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Sun Belt Week 6

Publishers from across the Rivals.com network give their picks on week
five's
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Sun Belt Conference games.
Team News and Notes
Arkansas State Red Wolves
ASU holds a 5-2 on-field record against FIU in a series that
dates back to just the 2005 season . . . The Red Wolves claimed a 34-16 win
in Jonesboro last season to snap a two-game skid against the Panthers . . .
The Red Wolves eight-game home and eight-game Sun Belt Conference winning
streaks came to an end last week with their 26-13 setback against Western
Kentucky . . . The crowd of 25,160 for the ASU-WKU game was the largest to
ever watch a Sun Belt Conference game in Jonesboro . . . Senior WR Taylor
Stockemer became the sixth player in ASU history to record 100 career
receptions, and he extended his streak of consecutive games played with a
reception to 34 . . . Freshman WR J.D. McKissic has recorded at least six
receptions in ASU's last four games, including three games with eight
catches . . . Senior QB Ryan Aplin enters Thursday's game needing 143 yards
to take pass Steven Jyles of ULM (2002-05) as the Sun Belt Conference's
all-time leader in total offense . . . The ASU defense has not surrendered a
point in six of its last eight quarters played . . . Senior defensive back
Don Jones and senior linebacker Nick Nelms both recorded a new career high
for tackles last game against Western Kentucky with 12 and nine stops,
respectively . . . Jones posted double-figure tackles for the second time of
his career.
Florida Atlantic Owls
Florida Atlantic University's football team returned home
for the first time in nearly a month. Holding a 1-0 mark in 2012 home games
the Owls aspired to move it to 2-0. Visiting Sun Belt Conference foe
University of North Texas jumped on the scoreboard early holding a 10-0
advantage at the intermission. FAU returned to the field to post a touchdown
in the third on an 11-yard run by junior Damian Fortner. The score is the
third of the year for Fortner, second rushing. Mitch Anderson connected on
the point after, his first of two on the night, capping off a nine-play 73
yard drive. Senior quarterback Graham Wilbert caught UNT off guard with an
11-yard touchdown run of his own pulling the Owls within three, 17-14, to
open the fourth. UNT added a field goal following a drive that ate up more
than seven valuable minutes. FAU fell to 1-4 on the year and 0-2 in league
play.
FIU Panthers
The all-time series with Arkansas State started when FIU
began playing a Sun Belt Conference schedule in 2005. The Red Wolves own the
series advantage, 5-2, with FIU's two wins coming in 2008 and 2010.
FIU returns to Miami for its Sun Belt home-opener vs. the
Arkansas State Red Wolves on Thursday, Oct. 4. Under Head Coach Mario
Cristobal, FIU is 3-2 in Sun Belt Conference home-openers with wins in 2008,
2010 and 2011.
FIU stands at 7-5 all-time in non-Saturday played games
since 2002, and 4-2 under Cristobal. FIU is 4-3 all-time on Thursdays and
1-0 under Cristobal.
FIU is in its eighth Sun Belt Conference schedule (since
2005), and sixth playing under
Since 2005, FIU is 21-32 (.396) vs. Sun Belt competition (however, three
wins were vacated in 2005 for an actual 18-32 NCAA record). At home, FIU is
an even 13-13 (.500) vs. the Sun Belt, while going 8-19 (.296) on the road.
FIU's senior offensive tackle Caylin Hauptmann and Arkansas
State's redshirt junior offensive lineman Steven Haunga, both from
California, played together at College of the Canyons Community College in
Santa Clarita, Calif.
E.J. Hilliard made his first career start at
Louisiana-Lafayette, in just his second outing, replacing Jake Medlock
(injured). Hilliard became the first true freshman starting quarterback at
FIU since Jamie Burke started nine of 11 games during the inaugural 2002
season.
Wayne Times recorded a team-high six receptions at
Louisiana-Lafayette, resulting in 48 yards. His first catch of the game in
the first quarter extended his streak to 22 straight games played with at
least one reception dating back to the 2010 season.
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
The Ragin' Cajuns (3-1, 2-0) pounded preseason Sun Belt
Conference favorite FIU, 48-20, on Saturday.
The Cajuns have now won seven straight games at Cajun Field
dating back to last season, tying for the third longest win streak in Cajun
Field history. The record win streak is 11 games, set from 1976-77. There
are also streaks of seven (1994-95) and nine games (1987-88).
Senior kicker Brett Baer continues to shine, scoring 12
points in the game to raise his season scoring total to 47 (10 FG, 17 PAT).
His performance increased his career scoring total to 190 points, moving him
into seventh on the Cajuns career scoring charts. He passed John Roveto (179
points from 1977-79) and Mike Shafer (183, 1993-95) in the game. He
continues to lead the nation with 10 field goals this year and is 10th in
scoring (11.75)
For the fourth straight game, sophomore Terrance Broadway
came off the bench to relieve Gautier and the Cajuns offense didn't skip a
beat. He completed 15-of-19 passes for 228 yards and rushed seven times for
34 yards. He had touchdown runs of 13 and four yards in the second quarter
marked his first career rushing touchdowns with the Cajuns.
Senior wide receiver Harry Peoples caught 10 passes for 151
yards and a touchdown in the game, his third career 100-yard receiving game
and his third game of 10 or more receptions. Included in his total was a
career-long 78-yard touchdown catch from Terrance Broadway.
Senior cornerback Jemarlous Moten and safety Rodney Gillis
each had interceptions in the game. Moten has interceptions in each of the
last two games while Gillis has picked off a pass in both home games.
ULM Warhawks
The 63-10 victory over Tulane was the first for the Warhawks.
Tulane owned a 2-0 lead in the all-time series (W, 52-9 at Malone Stadium on
October 5, 2002; W, 24-10 in New Orleans on September 20, 2008). The ULM
victory also ended Tulane's 14-game winning streak over teams from the state
of Louisiana (excluding LSU).
Dating back to the final game of 2011 (at FAU, December 3),
ULM has scored first in five consecutive games. All five scores have been
touchdowns.
The 35 points scored by ULM in the first half are the most
in a half since the club scored 35 in the first half against Middle
Tennessee (November 12, 2011; W, 42-14).
The 63 points scored by ULM are the most during the FBS-era
(beginning in 1994; Previous High: ULM scored 62 points vs. Weber State on
October 1, 1994). The 63 points are also the most by a Sun Belt school since
North Texas scored 68 points in a 68-49 win over Western Kentucky on October
31, 2009.
The ULM defense limited Tulane to 43 yards of offense in the
first half (48 passing yards, -5 rushing yards). For the game Tulane had
just 151 yards of total offense (160 passing yards, -9 rushing yards). The
-9 rushing yards allowed to the Green Wave are the fewest allowed since the
club held Troy to -14 rushing yards on October 15, 2011.
Kevin Steed recorded his second receiving TD of the season
on a three-yard pass from Kolton Browning in the first quarter at Tulane.
Je'Ron Hamm's 29-yard TD reception at Tulane was the first of the season and
third of the junior's career. Tavarese Maye's 38-yard TD reception at Tulane
was the second of the season for Maye and the eighth of his career. Rashon
Ceasar made his first career catch with a 59-yard pass from Cody Wells in
the third quarter at Tulane. Monterrell Washington has three rushing TDs
over his last two games (2 vs. Baylor; 1 at Tulane). DeVontae McNeal
recorded his first carry of his career at Tulane. The RS-Freshman finished
with 10 carries for 114 yards and one touchdown.
R.J. Young registered his first career interception at Tulane and was
credited with 55 return yards before fumbling into the endzone.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Senior Benny Cunningham gave MT its first lead of the game
against Georgia Tech when he broke a 60-yard run for a touchdown to begin
the second quarter. It went down as the longest run of Cunningham's career,
the longest of the season for the Blue Raiders, and the longest by the Blue
Raiders since D.D. Kyles raced 74 yards against Louisiana in 2010 - span of
24 games. Cunningham has made his presence felt since returning from his
injury this season. The senior came back against Memphis and scored two
touchdowns and added five more against Georgia Tech. Cunningham now has 17
rushing touchdowns for his career and 19 overall. The five scores against GT
matched the second-most in school history behind current Dallas Cowboy
tailback Phillip Tanner.
Cunningham registered just the second 100-yard rushing game
of his career and the first 200-yard game when he churned out 217 yards on
27 carries against Georgia Tech. The rushing total was a career-high and the
most by the Nashville native since gaining 117 against Troy in 2011. His 27
carries were also a personal-best. For good measure, Cunningham added five
touchdown runs to tie for the second most in school history. Cunningham's
217 yard performance was ranked 10th all-time in MT history.
DB Kenneth Gilstrap picked the perfect time to come up with
his first career interception. With under eight minutes to play and MT
leading by a touchdown, GT QB Tevin Washington went deep to what appeared to
be an open receiver but Gilstrap's recovery speed allowed him to jar the
ball loose and pick it off to set up a late MT score.
Middle Tennessee's 49-28 victory over Georgia Tech marks the
third time the Raiders have upended an ACC program. The last win came in
2009 when MT defeated Maryland 32-31 in College Park. The other previous win
was a 24-14 stunner over the Terps at Floyd Stadium in 2008
North Texas Mean Green
North Texas had its best month of September since 2003. The
Mean Green won two games and the 2-3 record to the season is the best since
2005. The Mean Green is 1-1 or better to start Sun Belt play for the eighth
time in 12 years.
The Mean Green forced three turnovers against Florida Atlantic and has now
forced at least one turnover in 21 of the last 22 games.
Brelan Chancellor had a career-high 135 yards receiving in
the win over Florida Atlantic. He scored on a 68-yard touchdown strike, the
second longest of his career and the sixth time in his career he has had a
reception of 30-yards or more.
North Texas can even its record at 3-3 with a win on the
road at Houston. The Mean Green hasn't had a 3-3 record after six games
since 2003 and its would be only the second 3-3 record since returning to
FBS in 1995.
Derek Thompson passed for 251 yards in the win over FAU. It
is the fourth highest total in his career.
K.C. Obi notched a career-high 2.5 sacks in the win against
Florida Atlantic. It was the most sacks in a game by a North Texas player
Adrian Awasome had three sacks on October 9, 2004 against Utah State.
South Alabama Jaguars
The Jaguars fell in the Sun Belt Conference debut, 31-10, to
Troy at home on Saturday. While the two teams combined for 452 yards of
total offense - as well as for 18 penalties and six turnovers - in the first
half, the Trojans went on to finish with an opponent game-record 495 yards
of total offense while limiting USA to 51 yards and two first downs after
the intermission. The Jags were also called for 15 penalties that results in
142 lost yards, both of which were also school game records. … The USA
defense entered play with five takeaways in its first four contests this
season, but was able to match that total against the Trojans. Gabe Loper,
B.J. Scott and Charles Watson all recorded the first interceptions of the
year in the game, while Terrell Brigham and Enrique Williams were credited
with fumble recoveries. … ILB Jake Johnson led USA's defense in the school's
first-ever Sun Belt Conference game, making a game-high-tying 11 tackles
against Troy Saturday including 1½ behind the line of scrimmage. It's the
fourth time in five games this fall that the senior has been the Jaguars'
leading tackler and the third outing in a row that he has posted a
double-digit tackle total; and, he's been credited with at least one tackle
for loss in every game this season. … The Jags' lone touchdown came on a
Trey Fetner three-yard rush in the final minute of the opening quarter; it
was the first snap that the redshirt freshman quarterback has taken since
joining the program. … DE/OLB Alex Page was credited with the defense's lone
sack against the Trojans last time out, the third time in the last four
contests that he has recorded at least one. Page now has four sacks on the
season, matching his three-year career total entering the fall. … USA had
193 rushing yards in the Troy game, its highest total since posting 252
yards on the ground in a 28-3 victory over Henderson (Ark.) State on Oct. 29
a year ago. Conversely, Jaguar quarterbacks finished 8-of-20 passing for 59
yards, the second-lowest total through the air in the program's first
three-plus seasons of competition; they were limited to just 52 on Oct. 10,
2009, against Georgia Military J.C. … Loper also blocked a third-quarter
Trojan field-goal attempt, the first recorded by USA since defeating
Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 3 last fall. … C.J. Bennett finished with a
team-high 79 yards rushing on just seven carries last time out, falling one
yard shy of matching his career high first set in an Oct. 30, 2010 win over
Georgia State. It was the first time the Jaguar offense has been paced on
the ground by a quarterback since he accomplished the feat with 40 yards on
five attempts at Kent State on Sept. 24 last season.
Troy Trojans
The Trojans won on the road for the third time in three
tries this season, the Trojans are one of five teams in the country who are
3-0 on the road (Louisiana Tech, Nevada, Ohio, Rutgers); none are 4-0 … The
Troy defense has held its last two opponents, North Texas & South Alabama,
to a combined 17 points, which is the fewest in back-to-back games since
holding Arkansas State and Western Kentucky to a combined 12 points in 2008
… Troy forced four turnovers in the game against South Alabama after not
recording a turnover in the past three games; the Trojans have forced eight
turnovers in two games (UAB, South Alabama) this season … The Trojans
recorded a pair of sacks against South Alabama after not recording a sack in
three straight games … The Troy defense has held opponents to 14-of-57 (24.5
percent) over the past four games and 5-of-28 (17.8 percent) the past two
games … Troy has held the opposing quarterbacks to a combined 31-for-75 in
the last three games … South Alabama's first quarter touchdown was the first
points given up by the Trojans in the last 64:38 of game play; the Trojans
had held their opponents scoreless for 14 consecutive drives … Quarterback
Corey Robinson moved into second place on the Sun Belt career completions
list with 770 and third place on the Troy touchdowns responsible list with
57 after rushing for one at South Alabama … Troy has thrown seven touchdown
passes this season to five different receivers … Troy is off next week
before hosting Western Kentucky on a Thursday night ESPNU broadcast on Oct.
11.
WKU Hilltoppers
For the first time since joining the Sun Belt Conference in
2009, the Hilltoppers are 1-0 in league play after a 26-13 win at Arkansas
State on Saturday.
The Hilltoppers have now won eight consecutive Sun Belt
Conference games dating back to last season.
Erasing a 13-0 halftime deficit, WKU won for the first time
when trailing at the half since Oct. 21, 2006 when it defeated Southern
Illinois. The Hilltoppers trailed the Salukis 24-10 at halftime, but scored
17 unanswered in the final 30 minutes to pick up the victory.
WKU is also 11-2 in its last 13 games, with the only two
losses coming to LSU (Nov. 12, 2011) and Alabama (Sept. 8, 2012). Both teams
were ranked #1 in the nation at the time of the game.
After giving up 212 yards in the first half, the Hilltopper
defense limited Arkansas State to just 123 yards after halftime. In fact,
before the game's final drive, WKU had allowed just 71 second-half yards.
Conversely, the WKU offense racked up 251 total yards after intermission.
After racking up 243 rushing yards, the Hilltoppers have now
run for over 200 yards in three of their first five games (244 vs. Austin
Peay, 369 vs. Southern Miss.).
Antonio Andrews rushed for over 100 yards for the third
straight game, finishing with a career-high 215 yards on 29 carries. That
came on the heels of 125 yards at Kentucky and 136 against Southern Miss. It
is the third straight week that Andrews has established a new career high
for rushing yards. Andrews also posted a career-best 261 all-purpose yards
in the contest (215 rushing, 14 receiving, 31 return). It is the fourth time
in five games this season he has gone for over 200 all-purpose yards. He
entered the game ranked second nationally in that category, averaging 201.0
per game.
Quanterus Smith registered a career-best 3.5 sacks and 5.5
tackles for loss in the victory. Earlier this season, he posted three sacks
at #1 Alabama.
 
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