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

5 and 5: Five Home Contests and Five Away Games on tap for Week 3
New Mexico State and UL Monroe got Sun Belt Conference play started off on the right foot this past Saturday with their respective conference wins over Georgia State and Idaho. Those two teams will share the top spot in the Sun Belt rankings through the month of September as neither team plays another Sun Belt contest until October 4.

Elsewhere around the Sun Belt, South Alabama began their season with a win against Kent State after having an off week to start the season. The Jaguars had a big day from senior running back Jay Jones as he paced the USA offensive attack with 102 yards and two touchdowns on 21 rushes.

Adding to the collection of winners on Saturday were both Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. Both teams are making their debut as Football Bowl Subdivision members this season and their wins on Saturday marked their first as members of the FBS.

Appalachian State will take a breather in week three of the season, but all of the other ten Sun Belt members will be on the gridiron come Saturday. Five home games and five away games are on tap – all of which are non-conference games. Notably, the five home games are the most non-conference home games that the Sun Belt will have this year. Among the featured home contests is South Alabama hosting Mississippi State and the fact that two military academies will travel to Sun Belt stadiums as Navy plays at Texas State and Air Force plays at Georgia State. Idaho hosts a “Group of Five” opponent in Mid-American Conference member Western Michigan and Troy hosts the second to last game against an FCS opponent this year in the Sun Belt.

Road contests this week feature Arkansas State’s visit to Miami to play the Hurricanes in the first of a “home-and-home” series. The Red Wolves will host Miami in 2017. Georgia Southern will face a former Eagles head coach when they play Paul Johnson’s Georgia Tech squad. Johnson coached five seasons in Statesboro and won two I-AA national championships during his time there. UL Lafayette and UL Monroe play at Southeastern Conference foes as the Cajuns travel to play Mississippi and the Warhawks head south to play at LSU. New Mexico State does not travel far for its road contest in El Paso against the Miners of UTEP. That game has become known as the “ Battle of I-10” because the two universities are located along Interstate 10 connecting El Paso and Las Cruces.

Upcoming Schedule

September 13
Georgia Southern at Georgia Tech - 11 a.m. (ACC RSN)
Air Force at Georgia State - 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
Arkansas State at Miami - 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Mississippi State at South Alabama - 3 p.m. (ESPNEWS)
UL Lafayette at Ole Miss - 3 p.m. (SEC Network)
Western Michigan at Idaho - 4 p.m. (ESPN3)
UL Monroe at LSU - 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Abilene Christian at Troy - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
New Mexico State at UTEP - 7 p.m.
Navy at Texas State - 7 p.m. (ESPNEWS)

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

Recent Results

September 6
Tennessee 34, Arkansas State 19 - 11 a.m. (SEC Network)
South Alabama 23, Kent State 13 - 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
* New Mexico State 34, Georgia State 31 - 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
Appalachian State 66, Campbell 0 - 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
Georgia Southern 83, Savannas State 7 - 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
* UL Monroe 38, Idaho 31 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Louisiana Tech 48, UL Lafayette 20 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Duke 34, Troy 17 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)

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

Offensive Player of the Week

Ajalen Holley (UL Monroe, So., WR)
Ajalen Holley shattered his previous career high of 74 receiving yards as he caught three passes (one touchdown) for 114 yards in the opening quarter of Saturday’s 38-31 win over Idaho… Holley went on to finish the game with 175 receiving yards on just six grabs (29.1 ypc)… His 175 receiving yards are the most in the Sun Belt this season and he is the first SBC wide receiver to tally 100+ receiving yards against a FBS opponent… Holley caught two passes on ULM’s first scoring drive including a 54-yard pass from Pete Thomas that set up the first score for the Warhawks… Less than three minutes later, Holley beat the Idaho secondary and hauled in a 58-yard TD reception to put ULM ahead 14-7… Late in the fourth quarter, Holley caught a 20-yard pass from Thomas giving the sophomore four receptions of 20 or more yards on the night.

Defensive Player of the Week

Rodney Butler (NM State, So., LB)
Sophomore linebacker Rodney Butler was crucial in the Aggies’ come-from-behind victory as he led the NM State defense with a career-high 12 tackles (6 solo, 6 assisted) to go along with his first career interception, which was returned (by Butler) 40 yards for a touchdown. It was also his first collegiate touchdown.  The interception for a touchdown came when defensive end Jay Eakins tipped the ball behind the line of scrimmage on a 2nd-and-10 with 3:15 in the second quarter. After Eakins tipped the ball linebacker Rodney Butler snagged it out of the air returning it 40 yards for a touchdown.  Johnson hit the point-after to make it a 17-10 ballgame in favor of Georgia State.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Maxwell Johnson (NM State, Sr, PK)
Aggie kicker Maxwell Johnson was a key component in the Aggies 3-point, come-from-behind victory as he hit field goals from 41 and 30 yards out.  The 41 yard field goal, which was the longest of the season for any Aggie, came at the 4:15 mark of the second quarter giving NM State its first points of the game. His 30-yard field goal came after a 10-play 29-yard drive that started when the Aggies recovered a fumble with 2:43 left in the third quarter.  Johnson scored a total of 10 points that included two field goals and four extra-point kicks, helping NM State to a 34-31 win.

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.

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
Troy	49	25	0.662	11
New Mexico State	16	11	0.593	6
Arkansas State	47	39	0.547	14
UL Lafayette	50	44	0.532	14
UL Monroe	47	47	0.500	14
South Alabama	5	10	0.333	2
Texas State	2	5	0.286	2
Idaho	7	20	0.259	6
Georgia State	0	8	0.000	2
Appalachian State	0	0	0.000	1
Georgia Southern	0	0	0.000	1

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 evened its record at 1-1 with a 66-0 win over Campbell.

Appalachian State’s 66-point margin of victory was the fourth-largest in school history and its largest since beating Arkansas-Monticello, 67-0, on Sept. 27, 1941.

Appalachian State’s 66 points were the seventh-most in school history and its most since it scored 70 in a 70-24 win over Wofford on Oct. 31, 2008.

The shutout was Appalachian State’s first since a 41-0 win over Mars Hill on Sept. 16, 2006.

Appalachian State’s 45 points in the first half were the most that it scored in an opening half since it led Western Carolina 45-21 at halftime of a 79-35 win on Nov. 10, 2007.

Appalachian State won for the 12th time in its last 14 home openers and moved to 62-20-2 (.750) all-time in home openers.

With the win, Appalachian State avoided starting 0-2 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992-93 and avoided losing consecutive home openers for the first time since 1982-83.

Saturday night’s attendance of 25,861 marked the 52nd time in its last 53 regular-season home games that Appalachian State in front of a crowd larger than the official seating capacity at Kidd Brewer Stadium (which is currently 23,150).

In his first start of the season, Appalachian State sophomore running back Marcus Cox – a Doak Walker Award candidate – rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, marking the seventh time in 11 career starts that he has rushed for 100 yards. Cox did not start the season opener at Michigan after missing nearly two weeks of practice due to a lower body injury.

Appalachian State has a bye on Sept. 13 before traveling to Southern Miss on Sept. 20.

Arkansas State Red Wolves
A-State stands 1-1 after its first two games for the fourth consecutive year (2011-14) . . . The Red Wolves remain on the road for the second straight week, looking for their first non-conference road win since 2008 . . . A-State will play Miami for the second time in school history, dropping a 42-10 road decision to the Hurricanes in 1997 . . . A-State’s game versus Miami will be its first against an ACC team since falling to then-ranked No. 13 Virginia Tech 26-6 in 2011 . . . Arkansas State has two players from the state of Florida, including freshman Charles Gaskin (Tallahassee) and Sterling Wright (Fla.) . . . A-State scored a touchdown on its opening possession each of its first two games . . . Junior quarterback Fredi Knighten has recorded over 200 yards total offense each of his first two games as a starter, finishing the Tennessee game with 231 and the Montana State game with a career-high 312 . . . The Red Wolves have 13 true freshmen who have played in the season’s first two games combined . . . Seven players started their first game at A-State in one of the first two games . . . Junior WR Tres Houston and sophomore RB DeKeathan Williams both scored their first career touchdowns against Tennessee . . . Seniors Sterling Young (S) and Qushaun Lee (LB) both recorded a season-high nine tackles last game . . . Sophomore Money Hunter was responsible for a season-high five tackles versus Tennessee, as well as his first career interception and forced fumble . . . Sophomore punter Luke Ferguson punted seven times for 303 yards against Tennessee, both the most by an A-State player since the 2007 season.

Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern (1-1) plays the second of its seven games in the state of Georgia this week as it travels to Georgia Tech for the Sept. 13 game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Kickoff is at noon and the game will be televised on the ACC Regional Network.

While Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech are meeting on the gridiron for the first time, Yellow Jackets Head Coach Paul Johnson served as the Eagles’ head coach for five seasons from 1997-2001, recording a 62-10 record and winning two FCS National Championships. Johnson was Georgia Southern’s defensive line coach (1983-84) and offensive coordinator (1985-86) under the Eagles’ legendary Coach Erk Russell.

The Eagles took an 83-9 win over Savannah State in a newly expanded Paulson Stadium before 23,121 fans for the fourth-largest regular season crowd in program history. It was Georgia Southern’s first home game as an FBS program and showcased the new mid-deck, 50,000-square foot Football Operations Center and new HD videoboard. The Eagles won their eighth straight home opener and moved Coach Willie Fritz’s to career record to 177-68-1 with his first-ever game coached in the state of Georgia.

With 12 touchdowns against the Tigers, Georgia Southern tied a single-game team record for TDs with the 10 rushing and two receiving touchdowns scored by nine different Eagles. Georgia Southern’s 564 rushing yards rank as the third-highest rushing yards total in a home opener and ninth-best in program history. The 684 yards of total offense against the Tigers ranks as the most in a home opener and fifth-best overall.

Two new names were at the top of the rushing chart with junior running back Brandan Thomas scoring his first career touchdown and rushing for 117 yards, a career best. Senior running back Ean Days, who had not played at all since 2012 due to injury, had his first collegiate rushing attempt, scored two touchdowns and totaled 112 yards. Senior wide receiver Kentrellis Showers grabbed two touchdown passes, one from Kevin Ellison and the other from Favian Upshaw as he now has nine career receiving touchdowns to put him in a tie for sixth on that all-time list.

Georgia State Panthers
For the second straight game, quarterback Nick Arbuckle led Georgia State on a fourth-quarter drive to put the Panthers ahead in the closing minutes, but this time GSU could not hold the lead. Arbuckle drove the Panthers 86 yards on 13 plays and capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run on fourth down to give Georgia State a 31-27 lead with 2:30 left, but New Mexico State answered with a touchdown pass with just 15 seconds left for the 34-31 victory. Arbuckle was 7-for-9 for 66 yards on Georgia State’s touchdown drive.

Arbuckle leads the Sun Belt in passing yards (353.5 pg) and total offense (364.0). He ranks eighth in the NCAA in passing yards and sixth in total offense.

True freshman Krysten Hammon rushed for 125 yards, the sixth-highest total in Georgia State history, while carrying the ball a school-record 25 times. He is the first Georgia State freshman to record a 100-yard game, and he is one of four different Panthers to rush for two touchdowns in a game.

Hammon’s 54-yard touchdown run equalled the fourth-longest run in GSU history and is the third longest touchdown run in Panther annals.

Junior linebacker Joseph Peterson collected 15 tackles vs. New Mexico State, just one shy of the school record of 16 that he set last season against Troy. Peterson is third in the league and eighth in the NCAA in tackles, averaging 13.0 per game.

Peterson raised his career total to 194 tackles. He needs just six tackles to break the Georgia State career record of 199, set by Robert Ferguson.

Donovan Harden caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from Nick Arbuckle for the eighth-longest play from scrimmage and seventh-longest pass in Georgia State history.

Place-kicker Wil Lutz is now 14-for-21 on field goals in his career, including 13-for-14 from 40 yards and in. Lutz is Georgia State’s career leader with 52 PAT while ranking second in career points with 94 (first in points by kicking).

Idaho Vandals
Freshman quarterback Matt Linehan had the third-best game by an Idaho freshman with his 324-yard outing. Brian Brennan had both games that were better – 372 vs. Northern Arizona and 345 at Boise State in 1994. He is followed by Vandal Athletics Hall of Famer Doug Nussmeier at 313 against Montana State in 1990 and Chad Chalich’s 310 vs. Temple last year.

It was, however, the best by an Idaho quarterback in his debut game. He threw for nine more yards than Nussmeier did in his first start for the Vandals.

Josh McCain, who played at quarterback last season for Idaho, made his inaugural appearance at wide receiver against UL Monroe and came away with a team-high eight catches for a second-best 93 yards. Returning Deon Watson, whose dad was a standout basketball player for the Vandals, led the receiving corps with 98 yards.

Senior running back Jerrel Brown had his best game as a Vandal with 117 yards on 22 carries.

Junior linebackers Marc Millan and Irving Steele are atop the Sun Belt Conference tackle list with 14 apiece against the Warhawks.

Junior Chris Edwards had the first interception of the season for the Vandals with his first-half pick, which he returned 42 yards to set up an Idaho touchdown.

Saturday’s game is the Vandals’ fourth against Western Michigan. They first played in 1972 (WMU won 27-16 at Kalamazoo). The Broncos also won 51-28 at the Kibbie Dome in 2008 before the Vandals won 33-13 in 2010 at Kalamazoo.

Last Saturday’s game at UL Monroe was the second successive Idaho game interrupted by lightning. Unlike the scheduled opener at Florida, which ultimately was canceled, the show went on at Monroe after a two-hour, six-minute delay.

UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns football team will play its first road game of the 2014 season on Saturday when it faces No. 14-ranked Ole Miss in a non-conference game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingworth Field.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:01 p.m. and can be seen on the SEC Network. Tom Hart (pxp), Matt Stinchcomb (color) and Heather Mitts (sideline) will call the action. The game will also be broadcast on the Ragin’ Cajuns Sports Network with Jay Walker (pxp), Gerald Broussard (color) and Steve Peloquin (sideline) providing commentary.

The game for UL Lafayette (1-1) is the first of two straight on the road for the Cajuns and marks a homecoming for fourth-year head coach Mark Hudspeth, who grew up in Louisville, Miss. Before becoming the Cajuns 26th head coach on Dec. 13, 2010, Hudspeth was the passing game coordinator and receivers coach at Mississippi State from 2009-10. Fifteen players on the current UL Lafayette roster hail from the Magnolia State, including Oxford natives Larry Pettis and Terry Johnson.

The Ragin’ Cajuns look to rebound from a 48-20 loss against in-state opponent Louisiana Tech - just the third loss in 18 games at home under Hudspeth and the second against in-state schools in the past nine contests.

Paced by Elijah McGuire, Alonzo Harris and Terrance Broadway, UL Lafayette ranks fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing offense (213.0 yards per game) and is fourth in total offense (463.5). With Broadway, a Davey O’Brien and Manning Award Watch List candidate directing the offense, the Cajuns rank fifth in the league in passing offense (250.5) and scoring offense (32.5).

Ole Miss (2-0) opened the season on Aug. 28 with a 35-13 win over Boise State - the Cajuns’ next opponent - before dismantling Vanderbilt, 41-3, in the SEC opener for both teams last Saturday. Quarterback Bo Wallace has paced the Ole Miss attack, completing nearly 73 percent of his passes for 707 yards and five TDs. Wallace has directed an offense that has averaged 38.0 points and 502.5 yards in total offense in the first two games.

Evan Engram and Laquon Treadwell have caught a team-high 11 passes for the Rebels with Cody Core recording eight receptions for a team-best three touchdowns on the season.

UL Monroe Warhawks
ULM will play the first of three Southeastern Conference schools as it travels to Baton Rouge, La., for a Saturday night contest against nationally-ranked LSU... The meeting between the Warhawks and Tigers at Tiger Stadium will be the third meeting all-time with LSU owning a 2-0 lead in the series... ULM last traveled to LSU on Nov. 13, 2010 with the first meeting between the two taking place in Baton Rouge on Aug. 30, 2003.

Despite hitting the road for its first away game of the 2014 season, the Warhawks will play their third straight game in the state of Louisiana... In fact ULM’s first four games all take place in the Pelican State as the Warhawks welcome Troy to JPS Field at Malone Stadium for Homecoming on Sept. 27 at 6 p.m... The Warhawks first trip outside of the state of Louisiana will take place during the first weekend of October as they travel to Jonesboro, Ark., to face Sun Belt foe, Arkansas State (Oct. 4, 6 p.m.).

ULM has defeated four different teams from the SEC... To open the 2012 season, the Warhawks defeated No. 8 Arkansas, 34-31 (OT), in Little Rock (Sept. 8)... The Warhawks also have wins over Alabama (W, 21-14, Tuscaloosa, Ala., Nov. 17, 2007), Kentucky (W, 21-14, Lexington, Ky., Nov. 5, 1994) and Mississippi State (W, 34-32, Starkville, Miss., Sept. 30, 1995).

ULM improved to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play with a 38-31 win over Idaho on Sept. 6 at the friendly confines of JPS Field at Malone Stadium... With the win, the Warhawks are 2-0 to start a season for the first time since the 1993 season, the program’s last season at the I-AA (FCS) level... The 1993 squad went on to finish 9-3 overall and 6-1 in the Southland Conference.

The Sept. 6 contest between ULM and Idaho took more than five and a half hours thanks to a lightning delay of 2h 6m -- delay began with 3:32 to play in the first quarter (6:43 p.m.) and the teams resumed action at 8:49 p.m... When the final seconds ticked off the clock, it was 11:38 p.m., a total elapsed time of 5h 34m.

ULM and New Mexico State have identical records as the Aggies picked up a 34-31 road win at Georgia State on Sept. 6... NMSU defeated Cal Poly in its home opener, 28-10, on Aug. 28... South Alabama and Texas State are also undefeated on the season as both programs are 1-0... South Alabama had a bye week one and won on the road at Kent State on Sept. 6 (W, 23-13)... Texas State defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 65-0, in its home opener on Aug. 30 before having this past week off from competition.

New Mexico State Aggies
Tyler Rogers had 241 yards passing; three touchdown passes and one interception

NM State’s last Sun Belt Conference football victory was in 2004 when the Aggies beat Florida Atlantic under Tony Samuel

The Aggies are 2-0 for the first time since 1999 under Tony Samuel

NM State came back from a 17-point deficit to defeat Georgia State 34-31 with Teldrick Morgan catching an 11-yard pass from Tyler Rodgers with 00:05 remaining on the clock.

The Aggies rank ninth in total offense in the Sun Belt and sixth in total defense.

NM State is tied for second in the league for interceptions with three so far this season.

The Aggies lead the league for time of possession.

NM State is 8-of-24 in third down conversions so far this season.

The Aggies are 7-of-7 in red zone chances in 2014.

South Alabama Jaguars
The Jaguars will play host to Mississippi State — the first time a Southeastern Conference school will play at Ladd-Peebles Stadium since Alabama defeated Southern Mississippi, 17-14, at the facility on Sept. 28, 1968 — in their home opener Saturday coming off a 23-13 win at Kent State. … Senior RB Jay Jones paced the USA offensive attack with 102 yards and two touchdowns on 21 rushes, his third straight 100-yard effort dating back to last season. It’s the first time a USA player has run for 100 or more yards in three consecutive outings since Kendall Houston accomplished the feat in the final three contests of the 2010 season. … Making his first career start, ILB Davin Hawkins led the team — sharing game-high honors — with nine total tackles while also breaking up two passes as USA held the Golden Flashes to just 277 total yards including only 64 on 28 carries. The senior actually accounted for the Jags’ first points of the year, also giving the team the lead for good, with his sack in the end zone midway through the opening quarter, and he would also end two other KSU possessions by breaking up passes on third down. … Junior Jimmie Gipson III proved a disruptive force in his Jaguar debut, as both of his stops came behind the line of scrimmage including a sack for a loss of 10 yards with USA holding onto a three-point advantage late in the fourth quarter. He also broke up a pass and was credited with three quarterback hurries as the Golden Flashes finished the contest just 17-of-40 passing. … In addition to providing three solo tackles, Terrell Brigham broke up three passes and in the process became the school’s all-time leader with 13 in his career. As a unit, the Jag defense matched a school game record first set in a win over Henderson (Ark.) State on Nov. 6, 2010, with nine passes defensed. … Senior WR Shavarez Smith has caught a touchdown pass in four of the last five games dating back to last fall after his one-yard scoring reception supplied the offense’s first points of the year and a 9-0 edge with less than three minutes to go in the first quarter. He finished with three catches in the contest, the fifth time since joining the program at the start of the 2013 campaign that he has paced the squad or shared team-high honors in the category. … Sophomore Brandon McKee, handling the Jaguars’ punting duties for the first game on a full-time basis, averaged 42.9 yards per kick with two inside the Kent State 20-yard line while setting a school game record with 10 punts. … After ending last season with a turnover-free effort in a win over UL Lafayette and committing no miscues to open the year at Kent State, the Jaguar offense has had one or zero turnovers in six straight games.

Texas State Bobcats
Texas State will be looking to open a season with 2-0 record for the second straight year when the Bobcats play host to Navy on Sept. 13 at 7:00 p.m.

This marks the first time that the Bobcats open a season with two straight home games since 2007 when Texas State played host to Cal Poly and Abilene Christian in its first two games.

Texas State is in its second season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference and is playing an NCAA Division I FBS schedule for the third straight year.

The victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff was Texas State’s third straight victory in season openers. The Bobcats also beat Houston, 30-12, in 2012 and Southern Miss, 22-15, in 2013.

Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione improved to 20-8-1 in season openers during his career. Franchione also is 5-1 in season-openers at Texas State.

Texas State set a school single-game record and tied Troy for the fifth-highest total with 697 yards of total offense against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Texas State’s 39 first downs against Arkansas-Pine Bluff also set a single-game school record and tied a Sun Belt Conference record. Idaho also had 39 first downs at Middle Tennessee in 2001.
The 42 points Texas State scored in the first half against UAPB was the most points in any half since scoring 49 points in the first half against New Mexico State in 2012.

Texas State’s 697 yards marked the first time the Bobcats have put up 600+ yards under Dennis Franchione during his current tenure.

Texas State’s 65 points were the most since scoring 66 in the season finale against New Mexico State in 2012. The 65 points also was the seventh-highest total by any Sun Belt Conference team in history.

Defensively, it marked the team’s first shutout since 2005 when it shutout Southern Utah 34-0.

Troy Trojans
Jordan Chunn scored a touchdown in his eighth straight game with his touchdown run against Duke; he currently ranks ninth all-time in Troy history with 16 career rushing touchdowns … Troy’s crowd of 21,331 against Duke was the 13th largest in stadium history … Troy scored on the opening drive for the second consecutive game. The drive was capped by a 2-yard run by Brandon Silvers, his first career rushing touchdown … The last time Troy scored on back-to-back drives of 80 yards or more was against Navy on November 10, 2012. Troy had touchdown drives of 87 and 80 yards in the first half against the Midshipmen … Quarterback Dontreal Pruitt had the longest completion of his career, a pass to Bryan Holmes, for 48 yards. It was also the longest play of the year for the Trojans …The Trojans have gone three straight games without throwing an interception, which last happened in 2009 when they went four straight without an INT … Montres Kitchens tied his career-high of seven tackles.