Sun Belt Conference Weekly News and Notes (Complete PDF)
2014 Sun Belt Conference Media Guide
2014 Sun Belt Conference Composite Schedule
2014 Sun Belt Conference Standings

Red Wolves, Cajuns Hit Bowl Eligibility Mark; Georgia Southern Continues Winning Ways
Arkansas State and UL Lafayette earned convincing wins on Saturday as both teams picked up their sixth overall wins of the season. With the wins, both teams are now bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive season. Only once previously has a Sun Belt team been bowl eligible for more than four consecutive seasons (Troy – 5 consecutive years – 2006-2010).

While the Cajuns and Red Wolves had little problems with their opponents, Georgia Southern – unbeaten in Sun Belt play – had its toughest test of the season against a conference foe. The Eagles narrowly escaped a tight contest with Texas State, winning by a slim three-point margin. The difference for Georgia Southern was the touchdown-saving interception and return for touchdown by safety Matt Dobson at the end of the third quarter. Dobson, who racked up a game-high and career-best 12 tackles, turned a Bobcat threat into points for Georgia Southern, picking off a pass in the endzone and returning it for 100-plus yards.

Georgia Southern plays its final non-conference game of the season when it travels to the Naval Academy for a 2:30 p.m. (CT) kickoff on Saturday. The game, only the second meeting between the Eagles and the Midshipmen, will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

The aforementioned UL Lafayette football team is tied with Georgia Southern for the league lead as the Cajuns are also undefeated against Sun Belt opponents. The Cajuns will face instate rivals UL Monroe this upcoming Saturday in the Sun Belt Network game of the week on ESPN3.

Arkansas State, just a game back in the conference standings, plays its second consecutive home game when the Red Wolves host Appalachian State.

In one of the league’s most compelling games of the season, Texas State and South Alabama will meet as both teams look to gain their sixth wins of the season. Both teams are also coming off of games against the two teams tied for first place in the conference.

Upcoming Schedule

November 15
* Appalachian State at Arkansas State - 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Georgia Southern at Navy - 2:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Net)
* Troy at Idaho - 4 p.m. (ESPN3)
* UL Lafayette at UL Monroe - 6 p.m. (Sun Belt/ESPN3)
* Texas State at South Alabama - 6:30 p.m. (ESPN3)

November 20
* Arkansas State at Texas State - 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

November 22
* UL Monroe at New Mexico State - 7 p.m.
* Appalachian State at UL Lafayette - TBA
Georgia State at Clemson - TBA
South Alabama at South Carolina - TBA

All times Central (CT) and subject to change
* denotes Sun Belt Conference game

Recent Results

November 8
* Troy 45, Georgia State 21 (ESPN3)
* Arkansas State 45, South Alabama 10 (ESPN3)
* Appalachian State 31, UL Monroe 29 (ESPN3)
* Georgia Southern 28, Texas State 25 (ESPN3)
San Diego State 35, Idaho 21 (Root Sports)
* UL Lafayette 44, New Mexico State 16 (ESPN3)

November 1
Texas A&M 21, UL Monroe 16 (SEC Network)
* Appalachian State 44, Georgia State 0 (ESPN3)
* Texas State 37, New Mexico State 29 (ESPN3)
* UL Lafayette 19, South Alabama 9 (Sun Belt/ESPN3)
* Arkansas State 44, Idaho 28 (ESPN3)

Sun Belt Players of the Week - As selected by a media voting panel

Offensive Player of the Week

Taylor Lamb (Appalachian State, QB, Fr.)
Redshirt freshman Taylor Lamb accounted for 287 yards and two touchdowns and drove the Mountaineers 53 yards in 1:13 to set up the game-winning field goal with 29 seconds remaining in Appalachian State’s 31-29 victory over UL Monroe … Lamb completed 25-of-35 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns and ran three times for 11 yards against the Sun Belt Conference’s top-ranked defense … most impressively, after ULM took a 29-28 lead with 1:42 to go in the ballgame, Lamb engineered a seven-play, 53-yard drive to set up Bentlee Critcher’s game-winning 39-yard field goal … Lamb completed pivotal seven-, 12- and eight-yard passes on the go-ahead drive … Lamb became the first Appalachian State freshman quarterback since Armanti Edwards in 2006 to lead the Mountaineers to victory after trailing in the fourth quarter (Edwards led App State back from a 17-10 fourth-quarter deficit in a 27-20 double-overtime win at Georgia Southern on Oct. 21, 2006).

Defensive Player of the Week

Matt Dobson (Georgia Southern, Safety, Junior)
Safety Matt Dobson made a touchdown-saving interception in the Eagles’ endzone and returned the pick 100+yards for a score for the points that made the difference in win over Texas State. He also recorded a game-high and career-best 12 tackles against the Bobcats with nine solo tackles. For Dobson, it was his second interception return for a touchdown this season, and the play set the both the Sun Belt Conference and Georgia Southern record for longest interception return. The statistically recorded 100-yard return is tied for the longest play in Georgia Southern history, the other a 100-yard kickoff return in 1997.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Bentlee Critcher (Appalachian State, P/PK, So.)
Bentlee Critcher made the first game-winning field goal of his career, a 39-yarder with 29 seconds left in Appalachian State’s 31-29 victory over UL Monroe … the 39-yard game-winner was a career long and only the fifth-career made field goal for Critcher, who did not take over place-kicking duties on a full-time basis until four games ago … the game-winning field goal was the first to come in the fourth quarter or later for Appalachian State since Jason Vitaris made a 29-yarder to seal the Mountaineers’ 30-27 overtime win at The Citadel in 2009 … Critcher was a perfect 5-for-5 on the day (four PAT, one field goal) … additionally, two of his six kickoffs resulted in touchbacks and, as App State’s punter, he averaged 42.4 yards over five punts, including one that was downed inside the 20 yard line.

Around the Sun Belt Conference

Sun Belt sets win record vs. Non-Conference Foes
The Sun Belt Conference’s 21 non-conference wins in the 2013 season eclipsed the previous record mark of 19 set in 2012. Additionally, of note for the league’s non-conference win total was that the Sun Belt fared well against its peer opponents in the non-AQ BCS ranks during the 2013 season. The Sun Belt finished the year a combined 8-1 against members of Conference-USA (4-1), the Mid-American Conference (3-0) and the Mountain West Conference (1-0). The Sun Belt also had the best overall non-conference win percentage when comparing the four non-AQ conferences.

Sun Belt Membership
The Sun Belt Conference will contest the 2014 football season with 11 members – Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Idaho, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Texas State and Troy. UALR and UT Arlington compete as non-football playing members. The Sun Belt will have four new members in the league this year as Appalachian State and Georgia Southern were added as all-sports members and Idaho and New Mexico State were added as football playing members. Both Appalachian State and Georgia Southern bring with them highly successful football programs and each team will begin the process of transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) immediately. The 2014 Sun Belt football season will mark the debut of both in the league schedule and standings. Additionally, both the Mountaineers and Eagles will be able to compete for the league championship in football for the 2014 season. Both teams will first be eligible to compete in a spot for a postseason bowl game come the 2015 season. Idaho and New Mexico State are familiar partners of the Sun Belt Conference, having been football members from the league’s inaugural year of football in 2001 through the 2004 season. Both members played an integral part of forming the Sun Belt Conference for football and now add strength to the league. Both teams will be immediately eligible to compete for the Sun Belt football championship and also for a spot in postseason bowl games.

Sun Belt Undefeated in 2013 Bowl Games
The 2013 football season saw two teams take home bowl championship trophies, as UL Lafayette won its third consecutive R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and Arkansas State won its second consecutive GoDaddy Bowl. The Red Wolves won their second consecutive GoDaddy Bowl by defeating Ball State 23-20. The previous season the Red Wolves defeated Kent State in the annual bowl game played in Mobile. The Red Wolves have made three consecutive appearances in the game, having lost to Northern Illinois in their first appearance. The Ragin’ Cajuns closed the 2013 football season with a 9-4 record that included a share of the 2013 Sun Belt Conference title and a 24-21 win over Tulane in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

Preseason Awards Candidates
Paul Hornung Award Watch List - Rashon Ceaser, UL Monroe, J.D. McKissic, Arkansas State; Lou Groza Award Watch List - Maxwell Johnson, New Mexico State; Ray Guy Award Watch List - Austin Rehkow, Idaho Justin Manton, UL Monroe; Rimington Award Watch List-Bryce Giddens, Arkansas State, Mike Marboe, Idaho, Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, New Mexico State; John Mackey Award Watch List- Darion Griswold, Arkansas State; Wes Saxton, South Alabama; Jim Thorpe Award Watch List - Sterling Young, Arkansas State, Rocky Hayes, Arkansas State; Biletnikoff Award Watch List -Rashon Ceaser, UL Monroe, Wes Saxton, South Alabama, Shaverez Smith, South Alabama, Jamal Robinson, UL Lafayette; Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List - Justin Hamilton, UL Lafayette,Gerrand Johnson, UL Monroe, Qushaun Lee, Arkansas State, Mykhael Quave, UL Lafayette, Daniel Quave, UL Lafayette, Tyler Roberts, Troy, Dominique Tovell, UL Lafayette, David Mayo, Texas State, Davey O’Brien Watch List - Terrance Broadway, UL Lafayette; Dick Butkus Award Watch List - Michael Orakpo, Texas State; Doak Walker Award Watch List - Marcus Cox, Appalachian State, Michael Gordon, Arkansas State, Alonzo Harris, UL Lafayette, Robert Lowe, Texas State; Maxwell Award Watch List - Qushaun Lee, Arkansas State; All-State Sugar Bowl Manning Award Watch List - Terrance Broadway, UL Lafayette.

Sun Belt Bowl Games
The Sun Belt Conference maintains primary bowl tie-ins with the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the GoDaddy Bowl and the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. A team from the Sun Belt Conference has played in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl since its inception in 2001. The SBC has won five consecutive R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl games and seven out of the last eight. The GoDaddy bowl matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and Mid-American Conference. Arkansas State has helped lead the Sun Belt to two consecutive wins in the GoDaddy Bowl. The Camellia Bowl will match-up the Sun Belt Conference against the Mid-American Conference beginning in December. The game will be played yearly at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.

Come 2015, the Cure Bowl will feature a team from the Sun Belt Conference against the American Athletic Conference. The game will be played yearly at the newly renovated Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the weekend before the Christmas holiday. The Cure Bowl is the first of its kind to combine the passions of college football with the goal of supporting breast cancer research.

The Sun Belt Conference will also be part of the rotation for the newly created Bahamas Bowl and Miami Beach Bowl.

With the 2014-15 year marking the debut of the College Football Playoff (CFP) the Sun Belt continues to find itself among the 10 premier college football conferences and the new system is guaranteed universal access based on performance – there are no automatic qualifiers for the playoff system. Additionally, the CFP will mean that a spot among the premier bowl games of college football will be guaranteed to the highest-ranked champion from the “Group of Five” conferences: the Sun Belt Conference, American Athletic Conference, Mountain West Conference, Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.

Georgia State’s Ruiz Named John Mackey Tight End of Week
Georgia State tight end Joel Ruiz was named John Mackey Tight End of the Week after his season opening performance in the Panthers’ 38-37 win over Abilene Christian. Ruiz, a junior from Kingsland, Ga., had a career-best game with seven receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

A-State’s Greve Added to Rimington Trophy?Watch List
Arkansas State senior center Tyler Greve has been added to the 2014 Rimington Trophy Watch List. Greve joins 55 other players across the nation on the watch list for the award presented annually to the nation’s premier college center. Greve is the fourth A-State player ever named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List.

Five Sun Belt Punters Named 2014 Ray Guy Award Candidates
The Augusta Sports Council recently announced the nominees for the 2014 Ray Guy Award, which identifies the nation’s top collegiate punter. Among the nominees were five Sun Belt punters - Luke Ferguson of Arkansas State, Austin Rehkow of Idaho, Daniel Cadona of UL Lafayette, Will Johnson of Texas State and Justin Manton of UL Monroe.

Sun Belt Bowl Game Winning Percentage
Over the last five years the Sun Belt Conference ranks second out of the 10 FBS conferences in postseason bowl game winning percentage. In fact, the Sun Belt Conference ranks ahead of noted leagues – the ACC, Pac-12 and the Big Ten.

Conference	Winning %
SEC	0.625
Sun Belt	0.571
Mountain West	0.538
C-USA	0.536
Big 12	0.513
Pac-12	0.500
ACC	0.439
American	0.400
Big Ten	0.385
MAC	0.346

All-Time Sun Belt Standings for Current Members (Sorted by Winning Percentage)

School	Wins	Losses	Percentage	Years in Sun Belt
Georgia Southern	7	0	1.000	1
Troy	51	29	0.638	11
Appalachian State	3	2	0.600	1
Arkansas State	51	40	0.560	14
UL Lafayette	54	44	0.551	14
New Mexico State	16	16	0.500	6
UL Monroe	48	50	0.490	14
Texas State	5	6	0.455	2
South Alabama	9	13	0.409	2
Idaho	8	24	0.250	6
Georgia State	0	14	0.000	2

UL Lafayette Football Honored for Academic Performance
The UL Lafayette football team was recognized recently for having the highest grade point averages in the Sun Belt Conference last school year. This year’s Sun Belt Team Academic Award will be presented to the Cajuns as they had the highest average GPA of all Sun Belt football teams. The academic award is calculated by totaling individual GPAs of team members, then dividing by the total number of student-athletes on that particular team. All GPAs are based on the previous school year and include the total GPA for the year (not the average of semesters).

Georgia Southern’s Frye Named a Candidate for Senior CLASS Award
Georgia Southern offensive tackle Garrett Frye has been selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS Senior and have notable achievements in the four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

Georgia Southern University’s Male Student-Athlete for both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years as well as earning first-team All-America honors, Frye was a 2013 CoSIDA/Capital One Division I Academic All-District selection. He owns a 3.77 cumulative grade point average in the Exercise Science curriculum.

UL Lafayette’s Cadona Named Ray Guy National Punter of the Week
UL Lafayette punter Daniel Cadona was named the Ray Guy National Punter of the Week following his performance against Ole Miss on Sept. 13. Cadona, a native of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia averaged 51.1 yards on seven attempts for the Ragin’ Cajuns against the No. 14-ranked Rebels. Cadona, who recorded a net average of 48.7 yards, recorded punts of 50 yards or greater on his first six attempts and placed three inside the Ole Miss 20-yard line.

Sun Belt to Expand Live Event Distribution with ESPN3
The Sun Belt Conference and ESPN announced recently a content expansion within their agreement that will result in the exclusive distribution of up to an additional 50 Sun Belt events on ESPN3 - ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network.

“ESPN continues to live up to its billing as the ‘Worldwide Leader in Sports’ with the advances that it has made in digital content,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson. “ESPN3 and WatchESPN have revolutionized how viewers consume sports – we are excited to be part of that and eager to display the Sun Belt to the 92 million homes that ESPN3 reaches.”

Fans will begin seeing the product of the expanded agreement this fall when a number of Sun Belt football games will be exclusively produced and distributed on ESPN3. The fall sports season will also feature the conference’s Women’s Soccer, Men’s Soccer, and Volleyball Championships on the network. A number of men’s and women’s regular-season basketball games will be available along with every contest from the 2015 Sun Belt Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. Baseball will be featured heavily in the spring with a run of regular-season games and up to seven matchups from the conference championship being made available. Several games from the 2015 Softball Championship will also be carried on ESPN3.

The deal that has been struck will also be instrumental in the future of airing more live events as the conference and ESPN will work jointly to develop a school production based model. This will result in Sun Belt members being able to deliver high quality productions that can be featured on ESPN3 throughout the year.

Sun Belt Conference Head Football Coaches Teleconference
Every Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:47 a.m. beginning August 25 to November 24
All times Central (CT) and subject to change
Contact John McElwain (mcelwain@sunbeltsports.org) for info

10:30 a.m. – Announcements – If Necessary
10:30 a.m. – Scott Satterfield, Appalachian State
10:37 a.m. – Willie Fritz, Georgia Southern
10:44 a.m. – Dennis Franchione, Texas State
10:51 a.m. – Larry Blakeney, Troy
10:58 a.m. – Paul Petrino, Idaho
11:05 a.m. – Doug Martin, New Mexico State
11:12 a.m. – Blake Anderson, Arkansas State
11:19 a.m. – Mark Hudspeth, UL Lafayette
11:26 a.m. – Todd Berry, UL Monroe
11:33 a.m. – Trent Miles, Georgia State
11:40 a.m. – Joey Jones, South Alabama

Sun Belt Conference Video Feed
Contact Travis Llewellyn (llewellyn@sunbeltsports.org) for info.

The Sun Belt Conference will provide a weekly video feed of head coach interviews and game highlights each Tuesday during the 2014 football season. The video feed will be made available exclusively through a digital download this season using the website https://sunbeltsports.egnyte.com/. New videos made available on this site will be uploaded on Tuesday of each week by 2 p.m. The videos will also be maintained and archived throughout the season. Members of the media may also find supplementary content on this site such as logos and photos. For login information please contact Travis Llewellyn (llewellyn@sunbeltsports.org) or John McElwain (mcelwain@sunbeltsports.org).

Team News and Notes

Appalachian State Mountaineers
Appalachian State has won three-consecutive games, all in Sun Belt Conference play, to move to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in league action.

Appalachian State’s three-game winning streak is its longest since it won the final three games of the 2012 regular season.

A 39-yard field goal by sophomore Bentlee Critcher with 29 seconds remaining lifted Appalachian State to its third-straight win, a 31-29 triumph over UL Monroe last Saturday.

Appalachian State trailed ULM, 23-21, going into the fourth quarter but the teams exchanged the lead three times in the final 6:10 of the thriller.

The win was Appalachian State’s first when trailing after three quarters since Nov. 3, 2012, when it overcame a 28-24 deficit to defeat Georgia Southern, 31-28.

After ULM took a 29-28 lead with 1:42 remaining, Appalachian State redshirt freshman quarterback Taylor Lamb drove the Mountaineers 53 yards in 1:13 to set up Critcher’s winning field goal. Lamb is the first Appalachian State freshman quarterback to engineer a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or later since Armanti Edwards led the Mountaineers back from a 17-10 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Georgia Southern, 27-20, in double overtime on Oct. 21, 2006.

Critcher’s game-winning field goal was the first by a Mountaineer in the fourth quarter or later since Jason Vitaris’ 29-yarder sealed Appalachian State’s 30-27 overtime win at The Citadel on Oct. 3, 2009.

The 39-yard field goal was a career-long for Critcher, who is 5-for-7 on field-goal attempts since taking over as the Mountaineers’ full-time place-kicker four games ago.

Appalachian State won for the first time in nine all-time games versus opponents from the state of Louisiana.

This Saturday against Arkansas State, Appalachian State will attempt to snap one of the dubious streaks in program history. The Mountaineers are 0-10 all-time when playing west of the Mississippi River.

Arkansas State Red Wolves
A-State claimed its sixth victory of the season with a 45-10 win over South Alabama, matching (2012) its second most ever through nine games since joining the FBS in 1992 . . . A-State is bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time over the last 10 seasons . . . A-State is bowl eligible after just nine games for the third time since joining the FBS in 1992 . . . The Red Wolves have won six consecutive games at Centennial Bank Stadium and are 20-2 over their last 22 home games . . . A-State has won back-to-back games and improved to 34-14 over the last four seasons . . . With a 4-0 record at Centennial Bank Stadium this year, A-State has secured a winning home record for the 10th consecutive season . . . With its win over the Jaguars, the Red Wolves improved their Sun Belt record since 2011 to 24-4 . . . The Red Wolves now stand 12-1 over their last 13 games played in the month of November . . . A-State has scored at least 30 points in 30 of its last 44 regular-season games, including the last four in a row . . . A-State has scored at least 40 points in four consecutive games for the first time in school history, averaging 45.3 points per game over that span . . . A-State has recorded at least 300 yards total offense in 54 of its last 60 games, including every game this season . . . The Red Wolves have posted at least 400 yards total offense in six games this season, including the last five in a row . . . Including South Alabama, A-State has held five opponents to 14 points or less this season - its most since 1986 when it did so 10 times . . . A-State has won 17 consecutive games when holding an opponent to 17 points or less . . . The A-State defense limited South Alabama to just 201 yards total offense, the fewest by an A-State opponent this season . . . The Red Wolves have held three opponents to under 300 yards this season.

Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern (8-2, 7-0) plays its final non-conference game of the season when it travels to the Naval Academy for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, November 15th. The game, only the second meeting between the Eagles and the Midshipmen, will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

The two teams have battled for the highest rushing average nationally with Georgia Southern claiming that honor for the seventh-straight week, now at 386.5 rushing yards per game to Navy’s 350.4, second-highest nationally. The Eagles and Midshipmen last met in 2010 with Navy taking a 13-7 win in the second game of the season. Both teams would continue to postseason play with the Eagles recording their first double-digit win season since 2002.

Georgia Southern has an open week next week, Nov. 22, before playing host to UL Monroe at Allen E. Paulson Stadium for its final Sun Belt Conference game on Saturday, November 29th.

The Eagles recorded their seventh-straight win and seventh-straight Sun Belt Conference victory, 28-25 at Texas State. Those streaks are now the fifth-longest win streak and third-longest conference game win streaks in the country. Georgia Southern jumped out to a 21-3 lead early on two Matt Breida scores and an L.A. Ramsby rushing touchdown, but the Bobcats held the Eagles scoreless in the fourth quarter to pull within three points. The difference for Georgia Southern was the touchdown-saving interception and return for touchdown by safety Matt Dobson at the end of the third quarter.

Dobson, who racked up a game-high and career-best 12 tackles, turned a Bobcat threat into points for Georgia Southern, picking off a pass in the endzone and returning it for 100-plus yards. Dobson’s 100 interception return yards on the play set a Georgia Southern and Sun Belt Conference record and it broke the Eagles’ previous long interception return of 98 yards set in 1999. The 100-yard play ties the longest play in Eagle football history, a 100-yard kickoff return in 1997. It was his second interception return for a touchdown this year which ties him for second on the Georgia Southern single-season and career list.

With his sixth game with 100 or more yards rushing, Breida led the Eagles with 120 yards on the ground and his two touchdowns. Kevin Ellison is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark for the season, adding 62 yards to his total. His 41-yard cross-field jaunt put Georgia Southern inside the Bobcat 10 and set up Breida’s first TD. Ramsby had 45 yards, 34 coming on the Eagles’ second scoring drive and his four-yard score.

With the three rushing touchdowns Saturday, Georgia Southern added to its Sun Belt Conference single-season record with 49 and stands at 3,865 rushing yards on the year, also a league record. This 2014 Eagle team matches its seven conference-win total from 2011 and seven-game league win streak from the 2002 season.

Georgia State Panthers
Georgia State has an open date next week before finishing the season at nationally-ranked Clemson (Nov. 22) and home vs. Texas State (Nov. 29).

Junior quarterback Nick Arbuckle leads the Sun Belt in passing (281.2 yards per game), pass efficiency (138.1) and touchdown passes (19) while ranking second in total offense (279.2 ypg).

With 293 yards passing and three touchdowns against Troy, Arbuckle set four Georgia State records. Arbuckle now has 19 touchdown passes to break the Georgia State season and career records (previous season record, 18 by Drew Little in 2010; previous career record, 18 by Little and Ronnie Bell). He raised his season totals to 2,812 yards passing (previous record: 2,573 by Bell in 2013), and 2,799 yards of total offense (previous record: 2,686 by Bell in 2013).

Arbuckle needs 313 yards passing, 500 yards of total offense and 14 completions to become Georgia State’s career leader in those categories. He currently has 2,812 yards passing (record: 3,124 by Ronnie Bell), 2,799 yards of total offense (record: 3,29 yards by Bell) and 214 completions (record: 227 by Drew Little).

Senior wide receiver LynQuez Blair had a career-high nine catches against Troy, including touchdown receptions of 13 and 19 yards. Blair moved into the top five on Georgia State’s career lists for receptions (55), receiving yards (594) and touchdown receptions (5).

Georgia State has three players among the league’s top 10 in receptions (Donovan Harden, 7th, 5.2 pg; LynQues Blair, 9th, 4.3 pg; tight end Joel Ruiz, 10th, 4.2 pg) and two among the top 10 in receiving yards (Harden, 3rd, 79.6 pg; Robert Davis, 8th, 58.6 pg).

Harden is second in the Sun Belt with seven touchdown receptions. He needs just one more to tie the Georgia State season record.

Ruiz ranks among the top five in the nation in receiving yards (3rd, 52.4 per game) and receptions (5th, 4.2 pg) by a tight end.

Linebacker Joseph Peterson is third in the Sun Belt in tackles, averaging 10.1 per game.

Idaho Vandals
Saturday’s home finale against Troy is Idaho’s Senior Night and the Vandals will bid farewell to 19. Of those 19, nine have been at Idaho throughout their careers and one, center Mike Marboe, has started every game of his Vandal career.

Joshua McCain’s 101 yards against San Diego State marked his fifth 100-plus game of the season and put him within 13 yards of the 1,000-yard mark. With two games to play, he likely will become the first Vandal since Max Komar in 2009 to pass the 1,000-yard mark. He would be the fourth of this century. He also makes it onto another Vandal list – players with five or more career games of 100 or more yards. His five make him the 16th player in Idaho history to achieve this milestone. Nationally, McCain is eighth in total receiving yards (987), nine in yards per game (109.7), tied for ninth in receptions per game (7.3) and tied for 11th in receiving touchdowns (8).

Austin Rehkow averaged 43.3 yards per kick on three punts at San Diego State but still holds his No. 1 position in the national average of 48.1. He is on track to breaking the single-season punting average mark he set last season (47.8) and will become the career punting average leader.

Linebacker Marc Millan had his fifth 10-plus tackle outing with 10 against San Diego State. He is tied for 19th nationally in solo tackles per game (6.0), 23rd nationally in total tackles per game (9.7) and 33rd in tackles for loss (1.3)

Idaho’s tackles-for-loss leader, Quayshawne Buckley, is tied for fifth nationally with 1.4 per game.
Sophomore quarterback Chad Chalich, who started the first seven games of 2013, had his first start since he sustained a shoulder injury at Arkansas State on Oct. 12, 2013. He rushed for 67 yards and threw for 145. He scored one rushing touchdown (13 yards) and threw for a second (51 yards to McCain).

UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns football team will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, when it travels to face Sun Belt Conference rival ULM in a 6 p.m. contest at JPS Field at Malone Stadium.

Fresh off its fifth consecutive victory with a 44-16 defeat of New Mexico State on the road, UL Lafayette (6-3, 5-0 Sun Belt) became bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive season under head coach Mark Hudspeth. Since competing in the Sun Belt Conference in football beginning in 2001, Louisiana has twice won six league games (2011 and 2012)

The Ragin’ Cajuns scored 28 unanswered points after NM State took a 3-0 lead. Terrance Broadway threw three touchdown passes in the game and Elijah McGuire posted his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game (136) with a pair of touchdowns.

Louisiana gained 402 yards of total offense against NM State, including 224 on the ground. McGuire, Effrem Reed and Darius Hoggins each scored touchdowns for the Ragin’ Cajuns while Jared Johnson caught a pair of touchdown passes. Tracy Walker (2 interceptions) spearheaded a defensive unit that produced four turnovers and allowed 307 yards of total offense - nearly 130 yards below the Aggies’ season average. Jevante Watson added an interception for the Ragin’ Cajuns, which entered the game with three interceptions on the season.

The 28-point margin of victory for the Ragin’ Cajuns was the best on the road under Mark Hudspeth and the best since a 59-30 win at North Texas in 2008.

UL Lafayette looks to record a 6-0 start in Sun Belt Conference play for the first time ever.

UL Lafayette head coach Mark Hudspeth needs one victory to record the 100th of his career. Hudspeth, who is 33-15 in his fourth season at UL Lafayette and 99-36 overall, was 66-21 in seven years at Division II North Alabama.

With his next victory at UL Lafayette, Hudspeth would tie Clement J. McNaspy (34-15-4 from 1908-11, 1913, 1917-18) for fifth-place on the school’s career wins list.

McGuire needs 88 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark in a season. McGuire would be the fourth player (QB Brian Mitchell, QB Michael Desormeaux, RB Tyrell Fenroy) and second RB (Fenroy) in school history to accomplish the feat.

UL Monroe Warhawks
ULM will close out its 2014 home slate on Saturday night as it hosts in-state rival UL-Lafayette... The 50th meeting all-time between the Warhawks and the Ragin’ Cajuns is set for a 6 p.m. kick-off and the game will air on ESPN3.

Saturday’s contest against UL Lafayette will also be Senior Night and the Warhawks will honor its 14 seniors during a special pre-game ceremony.

ULM owns a 3-1 mark at home this season as the Warhawks picked up wins over Wake Forest (Aug. 28), Idaho (Sept. 6) and Troy (Sept. 27)... It’s only home loss was against Texas State (Oct. 25).

After Saturday’s game at home against UL Lafayette, the Warhawks will hit the road for its final two games as it travels to New Mexico State (Nov. 22) and Georgia Southern (Nov. 29).

ULM is coming off of a heartbreaking 31-29 loss at Appalachian State on Nov. 8... The back-and-forth affair in Boone, N.C. featured seven lead changes, including three in the final 6:10 of the contest.

The Warhawk defense limited Appalachian State to 104 rushing yards, which was more than 150 yards below its season average... The Mountaineers entered the contest averaging 258.0 rushing yards per game.

Justin Manton set a new career-high as he registered 11 points in the contest against the Mountaineers... Manton, for the third straight week and fourth time this season, connected on all three FG attempts... He also was a perfect 2-for-2 on PATs en route to his 11 point night.

With his 11 points at Appalachian State, Justin Manton now sits just two points shy of sole possession of second place in the ULM record book for career scoring... Manton has 231 career points and is chasing Rob Tallent (1989-92) who had 232 points (40 FGs and 120 PATs) during his career... Teddy Garcia (1984-87) holds the record with 246 career points (56 FGs and 71 PATs).

Pete Thomas had a hand in all three touchdowns at Appalachian State as he connected with Kenzee Jackson and Ajalen Holley for two passing TDs... Thomas also recorded a rushing TD against the Mountaineers.

Michael Johnson led the Warhawk defense with nine total tackles (six solo, three asst)... He also matched his career-high with 2.5 tackles for loss.

New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State drew first blood, but Sun Belt Conference title contender UL Lafayette countered with the next 28 points as the Ragin’ Cajuns handed the Aggies a 44-16 loss Saturday night at Aggie Memorial Stadium.

NM State (2-8, 1-5 Sun Belt Conference) dropped its eighth straight, while UL Lafayette (6-3, 5-0) won its fifth straight.

Aggie quarterback Tyler Rogers finished the night with 204 yards and one touchdown on 19-of-34 passing. Teldrick Morgan led all receivers with 117 yards and a touchdown on eight catches.

Morgan also recorded a career-high 56-yard punt return in the fourth quarter, the longest punt return for NM State on the season. Xavier Hall recorded 47 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown for the Aggies on the ground.

The Cajuns recorded 402 yards of total offense, with 244 rushing and 158 through the air, compared to the Aggies 307 yards of offense. The Aggies had a tough time converting third downs, going 6-of-17 on the night.

The Aggies enjoy a bye next weekend, taking on UL Monroe in Las Cruces Saturday, Nov. 22, at 2 p.m. (MT). UL Monroe is 3-6 on the season and 2-3 in Sun Belt play.

South Alabama Jaguars
Playing without five starters, USA fell for the second week in a row on the road, 45-10, at Arkansas State on Saturday, the Red Wolves’ third straight win in the series. It was the largest margin of defeat in program history; the previous mark of 31 points came in a 41-10 decision in the 2011 season finale against Cal Poly. … The Jaguars will conclude Sun Belt Conference play with a match-up at Ladd-Peebles Stadium against Texas State this week, the second straight year they will wrap up league action at home. … USA will celebrate Hall of Fame weekend as part of the Bobcats visit, with the induction of four individuals as part of the Class of 2014 — Ronnie Powell (baseball, assistant coach, 1987-06), Henry “Dock” Richardson (baseball, 1965-68), Shaun Rothuysen (men’s soccer, 1993-95) and Virgil Stanescu (men’s basketball, 1999-01). … Senior Davin Hawkins led the Jaguars at Arkansas State with a career-best 14 total tackles, tying for the most by a USA defensive player this fall while pacing all individuals in the contest; one of those stops was behind the line of scrimmage, and he also broke up his first pass since the season opener at Kent State on Sept. 6. It was the first the senior has posted a double-digit tackle total as well as the first time he has topped the squad in the category since the win over the Golden Flashes. … PK Aleem Sunanon set the school career record with his 26th field goal since the start of last season, hitting from 41 yards out in the final seconds of the first quarter for the Jags’ first points of the day. The sophomore tacked on an extra-point in the final period as well to move up to sixth on the USA season record list with 37, which also gave him the team lead in the category for the first time this fall. … Terrance Timmons provided the Jaguars with their longest play of the day in the third quarter on a 50-yard catch, as he would lead the team with 61 all-purpose yards against the Red Wolves. The junior is the first individual in the program to record gains of 20 or more yards three different ways — he’s done it with a run and a kickoff return — in a season since T.J. Glover in 2012. … DE Theo Rich was credited with an assist behind the line of scrimmage when he helped stop Michael Gordon for a one-yard loss on fourth down inside the Jag 10-yard line early in the second quarter at ASU, becoming just the fifth individual in USA history to record a double-figure total in the category in a season. The senior has made at least one stop behind the line in five of the last six contests. … Junior LB Demarius Rancifer tied a career high against the Red Wolves after collecting seven total tackles for the third time this fall. All three of those outings have come against Sun Belt opponents, as all 29 of Rancifer’s stops in his first season with the program have come in league games.

Texas State Bobcats
Texas State travels to South Alabama this Saturday looking for its sixth overall win and fourth road win of the season. The Bobcats are 3-1 in road games this season after winning their last three road games at Tulsa, UL Monroe and New Mexico State.

Texas State held Georgia Southern to a season-low 268 total yards and a season-low of 227 yards rushing. It also was the fewest total yards the Bobcats have allowed since opening the season holding Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 215 yards.

Tyler Jones threw for 300 yards in a game for the second time this season when he completed 30 of 51 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia Southern. His two TD passes mark the fourth time this season he has thrown multiple touchdown passes this season.

Jones has thrown 17 touchdown passes this season and ties him for sixth place on Texas State’s single season list and ranks second among Sun Belt Conference leaders this season.

Ryan Carden recorded his first touchdown catch of the season with a career-long 32-yard reception against Georgia Southern.

Lawrence White recorded a season-best four receptions for 41 yards and one touchdown against Georgia Southern. It marks the second straight game in which he has caught a touchdown pass. He enters the South Alabama game with seven catches for 95 yards and two TDs.

Will Johnson recorded two 50-yard punts against Georgia Southern with kicks of 53 yards and 52 yards. He enters the South Alabama contest with 11 50-yard punts this season. He also had three touchbacks on his three kickoffs against Georgia Southern and has 29 touchbacks on 47 kickoffs this season.

Texas State had a season-best 81 yards on four kickoff returns as Terrence Franks returned three kicks for 59 yards. Brandon Smith also has one return for 22 yards. Smith leads the Bobcats with 13 returns for 281 yards this season.

Troy Trojans
Troy’s win over Georgia State was head coach Larry Blakeney’s 100th win at home … Blakeney passed Shug Jordan and now is in sole possession of third place in Alabama history with 177 career victories … Redshirt freshman Jalen Harris caught a career-long pass for 14 yards … Redshirt freshman Josh Anderson scored his first career touchdown on a 6-yard run … Redshirt freshman Keith Johnson rushed for a career-long 16-yard gain … The Trojans’ opening drive was the longest drive of the season, taking 6:41 off the clock … Redshirt freshman Josh Anderson had a career-high 23 rushing yards … GSU game marked the third game this season with multiple touchdown drives of 10 plays or more for Troy … Troy’s 21-7 lead at halftime marks the first halftime lead since a 20-7 lead against New Mexico State on October 11, 2014 … Troy’s 21-7 halftime lead tied for largest halftime lead of the season (Abilene Christian, 21-7) … Redshirt freshman Brandon Silvers rushed for a 30-yard touchdown, the longest rush of Silvers’ career … Silvers’ 30-yard touchdown run is the longest rushing touchdown for a Troy QB since Deon Anthony rushed for 33 yards for a score against FIU on October 20, 2012 … Troy’s 45-14 lead over Georgia State in the fourth quarter with 9:48 to go marked the largest lead of the season for Troy (31) … Sophomore Jordan Chunn rushed for his 19th career touchdown, which ranks 8th in Troy history … Junior Brandon Burks rushed for 118 yards, which is his fifth career game rushing over 100 yards … Troy rushed for a season-high five touchdowns; marking the most rushing touchdowns in a game since Western Kentucky on Nov. 7, 2009 (5) … First time in Troy’s FBS history it had five players with rushing touchdowns in a game; marks the first time since October 15, 1994 vs. Charleston Southern Troy had five players rush for a TD (6 players rushed for 7 TDs) … Senior Khary Franklin’s 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the longest TD run of the season for Troy … Troy rushed for 324 yards, the second most by the team this year; marks the 6th 300-yard rushing game in Troy’s FBS history and second of the season … Troy’s 45 points is the most for the Trojans in a Sun Belt game since UL Lafayette in November 2009 … Senior Brandon Timmons was credited with the first sack of his career. … Senior Ethan Davis intercepted the first pass of his career … Troy now has eight interceptions this season, the most interceptions for a Troy team since 2011 … Junior Montres Kitchen intercepted his third pass of the season, tying Femi Odaibo for the team lead .. Redshirt freshman Jamal Stadom forced the second fumble of his career … Junior Tray Hall recovered the first fumble of his career … Troy’s defense had three takeaways today, the second most this season (New Mexico State, 4) … Senior Anthony Williams had his first sack and first forced fumble in a Troy uniform … Redshirt freshman Jamal Stadom recorded a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss … Redshirt freshman Aaron Herring saw his first action of the season … Freshman John Johnson had a gain of 21yards on his first career kickoff return … Ryan Kay kicked a 44-yard field goal. On the season, he is now 4-of-4 from 40-yards plus; he is also 5-of-5 in Sun Belt games.