Nov. 7 Florida Atlantic at UAB - 1 p.m. * ULL at Arkansas State (Sun Belt Network) - 2:30 p.m. * ULM at North Texas - 3 p.m. * FIU at Middle Tennessee - 3:30 p.m. (ESPN360) * Troy at WKU - 4 p.m.
Nov. 14 * Arkansas State at Florida Atlantic - 3 p.m. * WKU at ULM - 3 p.m. * ULL at Middle Tennessee (Sun Belt Network) - 3:15 p.m. * North Texas at FIU - 6 p.m. Troy at Arkansas - 6:30 p.m. (CSS)
Sun Belt Conference News & Notes
Sun Belt Attendance on the Rise Teams from the Sun Belt Conference helped the league to a new all-time single season attendance record for both overall and per game average attendance last year. Last season's numbers were also the largest increase in average in all of the Football Bowl Subdivision. The league also averaged nearly 2,000 more fans per game than the Mid-American Conference.
Sun Belt in the BCS The Sun Belt Conference is a BCS Conference. In fact, the Sun Belt Conference is one of just 11 BCS Conferences. The Sun Belt Conference champion will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if that team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS standings or if that team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS standings and its ranking is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the of BCS bowls. In the first 10 years of the BCS arrangement, more than $100 million was distributed to conferences that do not have an annual automatic berth to one of the BCS bowls. In 2009, nine percent of the net revenues from the BCS arrangement (approximately $9.5 million) is guaranteed in aggregate to Conference USA, the Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, and Western Athletic Conferences for their participation in the BCS arrangement. When a team from one of those five conferences plays in BCS bowl game, those conferences receive an additional nine percent of net revenues. When more than one team from those conferences play in a BCS bowl game, those conferences will receive an additional $4.5 million for each additional team.
Sun Belt Football Membership The Sun Belt Conference is currently comprised of nine football playing members - Arkansas State (founding football member in 2001), Florida Atlantic (joined league as football member in 2005), FIU (joined league as football member in 2005), Louisiana-Lafayette (founding football member in 2001), ULM (founding football member in 2001), Middle Tennessee (founding football member in 2001), North Texas (founding football member in 2001), Troy (joined league as football member in 2004) and Western Kentucky University (will begin full competition in 2009) The league will expand to 10 football playing members when South Alabama enters in 2012.
Sun Belt Boasts Winning Bowl Record in Last Three Seasons Over the last three seasons the Sun Belt Conference has represented itself well in the postseason. In fact the Sun Belt Conference boasts a winning record of 3-2 in its five bowl appearances in the last three seasons.
2006 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Troy 41, Rice 17 2006 Motor City Bowl - Central Michigan 31, Middle Tennessee 14 2007 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Florida Atlantic 44, Memphis 17 2008 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Southern Miss 30, Troy 27 (OT) 2008 Motor City Bowl - Florida Atlantic 24, Central Michigan 21
Sun Belt Ties Conference Mark for Bowl Eligible Teams A record tying number of teams reached bowl eligibility last season when four teams (Troy, Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, and Louisiana-Lafayette) reached the six-win plateau to become eligible for a postseason bid. In 2006 the Sun Belt also had four bowl eligible teams (Troy, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Arkansas State) and two of those teams were selected to bowl games. 2008 also marked the first time that a 6-6 Sun Belt team (Florida Atlantic) was selected for a postseason bowl game.
Sun Belt Sends Two to Bowls For the third time in the Sun Belt Conference's brief eight year history of football the league sent multiple teams to postseason bowl games in 2008. Outright league champion Troy represented the league in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. It was the Trojans second trip to that bowl game, having played in the Superdome in 2006 as well. Troy has played in three bowl games since joining the Sun Belt in 2004. In their inaugural season in 2004 the Trojans played in the Silicon Valley Football Classic. Joining Troy in the postseason was Florida Atlantic, which rolled to a victory over Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl. The Owls made their second postseason appearance in as many years, having defeated Memphis in the 2007 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The two other seasons the Sun Belt sent two teams to bowl games were 2006 (Troy - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Middle Tennessee - Motor City Bowl) and 2004 (North Texas - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Troy - Silicon Valley Football Classic).
Notable Wins Bolster Sun Belt Conference By playing at the highest level of collegiate football - the Football Bowl Subdivision and the Bowl Championship Series - Sun Belt Conference teams continue to face noted big name programs. Sun Belt teams don't just compete though - teams from the SBC are consistently notching wins in these contests. In the opening week of the season last year, Arkansas State defeated Texas A&M which snapped the Aggies' 20-game winning streak in home openers and handed them just their fourth loss over their last 50 non-conference home games. The next week Middle Tennessee won its first-ever home game against a team from a BCS guaranteed conference with the win over Maryland. In previous season teams from the Sun Belt have taken down powers such as Alabama, Missouri, Minnesota, and Oklahoma State.
Sun Belt Conference Sweeps Mid-American Conference in 2008 Season A year after finishing ahead of the Mid-American Conference in the USA Today Sagarin Ratings, the Sun Belt Conference took advantage of its opportunities against teams from the MAC in 2008. Louisiana-Lafayette defeated Kent State 44-27 on September 13 and FIU took a 35-16 win at Toledo on September 27. To cap off a perfect season against the MAC, Florida Atlantic defeated Central Michigan 24-21 in the Motor City Bowl.
Sun Belt Conference Bowl Partners In addition to the Sun Belt Conference's tie-in with the BCS, the league has been a proud and successful partner with the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl since its inception in 2001. A team from the Sun Belt Conference will play a Conference USA opponent on December 20th in the Louisiana Superdome in that game. Additionally, teams from the Sun Belt Conference can be selected to play in the Papjohns.com Bowl, St. Petersburg Bowl, and Independence Bowl if the primary contracted partners are unable to fulfill their obligations to those bowl games.
Florida Atlantic Takes Back-to-Back Bowl Wins Florida Atlantic became the first team to win bowl games in back-to-back seasons since the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. The Owls defeated Central Michigan 24-21 in the 2008 Motor City Bowl and defeated Memphis in the 2007 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl for the front end of the achievement.
Sun Belt Conference and ESPN Agree to New Deal A new agreement with ESPN will give the Sun Belt Conference's rising football league a minimum of two games on either ESPN or ESPN2 each season. Additionally, ESPN Regional Television will have the right to produced, distribute and syndicate up to five football games each year. ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will also be granted additional opportunities to select games to air. This trio of networks will be granted a 12 day rolling window during the season to select additional games to televise. Games available for selection are after the third Saturday of the season. This provides the Sun Belt Conference additional opportunities for exposure previously not available.
Five Trojans Named to Lombardi Watch List Oklahoma, Florida, and Troy. How is that for a 1, 2, 3 ranking? When the 40th annual Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List was announced this preseason that is exactly how teams in the FBS ranked based on the number of players on the list. Five members of the Troy squad were listed and only Oklahoma (7) and Florida (6) had more players on the list, which included 153 players from 79 teams and 11 conferences. The five Trojans on the list are senior defensive ends Brandon Lang and Cameron Sheffield, senior linebackers Boris Lee and Bear Woods and senior center Danny Franks.
Arnold Takes Aim at Joining Elite List Arkansas State's Reggie Arnold enters his senior campaign as the nation's third leading rusher among active players with a career total of 3,210 yards. Arnold can also become just the eighth player in NCAA history to post four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons if he can surpass the mark again in 2009. Tyrell Fenroy, Tony Dorsett, Amos Lawrence, Denvis Manns, Ron Dayne, Cedric Benson and DonTrell Moore are the only players in NCAA history with four 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Blakeney a Hall of Famer Larry Blakeney entered his 40th year as a football coach this fall as he leads the Troy University Trojans onto the field. But the veteran coach added to his list of accomplishments this offseason as he was named to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Joining Blakeney in the class of 2009 are Steve Bolt, Tommy Brooker, Jimmy Key, Janelle Godfrey, Charley Hannah, Lee May and John Mitchell. The class will bring the total number of members of the Hall of Fame to 281, a list that includes five of the top 15 all-time athletes, according to ESPN.
Sun Belt Conference Alumni In the 2008 NFL Draft the Buffalo Bills selected three time All-Sun Belt Conference performer Leodis McKelvin from Troy with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the Draft. McKelvin signed a five-year, $19.4 million contract with the Bills with up to $12.6 million in bonuses. McKelvin, a defensive back and explosive kick returner, was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for November 2008. In the five November games, McKelvin compiled five tackles, three pass breakups, two interceptions including one that he returned 64 yards for a touchdown in a win at Kansas City. McKelvin also exploded onto the national stage as a premier kick returner taking one back for a 98-yard touchdown in the Monday Night Football game against Cleveland.
2007 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year Tyrell Johnson from Arkansas State was drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Johnson, a safety, finished his rookie season starting 7 of 16 games, recording 31 tackles. His seven starts helped propel the Vikings to the NFC North Division Championship and a playoff berth for the Vikings - the first playoff appearance for the Vikings since 2004.
2004 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year DeMarcus Ware from Troy was drafted 11th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Ware has quickly turned into one of the NFL's premier defensive players as he has been selected to the Pro Bowl in three of his four seasons with the Cowboys. So far in Ware's young career he has recorded 299 tackles, 53.5 sacks, 61.0 tackles for a loss, 18 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries (one of which he returned 69 yards for a touchdown) 13 passes defended and 1 interception which he returned 41 yards for a touchdown in 64 NFL games. Ware had a league-high 20 sacks in 2008 and finished second in the voting for the NFL Associated Press' Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Osi Umenyiora is another noted talent making headlines in the NFL. Umenyiora played for Troy and is currently a member of the New York Giants defensive front. Umenyiora, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, had 13 sacks in 2007 and helped the Giants to an NFL regular season-leading 53 sacks. This pass rush was pivotal in the Super Bowl XLII victory over the New England Patriots.
Louisiana-Lafayette has a history of sending talented players to the NFL. Brian Mitchell was one such player to make an impact in the NFL from Louisiana-Lafayette. Mitchell is the NFL's second all time leader in total yardage. In his second season with the Washington Redskins, Mitchell led the NFL in punt return yards (600) and punt return touchdowns (two), assisting his team to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXVI, where Washington defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24. Mitchell continued to play for the Redskins until 1999, leading the NFL in punt return average(14.1) and touchdowns (two) in 1994, and making a Pro Bowl selection in 1995.
Another former Louisiana-Lafayette player to make and impact in the NFL is Jake Delhomme of the Carolina Panthers. Delhomme was selected to the 2005 Pro Bowl and led the Panthers through to Super Bowl XXXVIII to face the New England Patriots. Charles Tillman of the Chicago Bears was selected with the 35th overall pick, third in the second round, of the 2003 NFL Draft from Louisiana-Lafayette.
Notable former professional football players from Sun Belt schools include Joe "Mean Joe" Greene (North Texas), and Stan Humphries (Louisiana-Monroe). Former Cleveland Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel is a graduate of Western Kentucky University.
Sun Belt Conference Team News & Notes
Arkansas State Red Wolves Senior quarterback Corey Leonard completed 23 passes for 303 yards, both season highs. Leonard broke the school record for completions with 565, passing Cleo Lemon (1997-2000). He threw at least one touchdown pass for the fifth straight game and now has 47 for his career, one short of the school record. Now with 7,255 passing yards, Leonard also became just the second player in ASU history to throw for over 7,000 yards.
Senior receiver Brandon Thompkins recorded his team-best fourth touchdown reception of the season and has now caught a touchdown pass in four of the last five games. Thompkins needs one more touchdown reception to tie the fifth most in school history for a single season. He also finished with a team-high seven receptions and is averaging over five catches per game over the last five games. Thompkins became the Sun Belt Conference's all-time leader in kickoff return yards, finishing the Louisville game with three returns for 56 yards that gives him 2,357 yards for his career.
Sophomore linebacker Demario Davis recorded at least one sack for the second straight game and now has three for the season, which ties senior defensive end Alex Carrington for the team high . . . Carrington also finished with a sack against the Cardinals and now has 15.5 for his career, which leaves him just half a sack shy of tying the fifth most in school history.
Josh Arauco became the Sun Belt Conference's all-time leader in field goals made with 51. The former record of 50 was held by Troy's Greg Whibbs (2004-07). He connected on both his field goal attempts and has now made multiple field goals in a game 17 times. Arauco also took over sole possession of second place for the most points by kicking in Sun Belt Conference history with 254 points.
Florida Atlantic Owls Quarterback Rusty Smith crossed several monumental milestones on Saturday but the Owls fell short in their only goal of winning the game. Smith threw for 304 yards which place him among just 50 quarterbacks that have thrown for 10,000 yards during their collegiate career. He also entered the game three pass attempts from capturing the consecutive pass attempts without an interception. He surpassed that but saw Middle take two during the game ending his active streak.
The Owls dropped to 2-5 on the year and 2-2 in league play and will prepare of non-conference play this week. FAU will travel to Alabama, the first of two trips in 2009, when the Owls face UAB. FAU captured the only meeting between the two schools in 2008.
Tight end Jason Harmon was named Honorable Mention Tight End of the Week by College Football Performance Awards.
FIU Golden Panthers A blocked kick by freshman defensive end Tourek Williams in the first overtime period sent the FIU Panthers to a 20-17 victory over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. As the ball fell short of the uprights, FIU players rushed the field as the Panthers defeated the Cajuns for the first time in program history. The win pushed FIU's all-time overtime record to 2-3. It was FIU's first-ever FBS overtime victory.
On the day, FIU outgained UL 395-380, including 145 to 126 on the ground, marking the first time this year that FIU outrushed an opponent. Senior Daunte Owens led the way for the FIU ground game, racking up 58 yards on just 13 carries. Darriet Perry added 47 yards and Kendall Berry picked up 23 and scored his second TD of the season.
Through the air, Paul McCall completed 22 of 41 attempts for 250 yards. His favorite target was freshman Wayne Times, who had his best game of the season, hauling in 6 balls for 60 yards.
FIU also won the battle of hidden yardage, as punter Carlos Munera averaged 48.3 yards per punt despite punting seven times. His longest kick of the day was a whopping 65 yards, and he pinned the Cajuns inside their 20 three times.
Trailing by seven with just 10 seconds to go, Paul McCall found Greg Ellingson in the back of the endzone for the game-tying touchdown. In the first overtime period, FIU had to settle for a FG attempt that Dustin Rivest banged through the uprights. When the Cajuns took over the ball, FIU linebacker Tyler Clawson took over the game. The senior made three stops, one for a one-yard gain, one for no gain and one for a two-yard loss to force the FG attempt for the Cajuns.
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas State will meet for the 38th time, with the Cajuns holding a slight edge (19-17-1). ULL is 7-9-1 in Jonesboro, although the home team has won every game in the series dating back to 1998. Five of the Cajuns seven wins in Jonesboro came between 1990-97. Coach Bustle is 4-2 vs. ASU, but 0-2 in Jonesboro - falling 39-36 in 2005 (Cajuns led that game 29-14 after three quarters) and 52-21 in 2007 (Cajuns trailed just 31-21 at the half).
ULL tight ends have combined for 47 receptions this season, while the wide receivers have combined for 66 total catches. A tight end has led the team in receptions in five of eight games this season.
The Cajuns had 18 penalties for 170 yard over their first five games, but committed 24 penalties for 196 yards in the last three games.
The Cajuns have 11 interceptions this season, becoming the first team to collect double figures in interceptions since 2003. That '03 team included four players who would eventually sign NFL contracts (C.C. Brown, Antwain Spann, Wendall Williams & Michael Adams).
The Cajuns have put together 17 drives greater than 60 yards this season. Fourteen of those drives resulted in a touchdown, while one other ended in a field goal.
ULM Warhawks Redshirt freshman Cody Wells made his second collegiate start at quarterback. Wells' three touchdown passes set a new career-high.
Wide receiver Darrell McNeal extended his consecutive games with a reception steak to 30 games - it ranks as the 13th longest active streak in the NCAA.
Running back Frank Goodin moved within 244 yards of fourth place on the ULM career rushing list after totaling 94 yards on 20 carries
ULM held Troy to just three rushing yards on 13 carries in the opening half and 50 yards on 25 carries for the game.
Aaron Morgan's interception in the second quarter was the first of his career.
Cardia Jackson moved within 21 tackles of becoming the Sun Belt Conference's all-time leading tackler. He finished the game with 12 tackles - his fourth straight game with 10+ tackles.
LaGregory Sapp has 25 catches for 454 yards over the past five games - 90.8 yards per game
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Sophomore D.D. Kyles, who made his second career start today, registered the first 100-yard rushing game of his career and the first by a Blue Raider since Phillip Tanner had 159 yards against North Texas last year. Kyles rushed 13 times for a career-best 140 yards and a touchdown with 97 of his yards coming in the second half. It went down as just the sixth 100-yard rushing game under Rick Stockstill and two of those have come against FAU.
QB Dwight Dasher recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game against FAU. The junior rushed 14 times for 108 yards, including the go-ahead fourth quarter touchdown. Dasher's 74-yard TD run was the longest of his career and the longest by a Blue Raider since Phillip Tanner went 79 yards in 2007 against Louisville for a score.
SaCoby Carter raced in to block an FAU punt in the first quarter that walk-on Sherman Neal picked up and sprinted 29 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. In the Blue Raiders' last visit to FAU, Jeremy Kellem blocked a punt that was returned for a score by Michael Cannon. The block was the first of Carter's career and the 29th for the Blue Raiders in the FBS era. The team added its 30th later in the quarter.
Senior Desmond Gee recorded 123 all-purpose yards against FAU to move up further on the all-time list at Middle Tennessee. Gee passed Vince Hall for seventh and Brigham Lyons for sixth as he ran his career total to 3,903 yards. He needs only 13 more yards to catch Mike Moore for fifth place.
Senior Marcus Udell turned in one of the best games of his career against FAU. Udell blocked an FAU field goal in the second quarter for his first career block, then on the next FAU possession, he intercepted a Rusty Smith pass to break Smith's streak of 187 attempts without a pick. Udell later added an interception in the fourth quarter to give him a team-best four for the year.
North Texas Mean Green North Texas scored 68 points in the win over Western Kentucky, setting a new school record.
The win snapped North Texas' six game losing streak, and is the Mean Green's first over a Sun Belt opponent since Oct. 13, 2007 - a span of 15 games. The win also snapped an eight game home losing streak.
Lance Dunbar rushed for 227 yards, giving him five straight games over the century mark. His 71-yard touchdown scamper was a career long and the longest play from scrimmage by North Texas this year.
Dunbar has now rushed for over 200 yards in two of his last three games. The sophomore has now run for 961 yards through eight games this year.
Quarterback Riley Dodge scrambled for touchdown runs of 18, 3 and1 yards. The efforts gave the freshman his first career multi-rushing touchdown game.
On top of the three rushing scores, Dodge also threw for four touchdowns. The seven touchdowns rank second in school history for the most touchdowns responsible by a North Texas player. The last player with more was Giovanni Vizza (8 touchdowns) in the Navy shootout loss on Nov. 10, 2007.
Eddrick Gilmore recorded the first safety by a North Texas player since Nov. 4, 2006 (vs. Louisiana-Lafayette), when he tackled Kawaun Jakes in the endzone in the fourth quarter.
James Hamilton plunged into the endzone for his first touchdown of the year on the game's opening drive. The score was the second of his career.
Troy Trojans With the win over ULM on Halloween night, the Trojans improved to 8-3-1 all-time against the Warhawks. Troy also improved to 6-2-1 all-time on Halloween.
Trojans coach Larry Blakeney posted his 150th career victory in the win over ULM. Blakeney now stands just 23 wins behind his coaching mentor, Ralph "Shug" Jordan for third among all collegiate coaches in Alabama. Blakeney improved to 56-17-1 in his career during the month of October, a .757 winning percentage for the month. The Trojans also improved to 57-1 all-time under Larry Blakeney when scoring at least 35 points. In his 19 seasons at Troy, Blakeney is 82-12-1 at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium, an .863 winning percentage.
Troy improved to 23-3 vs. Sun Belt Conference foes over the last three-plus seasons with the victory over ULM. The Trojans' .884 winning percentage in league games going back to 2006 ranks as the fourth best in the nation over that time, trailing only Boise State (26-1), BYU (25-3) and Ohio State (27-3).
QB Levi Brown continues to climb the career passing charts at Troy. With his performance against ULM, Brown moved to within 820 yards of Omar Haugabook for third in career passing yards with 4,556. With a career-high four TD passes against ULM, Brown moved into a sixth in TD passes with 29, just one behind Mike Turk for fifth place.
Junior receiver Jerrel Jernigan moved up to seventh on the Troy career list with 1,739 yards. Jernigan has 147 career receptions, good for fifth all time, just eight behind Gary Banks for fourth.
Junior running back DuJuan Harris scored a touchdown in the win over ULM, moving him to within two scores of Trojans defensive coordinator Jeremy Rowell of fifth place on the Troy career list. Harris now has 18 career rushing touchdowns.
WKU Hilltoppers Thanks to a season-high nine catches at North Texas, senior wide receiver Jake Gaebler now sits at 148 career receptions - just one away from tying the school record, and two from breaking Curtis Hamilton's mark of 149 set during his time on the Hill between 2004-07. After missing nearly three full games due to an injury, Gaebler has made up ground the past two games, combining for 15 catches and 158 receiving yards against Middle Tennessee and North Texas. His team-high 58 receiving yards against UNT also moved him into seventh on the career receiving yards list with 1,652.
Two Hilltopper receivers hauled in their first career touchdowns last week at North Texas. Tight end Jack Doyle - who had been WKU's top receiver most of the season - hauled in his first score on a three-yard pass. Marcus Vasquez also found paydirt for the first time on the Hill with a 13-yard TD reception.
The 117 combined points scored by WKU and North Texas last week were the most in a game involving a Hilltopper team. The previous total was 104 on Sept. 24, 1994 when Central Florida defeated WKU 59-45. The only other game with 100 or more combined points was a 52-50 triple-overtime win against Murray State on Sept. 6, 1997.
For the first time this season, and second time in his career, senior running back Marell Booker rushed for over 100 yards as he went for a career-high 104 on eight carries last Saturday against North Texas. It was the third 100-yard rushing performance of the season by a Hilltopper. Brandon Smith ran for 105 yards against South Florida, and Bobby Rainey went for 115 on 19 carries against Louisiana-Lafayette.
