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
Sun Belt Teams Head Towards Final Stretch
With just two weeks remaining in the season, Sun Belt teams are charging towards postseason bowl spots with Georgia Southern and UL Lafayette deadlocked in a tie atop the Sun Belt standings.
South Alabama pushed itself to its sixth win of the season with a win over Texas State this past Saturday as the Jags hit the bowl eligible mark for the second consecutive season. Interestingly, the Jags closed out their conference schedule against the Bobcats as they now travel to South Carolina on Saturday before returning home to host Navy in the final weekend of the regular season.
Despite the loss, Texas State sits with an even .500 record on the year and has two opportunities left to get bowl eligible. The first chance will come Thursday night when the Bobcats host Arkansas State in a nationally televised ESPNU affair. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. (CT). Texas State will close out the season at Georgia State.
Arkansas State will have to make a quick turnaround from its loss Saturday against Appalachian State. While A-State is bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time over the last 10 seasons, the Red Wolves are also one win away from securing a winning record for the fourth consecutive season.
The win for Appalachian State this past Saturday in Jonesboro also pushed the Mountaineers into a tie for third place with Arkansas State. They won’t get any breaks this weekend however, as they go from traveling from one defending champion from a season ago to the other – UL Lafayette.
The Cajuns rattled off their sixth consecutive win at UL Monroe on Saturday and in the process climbed to 7-3 on the year. After hosting App State, the Cajuns will travel to Troy in hopes of winning their last two games to close out the year undefeated in conference play.
A loss for the Cajuns in either of their last two games is what Georgia Southern will be hoping for as the Eagles, 7-0 in league play, would clinch no worse than a share of the Sun Belt title with a UL Lafayette loss. They could also win the title outright with a Cajuns loss and a win over UL Monroe on Nov. 29. The Eagles will enter that game well rested after this week’s bye.
Upcoming Schedule
November 20
* Arkansas State at Texas State - 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
November 22
South Alabama at South Carolina - 11 a.m. (Fox Sports Net)
Georgia State at Clemson - 2:30 p.m. (ACC Net)
* UL Monroe at New Mexico State - 3 p.m. (ESPN3)
* Appalachian State at UL Lafayette - 4 p.m. (ESPN3)
All times Central (CT) and subject to change
* denotes Sun Belt Conference game
Recent Results
November 15
* Appalachian State 37, Arkansas State 32 (ESPN3)
Navy 52, Georgia Southern 19 (CBS Sports Net)
* Troy 34, Idaho 17 (ESPN3)
* UL Lafayette 34, UL Monroe 27 (Sun Belt/ESPN3)
* South Alabama 24, Texas State 20 (ESPN3)
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)
Sun Belt Players of the Week - As selected by a media voting panel
Honorary Player of the Week
Colby Sawyer (South Alabama)
Colby Sawyer, the 11-year old inspiration to the South Alabama football team and recent signee with the program, earned recognition from the Sun Belt Conference as he was named the Honorary Sun Belt Football Player of the week on Monday.
Sawyer signed his National Letter of Intent with USA a week ago and made his first appearance with the Jags in Saturday’s contest against Texas State. Despite falling down early, Sawyer and the Jags rallied to defeat the Bobcats as they moved to 6-4 on the season.
Sawyer signed with South Alabama as part of Team Impact, which helps match kids with chronic or life-threatening illnesses to teams. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in June 2012 and had over a year of chemotherapy treatments. Sawyer is a patient at USA Children's and Women's Hospital.
His recognition by the Sun Belt Conference and his NLI signing is only part of Sawyer’s recent experience with the USA football program. Shortly after inking his papers, Sawyer was presented his own locker, a jersey and other USA team items.
Offensive Player of the Week
Marcus Cox (Appalachian State, RB, So.)
For the second time in three games, sophomore Doak Walker Award candidate Marcus Cox broke the 200-yard rushing barrier with 229 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 40 carries in Appalachian State’s 37-32 win at Arkansas State … also added 54 yards on two receptions for a season-high 283 all-purpose yards … averaged 5.7 yards per rush and 6.7 yards per touch … accounted for 139 of Appalachian State’s 176 yards in the third quarter, when the Mountaineers turned a 20-13 deficit into a 27-20 lead … 229 rushing yards is the 13th-highest single-game total in Appalachian State history … 40 carries are the third-most in school history and the most since Damon Scott had 42 totes against Chattanooga in 1996 … the 200-yard rushing game was his second of the season (250 vs. Georgia State on Nov. 1) and third of his career … he surpassed 100 rushing yards for the sixth time in 10 games this season and 12th time in his 22-game career … upped his season rushing total to 1,142 yards, becoming the first running back and second player in Appalachian State history with 1,000 rushing yards as a freshman and sophomore … the 1,000-yard rushing season is the 21st in Appalachian State overall.
Defensive Player of the Week
Montres Kitchens (Troy, DB, Jr.)
Named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, Montres Kitchens tied a Troy record as he intercepted three passes, all coming on consecutive possessions in the third quarter. Kitchens is tied for fourth nationally with six interceptions on the season and ranks eighth nationally averaging 0.55 interceptions per game. Kitchens’ second interception was a remarkable one-handed, leaping catch that was the No. 4 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10, while his third pick he took 28-yards for a touchdown. Kitchens now has six interceptions on the season, which is the most by a Troy player since 2008. Kitchens also had a team-high eight tackles in the game as Troy held Idaho scoreless and to just 120 yards of total offense in the second half.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Blaise Taylor (Arkansas State, DB, Fr.)
True freshman cornerback Blaise Taylor recorded a career-high 104 punt return yards, including a 38-yard return for a touchdown, on just three attempts during Arkansas State’s game against Appalachian State. Not only were his 104 return yards the most by a Sun Belt Conference player this season, they were the ninth most in the nation. In addition to his 38-yard touchdown return, he had a 61-yard return that set up an A-State touchdown-scoring drive at the Appalachian State 31-yard line. His return yards were the fourth most in school history, also making him just the fourth player in school history to eclipse 100 punt-return yards in a game. His touchdown return was the first by an A-State player since the 2007 season.
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.
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.
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.
Idaho’s Austin Rehkow Named Ray Guy National Punter of the Week
The Augusta Sports Council and the Ray Guy Award named Austin Rehkow of the University of Idaho as the Ray Guy Award Player of the Week for his efforts in the Vandals game against South Alabama on Saturday, September 27. Rehkow had six punts and 299 yards against the Jaguars. He averaged 49.8 yards per punt with four marked inside the 20-yard line and no touchbacks. His net average per punt was 48.7 yards. Four of Rehkow’s six punts went for 50+ yards with a long punt of 56 yards. This is Rehkow’s second career Ray Guy Award Player of the Week, with his first awarded in October 2013. Rehkow was also on the 2014 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List announced in July.
Two Sun Belt Tight Ends on Mackey Midseason List
Two Sun Belt tight ends were recently named to the 2014 John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List as Georgia State’s Joel Ruiz and South Alabama’s Wes Saxton were among the honorees. The John Mackey Award is given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end.
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 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 |
|
Appalachian State |
4 |
2 |
0.667 |
1 |
|
Troy |
52 |
29 |
0.642 |
11 |
|
UL Lafayette |
56 |
43 |
0.566 |
14 |
|
Arkansas State |
51 |
41 |
0.554 |
14 |
|
New Mexico State |
16 |
16 |
0.500 |
6 |
|
UL Monroe |
48 |
51 |
0.485 |
14 |
|
South Alabama |
10 |
13 |
0.435 |
3 |
|
Texas State |
5 |
8 |
0.385 |
2 |
|
Idaho |
8 |
25 |
0.242 |
6 |
|
Georgia State |
0 |
14 |
0.000 |
2 |
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
Red-hot Appalachian State extended its winning streak to four games with a 37-32 victory at Arkansas State on Saturday.
With the victory over the three-time-defending Sun Belt Conference champion, Appalachian State evened its overall record at 5-5 and moved to 4-2 in Sun Belt play.
Appalachian State pulled even with Arkansas State (6-4, 4-2 Sun Belt) for third place in the Sun Belt standings.
For the second-straight week, Appalachian State overcame a big deficit to win.
Last Saturday against ULM, Appalachian trailed 20-7 in the second quarter of an eventual 31-26 victory. The Mountaineers were down 20-6 in the second quarter of the win over Arkansas State.
During a 33-minute stretch of Saturday’s win at Arkansas State (from when A-State took a 20-6 lead with 7:10 to go in the second quarter until Appalachian grabbed a 37-20 advantage with 4:10 left in the game), the Mountaineers scored 31 unanswered points and out gained the Red Wolves, 400-43.
For the second time in three games, sophomore running back Marcus Cox broke the 200-yard rushing barrier with 229 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries at A-State.
Cox’s 229-yard rushing performance was the 13th-best in Appalachian State history. His career-high 40 carries rank third in the school’s all-time annals and were the most by a Mountaineer since Damon Scott toted the ball 42 times against Chattanooga in 1996.
With 1,142 rushing yards this season, Cox has become the first running back and second player in Appalachian State history to rush for 1,000 yards as a freshman and sophomore. Quarterback Armanti Edwards accomplished the feat in 2006-07.
Appalachian State collected its first win in 11 all-time games played west of the Mississippi River.
Arkansas State Red Wolves
A-State is bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time over the last 10 seasons . . . The Red Wolves need one more victory to secure a winning record for the fourth consecutive season, but just the fifth time since joining the FBS in 1992 . . . With a 4-2 Sun Belt record, A-State needs one more league win to secure a winning SBC record for the seventh season, including the last four in a row . . . The Red Wolves have won 12 of their last 14 conference road games dating back to the 2011 season . . . A-State stands 34-15 over the last four seasons . . . The Red Wolves’ Sun Belt record since 2011 is 24-5 . . . A-State stands 12-2 over its last 14 games played in the month of November . . . A-State has scored at least 30 points in 31 of its last 45 regular-season games, including the last five in a row . . . A-State has recorded at least 300 yards total offense in 55 of its last 61 games, including every game this season . . . A-State had a six-game home winning streak snapped last week with a 37-32 setback against Appalachian State . . . A-State has 17 players who have made their first career start this season . . . A-State has outscored seven opponents in the fourth quarter this season and has at least matched its opponent’s total in all 10 . . . A-State has used six different offensive starting lineups and a different defensive starting lineup in all 10 games . . . The Red Wolves had two fumble recoveries against Appalachian State, giving them at least one in three consecutive games and 11 for the season. The two fumble recoveries gave A-State 14 turnovers gained over the last three games and 24 for the season . . . Senior linebacker Qushaun Lee took over fifth place for career-tackles by a Sun Belt Conference player with 357 to his credit. He is six stops shy of former A-State safety Tyrell Johnson’s career total, which is the fourth most in league history . . . Junior quarterback Fredi Knighten has recorded a career-high four touchdowns responsible for three times this season, including last game versus Appalachian State . . . He has 15 touchdown passes this season, which is tied for the sixth most in school history . . . True freshman cornerback Blaise Taylor recorded a career-high 104 punt return yards against Appalachian State, which are the ninth most in the nation this season and the most by a Sun Belt player this season. His total included a 38-yard touchdown return, which was the first by an A-State player since 2007.
Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern (8-3, 7-0) has an open week, its second of the 2014 season, before playing host to ULM in its home finale at Allen E. Paulson Stadium on Saturday, November 29th. Kickoff for senior night is set for 6 p.m. (ET). The Eagles bring the nation’s second-longest conference game win streak (7) into the matchup with the Warhawks and will attempt to go undefeated in their inaugural year in the league.
The Eagles suffered their first loss in eight games Saturday with a 52-19 setback at Navy to snap their seven-game win streak. Midshipmen quarterback Keenan Reynolds ran for a game-high 277 of Navy’s 350 rushing yards and accounted for six rushing scores and a passing touchdown in the win. With Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida totaling more than 200 rushing yards for the second time in his career, it was just the seventh time in NCAA history, and the first time since 2005, there were a pair of 200-yard rushers in a game.
Breida’s 210 total yards on the ground, 186 coming in the second half, maintained Georgia Southern’s rushing average as the highest in the nation as the Eagles had 291 in the second half for the 375 total. The sophomore running back’s second half numbers, with 186 yards on only nine carries, gave him 20.7 yards per attempt in that period. His season average now stands at 9.43 yards per carry, just shy of a first down on every touch.
His effort included two TDs, one for 88 yards, the third longest in Georgia Southern history, and longest against Navy this season. It was the sophomore’s seventh game with 100 or more yards rushing and the two scores were his Sun Belt Conference leading 15th and 16th touchdowns of the year.
Georgia Southern started the scoring at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on senior day, but Navy responded with 31 straight points before the Eagles’ Breida would cap an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a 36-yard TD run late in the third quarter. The Midshipmen capitalized on excellent field position throughout the night and Reynolds would score twice in the fourth quarter before Breida ripped off his 88-yard TD run.
Four promising possessions ended without adding points to the Eagles’ side of the scoreboard. A fumble on a fourth-down conversion play in Navy territory early in the second quarter instead gave Navy the opportunity to add three-points on top of a touchdown in that period. A missed field goal in the third and two interceptions in the fourth thwarted any comeback attempt.
Georgia State Panthers
After an open date, Georgia State plays its third straight road game at Clemson with a 3:30 p.m. (ET)contest at Clemson Memorial Stadium. In their five seasons, the Panthers have played five previous games against schools from Power 5 conferences but none against the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Junior quarterback Nick Arbuckle leads the Sun Belt in passing (281.2 yards per game), touchdown passes (19) and total offense (279.2 ypg) while ranking second in pass efficiency (138.1).
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, 6th, 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 (5th, 52.4 per game) and receptions (4th, 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
Idaho heads into its second bye week of the season after dropping to 1-9 with its home loss to Troy.
Senior receiver Joshua McCain did notch his sixth 100-plus game with 128 yards on seven catches. With 1,115 receiving yards, he is the first Vandal to surpass 1,000 yards since Max Komar in 2009. He has the most since Antonio Wilson went for 1,203 in 1996 and has moved into ninth on the single-season list. He is one of eight players with six career games of 100 or more yards and one of only two (Kasey Dunn did it three times) to have that many in a single season.
Those numbers enabled McCain to move up to sixth in the NCAA in total receiving yards (1,115) and seventh in receiving yards per game (111.5). He is ninth in the country in receiving touchdowns with nine and 11th in receptions per game with an average of 7.3. He leads the Sun Belt in all four categories. McCain is in just his ninth month of playing receiver after spending his entire career – high school, junior college and his first year at Idaho, as a quarterback.
Austin Rehkow, who was chosen a Ray Guy Award finalist last week, continues to lead the nation in punting with an average of 47.8 yards per kick. Once this season is in the books, he will be Idaho’s career average leader. His punting ability also had enabled Idaho to lead the nation in net punting average – 43.29. Rehkow has a one-yard lead over JK Scott of Alabama and Tom Hackett of Utah in the national average.
Quayshawne Buckley and Marc Millan are tied for second in the Sun Belt and 13th nationally in tackles for loss per game (1.5) and Millan is third in the league and tied for 12th nationally in solo tackles with 6.3 per game.
UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Off to its best start in Sun Belt Conference history, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns football team will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 22, when it plays host to league newcomer Appalachian State at Cajun Field.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN3.
UL Lafayette (7-3, 6-0 Sun Belt) recorded its first-ever 6-0 start in league play after a 34-27 victory at ULM on Saturday. The Ragin’ Cajuns staked a 17-7 lead after the first quarter and never trailed as they won their sixth consecutive game after a 1-3 record in non-conference play.
Alonzo Harris rushed for 133 yards in his return to the lineup for UL Lafayette and became the third player in school history to rush for over 3,000 yards. The senior eclipsed the mark on his first carry of the game – a 54-yard rush – that would set up a Hunter Stover field goal.
Terrance Broadway completed 10 of 13 passes for 173 yards and two TDs while adding 94 yards on the ground with a 12-yard scoring run. Al Riles and freshman Gabe Fuselier each caught scoring passes for the Ragin’ Cajuns with Stover adding a pair of field goals.
With 267 yards of total offense on Saturday, Broadway moved past Brian Mitchell (8,782, 1986-89) into second place in Ragin’ Cajuns history. Now with 8,804 yards of total offense, Broadway is 73 yards shy of passing Jake Delhomme (8,876, 1993-96) as the school’s all-time leader
Defensively, Corey Trim and Trevence Patt recorded nine tackles each for UL Lafayette with Christian Ringo continuing his stellar senior campaign with a career-high tying eight tackles with career-highs in both sacks (2.5) and tackles for loss (5.5). Jake Molbert added five stops for the Ragin’ Cajuns with three tackles for loss, a pair of forced fumbles and a pair of recoveries.
As a unit, UL Lafayette registered seven sacks, forced three turnovers and limited ULM to minus-39 yards rushing – the lowest total allowed by the Ragin’ Cajuns in school history.
The win marked the 100th career victory for UL Lafayette head coach Mark Hudspeth, who is 34-15 in his fourth season with the Ragin’ Cajuns.
UL Monroe Warhawks
ULM begins a two-game road swing to close out the 2014 season as the squad travels to Las Cruces, N.M. for a Saturday afternoon contest at New Mexico State... The contest in Las Cruces will be the fourth meeting all-time between the Warhawks and the Aggies... The two programs met as Sun Belt Conference foes from 2001-2003 with New Mexico State claiming all three meetings.
Saturday’s trip to Las Cruces will be just the second trip all-time for the Warhawks... ULM fell 34-21 at New Mexico State on Oct. 19, 2002... The other two meetings in the series came in Monroe (NMSU, 31-0, Sept. 29, 2001; NMSU, 21-14, Oct. 25, 2003).
After the trip to what is labeled “The Land of Enchantment”, the Warhawks will close out the regular season on Nov. 29 when they face Sun Belt Conference newcomer Georgia Southern.
The Warhawks are coming off of a 34-27 setback to in-state rival UL Lafayette on Nov. 15... Prior to the contest against the Ragin’ Cajuns, ULM honored its group of seniors that played their final home game at the friendly confines of JPS Field at Malone Stadium.
With the loss to UL Lafayette, the Warhawks finish their 2014 home slate with a 3-2 overall record... ULM defeated Wake Forest, Idaho and Troy; the Warhawks dropped home games to Texas State and UL Lafayette.
Pete Thomas recorded his first career 400-yard passing game as he finished 38-of-52 for 472 yards and two touchdowns... Thomas also recorded a rushing TD in the contest as he was responsible for all three Warhawk TDs against the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Pete Thomas’ 472 passing yards are the fifth most in a single game by a ULM QB... It is the first 400-plus yard passing game for a Warhawk QB since Kolton Browning threw for 412 yards in the 34-31 [OT] win over No. 8 Arkansas on Sept. 8, 2012... Thomas also fell just five yards shy of a tie for fifth in the Sun Belt Conference single game record books.
Pete Thomas connected with six different receivers against UL Lafayette and each receiver caught at least one pass for 18 or more yards in the home finale... Two receivers hauled in a pass of 45 or more yards against UL Lafayette (Ajalen Holley, 49; Rashon Ceaser, 45 [TD]).
Rashon Ceaser led the Warhawks with game-highs in both catches (11) and receiving yards (120)... Ceaser’s 120 yards were just one shy of tying his season high (121, vs. Troy, Sept. 27)... The junior also hauled in a 45-yard TD with 1:47 to play, pulling the Warhawks within seven points.
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 on Nov. 8 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
South Alabama (6-4, 5-3 Sun Belt Conference) secured bowl eligibility and a winning league record for the second straight season with a 24-20 home victory over Texas State on Saturday. Trailing 17-10 at the intermission, the Jaguars limited the Bobcats to just 115 yards and three points over the final 30 minutes to come from behind when trailing at the half for the second time this fall; it’s the first occasion that USA has recovered from a halftime deficit twice in the same season, having also accomplished the feat in an Oct. 18 win over Georgia State. USA is 5-22 all-time when behind at the break, with four of those wins coming in conference contests. … The Jags defeated the Bobcats despite matching a season high with four turnovers for the second straight week. Texas State recovered fumbles on three consecutive plays in the opening quarter — a pair of runs and a kickoff return — but only managed to come away with 10 points despite starting all three possessions inside the USA-45. … The Jaguars entered play last in the SBC in third-down conversion percentage, moving the chains 33.33 percent of the time through nine outings, and were 1-of-6 in the opening half against the Bobcats. But USA went 4-of-7 57.1%) on third downs over the final 30 minutes, including converting once on the opening drive of the third quarter that tied the contest, 17-17, and twice more on the march that provided the Jags with their only lead of the night with just over 12 minutes to go in regulation. … DL Jesse Kelley led a USA defense, finishing with career highs of eight total tackles, 2½ stops behind the line of scrimmage and a pair of sacks, vaulting him into the top five on the school’s career record list in the latter category. … Making his first career start as a Jag, Hunter Vaughn completed 20-of-28 passes for 182 yards and also provided USA with its first points of the contest after hauling in a 28-yard touchdown reception from Jake Howton with 10 minutes left in the opening half; his 71.4 completion percentage was the highest recorded by a Jaguar quarterback this fall. The junior-college transfer became the third different individual to start at the position in the last three games for the Jags, the first time that has happened since the program’s inception in 2009. … Terrance Timmons joined Vaughn in making his first career start in the offensive backfield, taking advantage of the opportunity by leading the team with 74 yards rushing on just 11 attempts; it’s the first time he has been the Jags’ leading rusher since posting a career-best 76 yards against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 17, 2012. Timmons — who had gained 42 yards on the ground the previous four outings combined since recording a season-high 60 yards in an Oct. 4 win at Appalachian State — also reached the end zone for the first time since the victory in Boone to provide the final margin of victory, scoring on an eight-yard run with just over 12 minutes to go in the contest.
Texas State Bobcats
Texas State looks to even its home record to 3-3 Thursday night against Arkansas State following a 28-25 loss against Georgia Southern on Nov. 8.
The Bobcats opened the season with a 65-0 victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and won a 35-30 victory against Idaho. Texas State’s three losses were against Georgia Southern, UL Lafayette, and Navy.
Texas State enters the Arkansas State game ranked among the nation’s top seven most improved offenses in the nation with 440.4 total yards.
Texas State’s three road victories this season marks the first time the Bobcats have won three road games since the 2009 when Texas State was 3-2 in road contests. The only other time Texas State had three road wins in a season since 2005 was in 2008.
Texas State is coming off two of its best defensive performances of the season against South Alabama and Georgia Southern. The Bobcats forced four turnovers at South Alabama, including three fumble recoveries, after entering the game with just two fumble recoveries in its first nine games. The Bobcats also held Georgia Southern to a season-low 227 yards rushing and a season-low 268 total yards on offense.
Tyler Jones enters Thursday night’s game having thrown for 300 yards in each of the last two games and three times overall this season. Jones completed 25 of 42 passes for 300 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions at South Alabama. He also passed for 302 yards against Georgia Southern and a career-best 337 yards against Illinois.
Brandon Smith leads Texas State’s wide receivers with 28 catches for 318 yards and a touchdown. Smith caught 13 passes for 183 yards in the last two games against Georgia Southern and South Alabama.
David Mayo tied for a game-high 12 tackles, including four solo stops, while forcing and recovering fumbles at South Alabama…he also assisted on a tackle for a loss at South Alabama. Mayo’s 12 tackles marks the ninth time this season he has recorded 10 or more tackles. His forced fumble was his third of the season and he also recovered his first fumble this year against the Jaguars.
Troy Trojans
This was Troy’s first game in the Pacific time zone since 2004 when the Trojans played at Utah State and in the Silicon Valley Football Classic; the Trojans move to 1-2 in the Pacific time zone … The Trojans move to 2-0 all-time against Idaho. The only previous meeting between the two schools was a 47-7 victory by Troy in 2004 … Brandon Silvers’ 41-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Holmes on Troy’s opening possession was the longest touchdown play of the season for the Trojans; the previous long with a 35-yard pass from Silvers to Chandler Worthy … Brandon Silvers and Bryan Holmes hooked up again, this time for 51 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter to reestablish the mark for the longest touchdown play of the season … Bryan Holmes’ 41-yard reception for a touchdown was his sixth catch this season of 20 more yards, while his 51-yard touchdown catch pushed the total to seven catches of 20+ yards this season … Troy has now scored on its opening possession six times this season; however, this marked just the second time the Trojans had done so on the road (UAB) … Jordan Chunn’s 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter was the 20th of his career; he is now tied with former Troy quarterback Jeremy Rowell for seventh all-time in Troy history … Jordan Chunn rushed for a career-high 193 yards on 28 carries; it was his first career 100-yard rushing game of the season and the third by a Trojan this season. It was also the most yards rushing by a Troy player this season … Bryan Holmes became the first Troy player since Mykeal Terry vs. Florida Atlantic in 2006 to have two touchdown catches of 41 yards or more in a game; Terry had touchdown receptions of 54 and 67 yards … Khary Franklin caught a career-best five catches for a career-high 75 yards; Franklin finished one yard shy of a career high with 61 rushing yards … Troy did not throw an interception for the eighth time this season; it is the most games without a pick since 1996 when the Trojans went 11 games without a pick … Defensive end Tyler Roberts picked up his fifth sack of the season; he is just half a sack shy of his career high (5.5) set last season … Montres Kitchens intercepted his team-leading fourth pass of the season on Idaho’s opening possession of the second half; his four interceptions at the time were the most since Bryan Willis had four in 2009 … Montres Kitchens made a highlight reel, one-handed pick on the very next possession … Montres Kitchens picked off his third pass of the third quarter and returned it 28-yards for a touchdown … Montres Kitchens’ three picks in a game are the most since Sherrod Martin had three against Alcorn State in 2008; he is the sixth player in Troy history to intercept three passes in a game. His six interceptions this season are the most since Terence Moore had six in 2008 … Montres Kitchens also have a team-high eight tackles in the game … Garrett Peek had his first sack of the season; it came in the first game his father Mark had seen in person this year after spending six months in Afghanistan in the Air Force … Troy has intercepted 11 passes as a team this season, which is the most since the 2010 team picked off 14 passes … Troy has now forced 10 turnovers in its three victories this season; the Trojans have forced just eight turnovers in their eight losses.