NEW ORLEANS — James Madison—to seven games—and Southern Miss—to five games—extended their respective winning streaks to remain unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference play. The Dukes and Golden Eagles sit atop their respective divisions with three weeks remaining on the regular-season slate.
Coastal Carolina earned its fourth-straight win to clinch bowl eligibility for the sixth-straight season and remain a game back of the Dukes in the Sun Belt East Division.
Georgia Southern ran out to a 19-0 lead and held on for a 25-23 rivalry win over App State in front of a national television audience on ESPN2 on Thursday night. Redshirt junior quarterback JC French IV threw for a career-high 352 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 18 yards and a score. Senior wide receivers Marcus Sanders Jr. (6 catches, 127 yards, 1 touchdown) and Camden Brown (6 catches, 97 yards) served as his top targets, while senior running back OJ Arnold (20 carries, 105 yards) went over the century mark to lead the ground attack. Freshman kicker Tripp Bryant converted a career-high four field goals and redshirt junior defensive lineman MJ Stroud carded two tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble to pace the defensive unit.
Mountaineer redshirt junior quarterback AJ Swann threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort, including 13 connections with junior wideout Jaden Barnes for 160 yards and a score.
A two-touchdown day from redshirt junior running back Wayne Knight helped propel James Madison to a 35-23 victory over Marshall in a game in which it never trailed. Knight ran for 87 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and also caught four passes for 79 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown snare to provide the final margin. Dukes redshirt junior quarterback Alonza Barnett III threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns, to three different receivers, as James Madison stayed unbeaten in Sun Belt play. Sophomore defensive back Tyler Brown—with 13 tackles—and senior linebacker Trent Hendrick—with 12 stops—each carded career-highs in tackles.
Thundering Herd redshirt junior quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson accounted for 227 total yards (154 passing, 73 rushing) and a touchdown in defeat. Redshirt junior running back Antwan Roberts added 121 rushing yards and a score on 20 carries.
Six takeaways by the Southern Miss defense—including three interceptions by redshirt senior defensive back Josh Moten—proved to be the difference in a 27-21 Golden Eagles win over Arkansas State. Moten’s three-interception effort was the first for a Golden Eagle since 2002. Offensively, redshirt junior quarterback Landry Lyddy accounted for two touchdowns—one on the ground and one through the air—and redshirt senior quarterback Braylon Braxton completed 20-of-29 passes for 228 yards. Graduate student wide receiver Elijah Metcalf hauled in five passes for 143 yards and a score, helping Southern Miss secure its fifth-straight win for the first time since 2015. The Golden Eagles are off to a 5-0 start in conference action for the first time since 2003.
Red Wolves redshirt senior wide receiver Corey Rucker became the Sun Belt’s all-time receiving yards leader at 3,693 career yards with a 123-yard performance in the losing effort.
Redshirt senior quarterback Samari Collier accounted for 243 yards and four touchdowns, as Coastal Carolina clinched bowl eligibility for the sixth-straight season with a 40-27 win over Georgia State. Collier completed 11-of-18 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns and was also the Chanticleers leading rusher with 123 yards and a score on 10 attempts. Junior wide receiver Karmello English was Collier’s top target, hauling in four receptions for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
Panthers senior wide receiver Ted Hurst caught 10 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown in defeat. Redshirt senior running back Jordon Simmons added 99 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Louisiana withstood a late Texas State comeback bid in a 42-39 win to remain undefeated in 13 all-time meetings with the Bobcats. The Ragin’ Cajuns scored 28 second-quarter points to carry an 18-point margin into halftime—a lead they would never relinquish. Redshirt freshman quarterback Lunch Winfield accounted for five touchdowns in the win, throwing for 192 yards and three scores and rushing for 49 yards and two touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Shelton Sampson Jr. made it back-to-back multi-touchdown weeks with five catches for a team-high 80 yards and two scores. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Jordan Lawson headlined the Ragin’ Cajuns defense with two tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Bobcats redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Jackson threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns in the losing effort, with 10 connections with junior wide receiver Beau Sparks for 186 yards and a score.
For exclusive Sun Belt football content on game days and throughout the 2025 season, follow @SunBeltFB on X.
SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 11 RESULTS
Georgia Southern def. App State, 25-23
James Madison def. Marshall, 35-23
Southern Miss def. Arkansas State, 27-21
Coastal Carolina def. Georgia State, 40-27
Louisiana def. Texas State, 42-39