Sun Belt Week 7
Publishers from across the Rivals.com network give their picks on week
seven's
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Sun Belt Conference games.
Team News and Notes
Arkansas State Red Wolves
A-State is set to play its fourth game of the year at
Liberty Bank, where it has put together seven consecutive seasons with a
winning record and a 33-8 mark since the 2005 campaign . . . ASU will play
South Alabama for the first time in school history, and is catching the
Jaguars on its Homecoming date . . . The Red Wolves have won eight of their
last nine Homecoming games . . . ASU is coming off a 34-20 win at Florida
International and will be looking for back-to-back victories for the first
time since winning nine in a row to end the 2011 regular-season . . . The
Red Wolves claimed their first road win against FIU since 2006, and
increased their road winning streak against conference opponents to five
games . . . Senior quarterback Ryan Aplin became the Sun Belt Conference's
all-time leader in total offense, finishing the FIU game with 273 yards to
give him 10,365 for his career and move him past ULM's Steven Jyles for the
record . . . He needs 185 yards to become the league's second all-time
leader in passing yards . . . Quashuan Lee recorded his third career
interception and a game-high 12 tackles against FIU, marking the second time
he has posted double-figure stops in a game . . . ASU has posted 400 yards
of total offense in four of its first six games and scored at least 30
points in four games as well.
Florida Atlantic Owls
FAU will travel to Louisiana this week where the Owls will
face ULM. FAU (1-4, 0-2) has faced ULM eight times with the Warhawks holding
a 6-2 series advantage. FAU's two victories came in Monroe with a 21-19 win
in 2006 and a 29-28 victory in 2008. The 2007 contest at Lockhart Stadium in
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. may be the most memorable. ULM came away with the
33-30 victory but not before FAU's Charles Pierre tied the game with a
one-yard run with 1:12 remaining in the contest. FAU had the first
opportunity to score but the field goal was blocked. ULM used 12 plays only
to see their 38-yard field goal miss with the kicker sliding in the mud. The
two teams switched to the east side of the field as did the entire FAU
student section. ULM put three points on the scoreboard first on a 33-yard
field goal to take a 27-24 lead. FAU tied the game with a 37-yard field
goal. Once again the teams moved to the west field goal and were greeted by
the student section which had moved with the action. Six plays later FAU was
up 30-27 following a 24-yard field goal, but would need to hold ULM. On the
fifth play of their drive ULM scored from 31 yards out to take the game
33-30. The game proved pivotal for the Owls as it was the only Sun Belt loss
in 2007 -- a year that the Owls captured the league title and became the
youngest team to earn a bowl invitation, and to win a bowl game, the New
Orleans Bowl. Five years later, the Owls are now playing in Boca Raton, have
captured two bowl games, have four players playing in the NFL and are in the
redevelopment stages under the direction of first-year head coach Carl
Pelini. This week, FAU will count on senior quarterback Graham Wilbert.
Wilbert has completed 81-of-125 passes and averaged 149.0 passing yards per
game. William Dukes is Wilbert's go-to-target with 18 receptions for a
team-leading 224 yards. Byron Hankerson is second among the nine receivers
with 14 receptions for 188 yards, while Daniel McKinney and Travis Jones
have 13 and 12 catches respectively. Damian Fortner leads the running backs
with 245 yards, while Jonathan Wallace and Martese Jackson are not too far
behind. Defensively, The Owls are led by senior David Hinds who has 42
tackles. Jeremy McKnight has made 42 stops, recorded an interception and a
fumble recovery. Fellow safety Brent Harstad had 37 tackles and had forced a
fumble.
FIU Panthers
FIU closes out a two-game homestand with Middle Tennessee on
Saturday, Oct. 13 before heading on the road to face Troy(Oct. 20).
The Middle Tennessee game will serve as the Panthers' 2012
Homecoming contest. Under Head Coach Mario Cristobal, FIU has gone 3-2 in
Homecoming games, and have won three of its last four.
The all-time series with Middle Tennessee started when FIU
began playing a Sun Belt Conference schedule in 2005. The Blue Raiders own
the on-field series advantage, 4-3, with FIU's three wins coming in 2005,
2008 and 2011.
Last year, FIU traveled to Murfreesboro, Tenn., in the
regular season finale for both schools and defeated host Middle Tennessee,
31-18, at Floyd Stadium. The win gave FIU a school-record eighth regular
season victory.
FIU enters the game vs. Middle Tennessee coming off a .34-20
defeat to Arkansas State on Thurs., Oct. 4. The Blue Raiders come to Miami
after suffering a 31-17 loss to ULM on Sat., Oct. 6.
Senior Wayne Times continued his career-long streak to 23
straight games with a pass reception with his five catches vs. ASU.
Senior Darian Mallary returned to game action vs. ASU and
found the endzone for a team-high seventh time this season.
Senior kicker Jack Griffin scored eight points (2 FG, 2XP)
in the ASU game. He now has 226 career points moving him past former FIU
All-American T.Y. Hilton into No. 2 all-time.
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
The Cajuns dominated Tulane, 41-13, to improve to 4-1 for
the second straight season
The Cajuns have now won eight straight home games dating
back to last season. The streak ranks as the third-longest win streak in
Cajun Field history and three short of the record. The Cajuns started the
current streak by going 5-0 at home in 2011, the third undefeated season in
Cajun Field history and first since 1987.
With 123 yards rushing against Tulane, sophomore running
back Alonzo Harris reached the 1,000-yard mark for his career. In 17 career
games, Harris has carried 237 times for 1,087 yards and 11 touchdowns with a
pair of 100-yard rushing games.
Kicker Brett Baer made a pair of field goals and five extra
points to record his fifth straight double-digit scoring game of the year.
Baer has now made at least one field goal in all five games this season and
17 in the last 18 games.
The Cajuns continued a season-long trend by owning a 3-1
edge in forced turnovers in the game. the Cajuns made a pair of
interceptions and recovered a fumble to improve to +8 in turnovers this
year. The Cajuns have forced 13 turnovers (6 fumbles & 7 INTs) while
committing just five (four fumbles, one interception). The Cajuns have
turned those 13 miscues into 53 points (5 TDs & 6 FGs) while the four Cajuns
turnovers have led to just 10 points.
Senior safety Rodney Gillis made his team-best third
interception against Tulane, giving him an interception in all three home
games this year.
Justin Anderson was responsible for scoring the second
defensive touchdown of the season when he picked off a D.J. ponder pass and
returned it 38-yards for a score. Last season, the Cajuns were second in the
nation with seven interceptions returned for touchdowns.
Javone Lawson caught four passes for 82 yards with a pair of
touchdowns in the game. It was his second multi-touchdown game of his
career. He also caught two scores in the New Orleans Bowl victory over San
Diego State in December.
ULM Warhawks
Middle Tennessee scored the first points of the game
(44-yard field goal) as it snapped ULM's five-game streak of scoring first.
The victory by ULM marked the second time in the 13-game series that the
team scoring first did not win the game.
ULM totaled 500 yards of total offense in the 31-17 win at
Middle Tennessee. It marked the fourth time this season that the Warhawks
reached the 500+ yard plateau and the club owns a 3-1 record in 2012 when
tallying 500 or more yards of total offense.
The win at Middle Tennessee was just the third in a Sun Belt
Conference opener for the Warhawks. The club is now 3-9 (.250) in conference
openers. The other two wins also came on the road (at Florida Atlantic, W,
28-21 [2005]; at Florida Atlantic, W, 27-25 [2009]).
Kolton Browning finished 26-for-38 for 285 yards with one
touchdown pass and one interception at Middle Tennessee. He also rushed for
44 yards on 10 carries and the junior climbed the ranks in four different
career categories. Browning now ranks second in career completions (614),
third in career pass attempts (1,008), third in total offense (7,555) and
fourth in career passing yards (6494).
Jyruss Edwards tallied two rushing touchdowns for the second
consecutive game. His two scores at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
moved him into a tie for fourth place all-time in ULM history with 21 career
rushing touchdowns (Steven Jyles, 21, 2002-05). He needs just two rushing
TDs to move into sole possession of third place (Greg Robinson, 22,
1991-92).
Centarius Donald rushed for 71 yards on 20 carries with one
touchdown against the Blue Raiders.
Brent Leonard led the Warhawks with eight receptions at
Middle Tennessee while Tavarese Maye led the team in receiving yards (77).
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
With 64 yards rushing today, Middle Tennessee now has 912
total rushing yards through five games. That total is the most through five
games to start a season under Rick Stockstill and the most by the Blue
Raiders since they gained 1,314 rushing yards in the first five outings of
2001.
Linebacker Craig Allen, who had 10 stops in last week's game
at Georgia Tech, turned in a career effort against ULM. The Carrollton, GA,
native recorded 15 tackles to pace the Blue Raider defense.
Benny Cunningham's third and fourth quarter touchdowns give
him nine over the last 10 quarters. Cunningham leads the Blue Raiders with
nine rushing touchdowns on the season and now has 19 for his career. The
senior has 21 total touchdowns for his career and came into today's game
ranked third nationally in scoring.
LB Roderic Blunt recorded his first career interception to
stop ULM's first drive of the game (first by a LB since Darin Davis in
2010).
MT saw its streak of scoring in 12 straight quarters come to
an end in the second quarter.
Punter Josh Davis' 64-yard punt was his longest since the
2010 season.
North Texas Mean Green
North Texas cornerback Hilbert Jackson had already broken
his career-best performance for tackles by the end of the third quarter.
Jackson had 15 stops at the end of the third which broke his previous-best
of nine which he had earlier this season vs. LSU.
Running back Jeremy Brown recorded his second career
touchdown for North Texas when he went 48 yards for a score in the second
quarter. That scoring run was also the longest rush of his career.
Quarterback Derek Thompson passed for more than 200-yards
for the fourth straight game for the first time in his career with a
season-high 252 yards again Houston. Thompson is the first North Texas
quarterback since Giovanni Vizza to pass for over 200-yards in four straight
games. His current streak is tied for fourth all-time, with the record being
10, set by Mitch Maher in 1994. Thompson for his career now has eight
200-yard passing games for his career, which is tied for fifth all-time.
The Mean Green didn't force a turnover for the first time
this season against Houston.
North Texas had a season-high in penalties against Houston
with seven for 87 yards.
The Mean Green has rushed for over 200 yards through six
games. Last season North Texas had only two 200-yard games for the entire
season.
North Texas had 10 players with at least one reception
against Houston, which is the first time since the season opening game at
FIU that 10 different players caught at least one pass in a game.
South Alabama Jaguars
After an open weekend, USA plays its initial Sun Belt
Conference road game with a trip to Arkansas State Saturday. The Jaguars are
coming off their only open weekend of the 2012 season; USA has an all-time
mark of 5-1 (83.3%) with an extra week to prepare for a contest. … The Jags
have played two other schools from Arkansas in the program's first three
seasons of competition, defeating both Arkansas-Monticello and Henderson
State in 2010 while earning a 28-3 victory over HSU on Oct. 29 last fall -
all three of those games were played in Mobile. … Two members of the Jaguar
program have ties to ASU. First-year assistant coach Jerry Mack was a
three-year letterwinner at Arkansas State from 2001-03 (he transferred there
after playing one season at Jackson State), while RB Kendall Houston
participated in spring practice with the Red Wolves in 2010 before
transferring to USA. … With a 53-yard field goal as time expired last time
out against Troy, senior Michel Chapuseaux recorded a pair of distinctions.
First, it was the longest field goal in school history, surpassing a 48-yard
effort from Jordan Means in an Oct. 8 double-overtime win at Texas-San
Antonio a year ago. Second, Chapuseaux has now converted six field goals
this fall, one more than his career total entering the 2012 campaign. He has
also made all seven of his extra-point tries, as his 25 points this season
are more than twice as many as any other individual on the Jaguar roster. …
Sophomore Demetre Baker continues to carry the workload in the offensive
backfield; after a 16-rush, 62-yard effort against the Trojans he has paced
the Jag offense in attempts in each of the team's first five contests.
Baker's 294 yards account for nearly half (48.8%) of USA's rushing total
this fall, while his 67 carries represent 62 percent of the rushes by
running backs. … WR T.J. Glover had career highs with 10 rushes for 46 yards
against the Trojans last time out, and he added two kick returns for 43 more
to lead USA with 89 all-purpose yards - it was the first time he
accomplished the feat since the season opener, when he had 145 - still the
highest total by a Jag in the category this season - against UTSA. That
included two run backs of kickoffs of 20-plus yards - he leads the squad
with eight gains of 20 or more yards, no one else has more than three this
fall - as he regained the team lead with 375 all-purpose yards on the year.
… The Jags were called for 15 penalties that resulted in 142 lost yards in
the contest with the Trojans - both of which were also school game records -
after being flagged on 23 occasions in the first four games this fall
combined. It was just the fifth time in the program's 32 games that USA has
been called for 10 or more penalties.
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.