performances from senior running back OJ Arnold and senior wide receiver Camden Brown propelled Georgia Southern to a 45-40 win over Coastal Carolina to move within a victory of bowl eligibility. 
 
Arnold became the first Eagle to card a rushing, receiving and passing touchdown in the same game, as he rushed for 267 yards and two scores on 21 carries. He also caught four passes for 53 yards and a touchdown and threw a 73-yard touchdown strike to Brown. Brown hauled in five passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns, with redshirt junior quarterback JC French IV throwing for 263 yards and two scores. Senior wide receiver Dalen Cobb joined Arnold (320 all-purpose yards) in amassing 225-or-more all-purpose yards in the shootout (81 receiving, 144 kickoff return). 
 
Chanticleers super senior wide receiver Malcolm Gillie posted 153 all-purpose yards—including a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown. Redshirt senior wide receiver Jameson Tucker caught four passes for 107 yards, headlined by a 75-yard touchdown reception on a trick play. Entering in relief of an injured Samari Collier, redshirt sophomore quarterback Tad Hudson threw for 173 yards. 
 
Old Dominion put on a show in the lone college football game on Thursday night, shutting out Troy for a 33-0 victory to clinch its first winning season since 2016. The Monarchs defense conceded just 138 yards—the fewest allowed in program history—en route to the team’s second-ever shutout. Old Dominion is the first opponent to shut out Troy since Georgia in 2014 and the first-ever Sun Belt opponent to do so. 
 
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Colton Joseph accounted for three touchdowns and was 1-of-3 Monarchs to rush for 90-or-more yards. Joseph rushed for 90 yards and two scores, junior running back Trequan Jones added 96 yards and the other rushing touchdown and redshirt sophomore running back Devin Roche carried the ball 16 times for a career-high 145 yards. Joseph threw for 147 yards and a score, with Tre’ Brown III leading the receiving corps with a 112-yard performance. Old Dominion’s defense tallied a program-record nine sacks, with redshirt senior defensive lineman Kris Trinidad—with five tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles—and freshman linebacker Jackson Forrest—with a career-best 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks—leading the charge. 
 
With nine and eight tackles, respectively, senior defensive back Devin Lafayette and senior linebacker Jordan Stringer headlined the Trojan performances in defeat. 
 
Marshall manufactured four extended touchdown drives in a 30-18 victory over Georgia State to move within a victory of bowl eligibility. 
 
The Thundering Herd scored touchdowns on 85, 71, 90 and 97-yard marches. Redshirt junior quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson completed 22-of-27 passes for 321 yards and three scores, while rushing for a team-high 97 yards. Fellow redshirt junior tight end Toby Payne was the Thundering Herd’s leading pass-catcher with five receptions for a career-high 110 yards and a touchdown.  
 
Redshirt senior running back Jordon Simmons accumulated 228 yards—164 rushing and 64 receiving—highlighted by a 92-yard touchdown run on the second offensive play of the game for the Panthers. The play was the longest rushing touchdown in Georgia State program history. Redshirt junior kicker Braeden McAlister also set the Georgia State program record and tied the Sun Belt record with a 60-yard field goal as time expired heading into halftime. 
 
South Alabama scored 26 unanswered points in a come-from-behind 26-14 victory over ULM. The Warhawks ran out to a 14-0 first-quarter advantage, but were held scoreless from that point forward. 
 
The Jaguars defense held ULM to just 154 yards of total offense for the game and did not allow the Warhawks to cross the 50-yard line in the second half. Redshirt senior linebacker Darius McKenzie paced the unit with six tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack. The stout defensive performance complimented two-touchdown efforts from senior running back Kentrel Bullock and redshirt junior quarterback Bishop Davenport. Bullock rushed for 85 yards and two scores on 20 carries and Davenport added 50 yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts. Davenport also completed 17-of-23 passes for 162 yards. 

On ULM’s first offensive play of the game, redshirt junior running back Braylon McReynolds carried the rock 29 yards for a touchdown against his former team, before junior linebacker Noah Flemmings added a 42-yard scoop and score to build the early Warhawk advantage. 
 
After losing four of its five previous conference games by one possession, Texas State left no doubt in a 41-14 win over Southern Miss—its first conference win of the 2025 campaign. The Bobcats were paced by redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Jackson, who accounted for three touchdowns. Jackson completed 14-of-17 passes for 192 yards and a score and tacked on 49 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the ground attack. 
 
Jackson was the team’s third-leading rusher, behind redshirt senior running back Lincoln Pare (118 yards, 1 touchdown) and sophomore running back Greg Burrell (95 yards). Junior wideout Chris Dawn Jr. also carded his fourth 100-yard receiving day of the season (117 yards, 1 touchdown), with the bulk of his yardage coming on an 82-yard touchdown snare. Redshirt freshman defensive back Christopher Jones intercepted a pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a pick six to cap the Bobcat scoring. 

In his first start in a Golden Eagle uniform in place of an injured Braylon Braxton, redshirt junior quarterback Landry Lyddy threw for 267 yards and a touchdown to graduate student wide receiver Elijah Metcalf, who had 10 receptions for 116 yards in Southern Miss’ first conference loss of the season. 
 
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SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 12 RESULTS
Old Dominion def. Troy, 33-0
Marshall def. Georgia State, 30-18
South Alabama def. ULM, 26-14
Texas State def. Southern Miss, 41-14
No. 24/25 James Madison def. App State, 58-10
Georgia Southern def. Coastal Carolina, 45-40