Informational Links
Complete Sun Belt Release Downloadable in PDF Format
This Week's Sun Belt Conference Players of the Week Announced
2008 Sun Belt Conference Football Media Guide
2008 Composite Schedule and Results
Sun Belt Conference Standings
Sun Belt Conference Upcoming Games
September 6
Florida International at Iowa (Big Ten Network) - 11:00 a.m.
UAB at Florida Atlantic - 3:00 p.m.
Texas Southern at Arkansas State - 6:00 p.m.
Maryland at Middle Tennessee (CSS) - 6:00 p.m.
Arkansas at Louisiana-Monroe (!) - 6:00 p.m.
Tulsa at North Texas (KTXA) - 6:00 p.m.
WKU at Eastern Kentucky - 6:00 p.m.
All times Central and subject to change
* denotes Sun Belt Conference Game
(!) denotes game to be played in Little Rock, Arkansas
Sun Belt Conference Recent Results
August 28
* Troy 31, Middle Tennessee 17 (ESPN+)
August 30
Indiana 31, WKU 13 (Big Ten Network)
Arkansas State 18, Texas A&M 14
Southern Mississippi 51, Louisiana-Lafayette 21
#10 Auburn 34, Louisiana-Monroe 0 (CSS/PPV)
#14 Kansas 40, Florida International 10
#11 Texas 52, Florida Atlantic 10 (FSN PPV)
Kansas State 45, North Texas 6
Sun Belt Conference News & Notes
Sun Belt Conference Enters Agreements with St. Petersburg Bowl, Papajohns.com Bowl, and PetroSun Independence Bowl
The Sun Belt Conference has signed agreements with the St. Petersburg Bowl, the Papajohns.com Bowl and the PetroSun Independence Bow, which are effective immediately and will impact the 2008 and 2009 bowl games. Bowl-eligible teams from the Sun Belt Conference will be the first available teams in these bowls should the contracted parties not be able to fulfill their requirements. While the Sun Belt Conference champion will still play in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the St. Petersburg Bowl or the Papajohns.com Bowl will have second choice to select one of the Sun Belt’s bowl-eligible teams if the contracted parties are not be able to fulfill their requirements. The agreement signed with the PetroSun Independence Bowl calls for that bowl game to receive the third choice to select one of the Sun Belt’s bowl eligible teams if the contracted parties are not able to fulfill their requirements. The Independence Bowl would also receive the second choice to select a Sun Belt bowl eligible team should the St. Petersburg Bowl or the Papajohns.com Bowl not have an opening.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Breaks Tie
The Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA were an even 7-7 over the last two seasons headed into the 2007 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. With Florida Atlantic’s win over Memphis in the game, the SBC claimed bragging rights over CUSA with an 8-7 edge.
Sun Belt Boasts Big Wins
Members of the Sun Belt Conference defeated several notable football programs in 2007. In fact, the league boasted three wins over members from the “Big Six” Conferences. Troy defeated Big 12 member and Insight Bowl participant Oklahoma State 41-23. ULM earned a 21-14 win over SEC member and Independence Bowl participant Alabama. Florida Atlantic also defeated Big 10 member Minnesota 42-39.
FAU Claims New Orleans Bowl Title
Rusty Smith threw for 336 yards and a R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl record five touchdowns to lead Florida Atlantic to a 44-27 victory over Memphis. It was the first bowl game for FAU, which has had a football team for only seven seasons at its Boca Raton, Fla., campus and didn’t join the NCAA’s Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) until 2005. The game also marked another meaningful step for the young Sun Belt Conference. The league champion has now won three of seven New Orleans Bowls, including the past two by convincing margins, with Troy beating Rice 41-17 last year. Smith finished the season with 3,688 yards passing and 32 touchdowns. Only a sophomore, he could be around for many more victories in FAU’s future.
WKU Joins Sun Belt Football
Western Kentucky University is currently in transition to become the ninth Sun Belt Conference football playing institution and the 120th Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) member. The Hilltoppers will play five SBC teams in 2008 and will be eligible for the conference title and a bowl berth in 2009. WKU, the 2002 Division I-AA National Champions, played three contests against current Sun Belt members last season (Middle Tennessee, Troy, and North Texas). In week two last season WKU recorded five touchdowns against West Virginia Tech in the first quarter - tying a Football Bowl Subdivision record with 49 points in a quarter. The Hilltoppers would go on to win 87-0.
Awards Candidates
Rotary Lombardi Award (Best Lineman) – Dion Small (Troy), Jason Harmon (Florida Atlantic), Matt Mandich (Arkansas State), Boris Lee (Troy), Frantz Joseph (Florida Atlantic). Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Best Defensive Player) – Frantz Joseph (Florida Atlantic). Rimington Trophy (Best Center) – Danny Franks (Troy), Brad Serini (Florida International), Chris Fisher (Louisiana-Lafayette). Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back) – Tavious Polo (Florida Atlantic), Corey Small (Florida Atlantic). Davey O’Brien Award (Best Quarterback) – Rusty Smith (Florida Atlantic). John Mackey Award (Best Tight End) – Zeek Zacharie (Louisiana-Monroe). Butkus Award (Best Linebacker) – Ben Owens (Arkansas State), Frantz Joseph (Florida Atlantic), Boris Lee (Troy) Doak Walker Award (Best Running Back) – Reggie Arnold (Arkansas State), Tyrell Fenroy (Louisiana-Lafayette). Lou Groza Award (Best Place Kicker) – Warley Leroy (Florida Atlantic), Drew Edmiston (Louisiana-Lafayette). Davey O’Brien Award (Best Collegiate Player) – Rusty Smith (Florida Atlantic).
Smith, Owls Return for 2008 Season
Florida Atlantic, the defending Sun Belt co-champions and 2007 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Champions, will be ready for another run at the championship in 2008. Rusty Smith, last season’s New Orleans Bowl MVP and Sun Belt Player of the Year, returns for his junior campaign after a record breaking season as a sophomore. Smith will be aided by an offensive line that returns four of five starters from a year ago, a seasoned corps of running backs, and a talented receiver in Cortez Gent. The defense will be just as experienced as it returns the league’s leading tackler a year ago in Frantz Joseph, as well as two Thorpe Award candidates in Tavious Polo and Corey Small.
Fenroy Has Sights on Sun Belt Rushing Record
Louisiana-Lafayette senior running back Tyrell Fenroy needs 723 rushing yards to become the all-time leading rusher in Sun Belt Conference history. Should the LaPlace, Louisiana native top 1,000 yards in 2008, he would join Tony Dorsett, Amos Lawrence, Denvis Manns, Ron Dayne, Cedric Benson and DonTrell Moore as the only players in NCAA history with four 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Sun Belt Alumni
Troy’s Leodis McKelvin was selected with the 11th pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, marking the second time in the last four years the Sun Belt has had a player chosen in the draft’s first round (Demarcus Ware, 11th pick of first round in 2005 by Dallas). Arkansas State’s Tyrell Johnson was a second round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2008 after he broke the Sun Belt Conference record for career tackles during the 2007 season. Johnson joins other notable Sun Belt players in the NFL such as Jake Delhomme (Louisiana-Lafayette – Carolina Panthers), Charles Tillman (Louisiana-Lafayette – Chicago Bears), Antwan Barnes (Florida International – Baltimore Ravens), Brandon Stokley (Louisiana-Lafayette – Denver Broncos), Marty Booker (Louisiana-Monroe – Chicago Bears), Ike Taylor (Louisiana-Lafayette – Pittsburgh Steelers), Osi Umenyiora (Troy – New York Giants), Lawrence Tynes (Troy – New York Giants), and Demarcus Ware (Troy – Dallas Cowboys). Notable former professional football players from Sun Belt schools includes Joe “Mean Joe” Greene (North Texas), Stan Humphries (Louisiana-Monroe), and Brian Mitchell (Louisiana-Lafayette). Current Cleveland Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel is a graduate of Western Kentucky University.
Sun Belt Facilities Growing and Expanding
Every Sun Belt football institution has seen major facility facelifts over the last several years or major improvements are on the way. Troy began the trend of facility enhancements when Veterans Stadium was transformed into Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium in 2003. The Trojans’ state-of-the-art stadium features a six-story press box structure that houses 27 sky boxes, a media hosting facility, a unique Trojan Stadium Club area that houses more than 1,000 guests, and floors dedicated to sports medicine, academics and strength & conditioning. Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe have followed by adding synthetic turf in their stadiums. Synthetic turf has also been installed at Louisiana-Lafayette and construction finished on an indoor practice facility in 2007 – only the second collegiate facility of its kind in the state of Louisiana. North Texas recently completed The Mean Green Athletic Village which includes the Darrell R. Dickey Practice Facility and the Athletic Center, which is complete with a football locker room, coaches’ offices, and team and position meeting facilities. Two of the most significant projects in progress are the renovations taking place at Florida International’s FIU Stadium and Western Kentucky University’s L.T. Smith Stadium. FIU Stadium will transform the home of the Golden Panthers in two phases with the first phase complete for the 2008 season and the second phase eventually pushing capacity to 45,000. The renovations at WKU’s L.T. Smith Stadium will help push the Hilltoppers into the Football Bowl Subdivision. The renovation includes approximately 5,000 seats in the new west grandstand, which will also house football offices, locker rooms, a weight room and training room. At Florida Atlantic the FAU Board of Trustees has unanimously approved a 30,000-seat, open-air stadium on the Boca Raton campus.
ASU’s Leonard Takes Fast Track to Degree
Arkansas State junior quarterback Corey Leonard is already widely known for his accomplishments on the football field, but it was his accomplishments in the classroom that garnered him recognition at ASU’s Summer Commencement. Even while the Covington, La. native has had to work the time demands of a college football player into his schedule, his dedication to academics led him down an early path to graduation before his junior season on the field. Leonard earned his bachelor’s degree in Business and is now enrolled in graduate school. On the field, three Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week awards, 2007 Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalist, All-Sun Belt Conference selection and numerous school records are among his honors. “It’s obviously quite an accomplishment to graduate prior to playing your junior year,” said ASU Head Football Coach Steve Roberts. “Corey continues to be what we desire from all our student-athletes in the classroom, in his community involvement and in his preparation to win.”
FAU Extends Howard Schnellenberger’s Contract
Florida Atlantic University recently extended Howard Schnellenberger’s contract as the Owls head football coach through the 2010 season. “Howard has built the football program into a bowl champion in record time,” said Craig Angelos, FAU’s athletic director. “FAU wants him to serve at the team’s helm through its next historic phase, the construction of our on-campus stadium.” FAU hired Schnellenberger in 1998 to spearhead the fund raising efforts to add football to the university. Since that time, the Owls have accomplished many firsts and have quickly risen in prominence on campus, in the community, in the state and on the national front. “I’m delighted with the extension and the opportunity that it gives me to continue in the next stage of this program’s development,” said Schnellenberger.
University of South Alabama Begins Football Program
The University of South Alabama, one the founding members of the Sun Belt Conference in 1976, recently approved the addition of football to the intercollegiate athletic program. The decision came after a recommendation from President Gordon Moulton based on input from student, faculty, alumni and community groups. The intention is that the Jaguars will field a team in 2009 with a full transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision by 2013. USA is a charter member of the Sun Belt Conference. Former Birmingham Southern head coach and Mobile native Joey Jones was named as the Jags’ first head football coach and Jones has already put a staff in place and hit the recruiting trails. The Jaguars will begin their schedule at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in downtown Mobile in the fall of 2009. The 40,000-seat facility is home to the GMAC Bowl and the Senior Bowl, plus numerous high school football games each year.
North Texas’ Fitzgerald Shows Patience Pays Off
In 2004 North Texas wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald walked on to the Mean Green football team and was redshirted. A year later his season total was one reception for nine yards. Fitzgerald’s numbers in 2006 weren’t much more spectacular: 4 receptions for a total of 83 yards. His progression then sky-rocketed under Todd Dodge’s new offensive system in 2007. Fitzgerald hauled in 111 catches for 1,322 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 111 receptions were the third most in the NCAA last year and he also led the Sun Belt in receptions per game and yards per reception en route to being named First Team All-Sun Belt.
Louisiana-Lafayette’s Michael Desormeaux Adds to Cajuns Run Game
Ragin’ Cajun senior quarterback Michael Desormeaux led Sun Belt in rushing yards per game (123.2) in SBC games and finished second in overall rushing yards in 2007. Desormeaux became the 24th quarterback in NCAA history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season and finished with the 20th most rushing yards by a QB in a single season in NCAA history. He also boasted 17 total touchdowns and ranked eighth nationally in yards per carry, 28th in rushing per game and 38th in net rushing. He rushed and passed for more than 100 yards in the same game five times and scored a touchdown in 10 games. He also completed 55 percent of his passes to 16 different receivers, despite having only one senior wide receiver.
Troy’s Maurice Greer Overcomes Cancer
Maurice Greer will enter his first season at Troy after transferring from Garden City Community College prior to this season. Getting acquainted with campus life and his new teammates shouldn’t be much of a challenge for the running back. After all, Greer was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer while playing at Garden City. The Denver, Colorado native went threw months of chemotherapy and radiation and found himself back on the football field for another year of junior college football. The former Mr. Football in Colorado has made quite the recovery in the last couple of years and he will compete for a starting sport for the Trojans this fall.
Sun Belt Conference Team News & Notes
Arkansas State Red Wolves (1-0, 0-0 SBC)
Last week at Texas A&M: ASU won its first ever game over a BCS gurantee school, while also snapping Texas A&M’s 20-game winning streak in home openers and handing the Aggies just their fourth loss over their last 50 non-conference home games. Kicker Josh Arauco hit a career-high four field goals against TAMU, which also ties the second most in both ASU and Sun Belt Conference history. Reggie Arnold recorded his 10th career 100-yard rushing game with 145 yards against the Aggies. Corey Leonard recorded 246 yards of total offense and moved into a tie for the third most passing touchdowns (26) in school history. Ben Owens finished the game with seven tackles, one tackle for loss, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery, while also helping the ASU defense pitch a second-half shutout.
This week vs. Texas Southern: Arkansas State will try to improve to 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 1986 and the first time ever as a NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision member. The Texas Southern game will be the first of three consecutive home games for the Red Wolves. ASU hosts Southern Miss Sept. 13 and Middle Tennessee State Sept. 20. The Red Wolves also host Louisiana-Monroe Oct. 11 and Florida Atlantic Nov. 22. The ASU and Texas Southern Game will be one of only three games that will feature a Sun Belt team matched against a team from the Football Championship Subdivision this season.
Florida Atlantic Owls (0-1, 0-0 SBC)
Last week at Texas: Florida Atlantic dropped a highly publicized game to No. 11 Texas 52-10 and saw the team take advantage of just 2-of-4 redzone attempts. Highlights included a career long 62-yard reception by tight end Jamari Grant.Fellow tight end and Texas native Rob Housler scored the Owls lone TD with a 20-yard reception from Rusty Smith to end the first half. The TD was Housler’s first career TD reception. Smith ended the day 15-31 for 253 yards and had one pass that was tipped twice picked off in the end zone. The defense was led by senior Frantz Joseph who recorded a game-high 10 tackles, including seven solo. Joseph also broke-up Texas’ Colt McCoy pass, a rare miss. McCoy was 24-29 on the day.
This week vs. UAB: Following the Texas game, Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger expressed his disappointment, but encouraged everyone and reminded members of the media that FAU has been in this position before and knows how to take lessons from each game. FAU will return home to Lockhart Stadium where they will play host to UAB. The home contest is the only home game for the Owls in the first four outings. Both teams will enter the game 0-1. UAB is coming off of a loss to Tulsa in which the Blazers gave up 332 yards and three touchdowns. FAU quarterback and Walter Camp Award candidate will look to have similar success in the passing game.
Florida International Golden Panthers (0-1, 0-0 SBC)
Last week at Kansas: No. 14 Kansas is the highest ranked program FIU has ever played in its seven-year history (Penn State #17, 9/1/07) and the announced crowd of 52,112 was the fourth largest ever to watch an FIU football game. Linebacker Scott Bryant recorded the second forced fumble of his career in the first quarter. Starting quarterback Paul McCall got his second career start and quarterback Wayne Younger entered the game with 9:24 to play in second quarter. True freshman T.Y. Hilton took his first punt return for a 74 yard touchdown return.
This week at Iowa: The Golden Panthers will travel to Iowa City for their first meeting with the Iowa Hawkeyes. It will be only the second meeting between Florida International and a member of the Big Ten Conference. After a much heated quarterback position battle, Paul McCall got the start against Kansas over Wayne Younger and will likely take the helm again versus Iowa.
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (0-1, 0-0 SBC)
Last week at Southern Mississippi: Cajuns quarterback Michael Desormeaux paced the offense with 16 carries for 146 yards. It is his eighth career 100-yard rushing performance. He finished the night 9-of-20 passing for 98 yards. Desormeaux moved into sixth place on the Cajuns career rushing list and is 25 yards shy of fifth all-time. Cajuns star Tyrell Fenroy finished with 13 carries for 56 yards – all in the first half – and scored a touchdown. Fenroy, who didn’t play in the second half because of a head injury, finished the game nine yards shy of Brian Mitchell’s career rushing record.
Off This Week (Next week at Illinois): With the impending threat of Hurricane Gutav to the Louisiana coast, there could be no better time for an off week for the Cajuns than this week. Athletic department and university administrators will be monitoring the storm as it approaches the Louisiana coast and evacuation decisions for all athletic teams will be released by the university. For now, the Cox Communications Athletic Center will remain closed through Monday. Any additional closures by the athletics department would mirror a closure of the main campus.
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (0-1, 0-0 SBC)
Last week at Auburn: ULM held Auburn to only 85 yards passing, which was the third fewest allowed by a Warhawk defense under head coach Charlie Weatherbie. Youth was the theme of the night as 14 redshirt or true freshmen saw action in the game at Auburn. Anthony McCall, Frank Goodin, Ryan Dercher, Keating Helms, Doug Stroud, Nate Brown and Otis Stamps all made their first career starts in the season opener at Auburn. Linebacker Cardia Jackson recorded a game-high seven tackles and also pulled down the first interception of his career. The Warhawk defense didn’t allow a touchdown until the opening drive of the third quarter and that came after Auburn got the ball of the ULM 30 yard line after a fumble.
This week vs. Arkansas: The Warhawks host Arkansas in Little Rock this upcoming Saturday as they look to improve on their 3-30-1 record against the SEC. Despite the setback to Auburn last week, the Warhawks showed success against the SEC last season when they defeated Alabama on the road. The match-up with the Razorbacks will count as a ULM home game depsite being played in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Arkansas trailed Western Illinois 14-24 in the fourth quarter in their season opener, but quarterback Casey Dick scored on a 4-yard touchdown run with 1:49 remaining in the game to take the 28-24 win.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (0-1, 0-1 SBC)
Last week vs. Troy: The announced attendance for Middle Tennessee’s home opener against Troy of 22,307 goes down as the sixth largest in Floyd Stadium history. Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders have produced five of the top 11 attendance games. Quarterback Joe Craddock recorded the 13th touchdown pass of his career when he hit freshman Malcolm Beyah on a 46-yard strike in the fourth quarter. Safety Anthony Glover recorded his first career fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter against Troy. Running back Phillip Tanner collected his fifth career rushing touchdown when he barreled in from three yards out in the fourth quarter.
This week vs. Maryland: After a disappointing home loss to Troy, Middle Tennessee will have to revaluate and regroup quickly as the Blue Raiders will host Maryland this week. With the Blue Raider offensive line giving up five sacks against Troy and 14 tackles for loss, MT will have to focus on what worked on offense. Desmond Gee had success running the ball when he was able to get outside, quick passes to the outside were also successful, and when the Blue Raiders hurried to the line of scrimmage they were able to wear down the opposing defense. When the Blue Raiders host Maryland this weekend it will mark the second consecutive season that a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference has come to Murfreesboro, as the Blue Raiders hosted Virginia last season.
North Texas Mean Green (0-1, 0-0 SBC)
Last week at Kansas State: North Texas went three-and-out in its first three offensive possessions. The first first down of the game for the Mean Green came with under a minute left in the first quarter. The Mean Green had only two games last season when it opened the game with three consecutive, three-and-out series. Senior wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald made his first catch of the season midway through the first quarter. Fitzgerald has now caught a pass in every game that he has started – a total of 13 games. With the loss, North Texas has now lost 11 of its last 12 season-openers, dating back to the 1997 season. The only win for the Mean Green during that span was a 14-7 win over Middle Tennessee in 2005.
This week vs. Tulsa: Expect plenty of offense as The Golden Hurricane meet up with the Mean Green. Tulsa is coming off of a 45-22 win over UAB in which David Johnson threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns. North Texas defensive coordinator Gary DeLoach will have his work cut out for him in slowing down Johnson, but head coach Todd Dodge must improve upon the offensive output that the Mean Green achieved against Kansas State. This will be the 22nd meeting between the two teams with Tulsa winning the last contest 28-3 in 2006.
Troy Trojans (1-0, 1-0 SBC)
Last week at Middle Tennessee: In his first collegiate start, DuJuan Harris turned in his first career 100-yard rushing performance, carrying the ball 19 times for 148 yards and two touchdowns in leading Troy to a 31-17 victory over Middle Tennessee. It was a dream come true kind of performance for the former walk-on quarterback Bear Woods as in his first collegiate start, Woods racked up a game-high 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops. Woods was credited with two sacks and three tackles for loss. Teaming with fellow junior linebacker Boris Lee (who had 11 tackles, 2.5 for loss and an interception), Woods helped stop Middle Tennessee three times inside the Troy 10 yard line, holding the Blue Raiders to one field goal on those three trips.
This week at LSU: Troy will not have the good fortune of going up against an inexperienced offensive line when the Trojans head to Baton Rouge to play LSU. The Tigers’ Brett Helms, Ciron Black, and Herman Johnson will limit the number of Trojans invading the offensive backfield, which was an area that Troy players were often seen in the Middle Tennessee game. The LSU-Troy game also has an underlying circumstance as Hurricane Gustav will make landfall on the Louisiana gulf coast this week. If the LSU campus has to be used as a medical triage and for other relief efforts for people fleeing the storm, LSU Senior Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent said postponing the Troy game could be a possibility.
WKU Hilltoppers (0-1)
Last week at Indiana: WKU’s first game as a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision went like most of the previous 18 games for teams transitioning from the Football Championship Subdivision to the FBS, as Big Ten foe Indiana topped the Hilltoppers 31-13. A total of 18 teams have moved from FCS to FBS since 1987, and those teams combined to post a 3-15 record in their inaugural game with the only win against a fellow a FBS opponent coming in 1989 (Louisiana Tech topped Louisiana-Lafayette 40-14). WKU outgained Indiana in total yards in the second half (210-187) and was outscored only 14-13 in the final two quarters, but the Hoosiers 17-0 halftime lead was too much to overcome. IU quarterback Kellen Lewis accounted for 329 of the Hoosiers 450 total yards and all four IU touchdowns.
This week at Eastern Kentucky: WKU leads the all-time series against Eastern Kentucky 46-34-3, but the Colonels 30 consecutive winning seasons is the second longest current streak in the nation (Florida State, 31). EKU opened its 2008 campaign against Cincinnati and suffered a 40-7 setback at the hands of the Bearcats. The Hilltoppers defeated EKU 26-6 in last seasons game.
