WEEK 13 GAME SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 23
James Madison Dukes at Appalachian State Mountaineers
1:30 p.m. ESPN+
James Madison Dukes Notes
DUKES HEAD TO BOONE TO BATTLE MOUNTAINEERS
• James Madison hits the road for the final time in the 2024 regular season Saturday when it faces App State at Kidd Brewer Stadium in a pivotal Sun Belt Conference East Division showdown. • JMU sits just a game back of first place in the East, needing wins in each of the final two games to have a shot of advancing to the Sun Belt Championship Game, while App State is very much still in play for bowl eligibility. • The 2024 JMU football season is presented by CarMax.
BREAKING DOWN THE SERIES
• Saturday marks the 19th meeting all-time between JMU and App State, with the Mountaineers holding a 13-5 advantage in a series dating back to 1980. • App holds a 7-3 record in games played in Boone, though JMU won the previous matchup at Kidd Brewer Stadium in 2022. Trailing 28-3 in the second quarter, JMU scored 29 unanswered to storm back and claim a 32-28 triumph on Sept. 24, 2022 – JMU’s first Sun Belt Conference game. • Last season, JMU, which was 10-0 at the time and hosting ESPN College GameDay, dropped a 26-23 overtime decision to App State on Nov. 18, 2023 at Bridgeforth Stadium. • The teams met regularly originally, facing off in 12 of 13 seasons from 1980-1992 before the Dukes joined a conference in the early 90’s. • Prior to joining the Sun Belt Conference, JMU hadn’t matched up with App since 2008. • Over the previous 18 meetings, JMU averages 18.3 points, as opposed to App’s 26.3.
SATURDAY’S COVERAGE
• JMU’s matchup at App State will be streamed on ESPN+. On the call are David Jackson and former App State defensive lineman Avery Hall. • Fans can listen to the game on the Morris Insurance and Financial JMU Radio Network, with Dave Riggert and former JMU All-American quarterback Cole Johnson calling the action. • Pregame radio coverage at Bridgeforth begins two hours prior to kickoff at 12:30 p.m. • Live stats are available at JMUStats.com.
DUKES WIN THIRD STRAIGHT, STAY IN SBC EAST CONVERSATION
• JMU used a stout defensive effort in the second half, a season high in rushing yards and a three-touchdown performance from Alonza Barnett III to upend Old Dominion, 35-32, last Saturday at S.B. Ballard Stadium. • Barnett threw for 192 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 70 and two scores, highlighted by a 50-yard touchdown run. The Knight brothers each had career days, as Yamir Knight had eight catches for 112 receiving yards and a 68-yard touchdown, while Wayne Knight rushed for 74 yards and a score. • Khairi Manns turned in a career-high 2.5 sacks while Eric O’Neill added 2.0, as the defense had held ODU to -9 fourth-quarter yards prior to the hosts final drive of the game. • JMU trailed 24-21 at halftime before Barnett’s long touchdown to Yamir Knight in the third. After a hard count by Barnett to draw ODU offside late in the fourth, he capped off his day with a rushing touchdown, making it 35-24. ODU added a late touchdown, but the onside kick was recovered by JMU. • The win kept JMU within distance of the East Division title, staying a game back with two weeks to play.
Appalachian State Mountaineers Notes
TOP STORYLINES
• App State looks for its 100th win as an FBS program when it hosts James Madison on Senior Day and Black Saturday. The sold-out game will also be Homecoming, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 28, the date of a Liberty game canceled by the impact of Hurricane Helene. • There are 19 seniors on App State’s roster, and many players will be recognized on Senior Day — some already have gone through Senior Day recognitions in this COVID era of college football. The sixth-year seniors who were freshmen on the 2019 roster are ILB Brendan Harrington and LS Christian Johnstone, who have been part of 51 wins, three Sun Belt Championship game appearances (with one win) and three bowl wins. Johnstone recently received All-America honorable mention from the Special Teams University organization, while Harrington leads the 2024 team with 50 tackles. He suffered season-ending injuries early in the 2022 season (shoulder injury in the opener vs. UNC) and the 2023 season (knee injury in Week 2 vs. UNC). • Fifth-year seniors Ronald Clarke (FS), Christan Horn (WR) and Eli Wilson (TE) have played their entire careers in Boone, and App State has won 38 games since their 2020 arrival —also Shawn Clark’s first full season as head coach. Michael Hughes (K) is a fourth-year senior who has been sidelined since appearing in the first four games of this season. • App State had a different leading rusher in five straight games, with Kanye Roberts gaining 148 yards at Louisiana before Ahmani Marshall stepped forward to produce 115 yards against Georgia State. He has three straight 100-yard games thanks to his showings against ODU (120 yards) and Coastal Carolina (124 yards). Marshall has started the last two games after coming off the bench in the first 44 games of his collegiate career, and he has set career highs for carries in each of the last two games, posting 23 vs. ODU and 28 at Coastal. • In July, Kidd Brewer Stadium was listed at No. 23 on ESPN’s list of top 25 college football stadiums. Sixteen of the top 19 crowds in stadium history have occurred since the start of 2022, and all 17 home crowds in that stretch have topped 30,000. App State’s four home games in 2024 have drawn 36,232 (ETSU), 34,133 (Thursday game vs. South Alabama), 33,783 (vs. Georgia State) and 34,954 (vs. ODU). • This is the 11th straight sellout at The Rock dating back to last season, and that includes the Sept. 28 contest that was canceled due to Hurricane Helene. After setting all-time App State and Sun Belt home attendance records in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Mountaineers are on pace to break those records again with an average of 34,776 fans per home game this season.
MORE STORYLINES
• App State’s 26-23 overtime win over No. 18 JMU last season was the third straight year of App State posting a ranked win under Shawn Clark and also the program’s first victory against an opponent with a record of 10-0 or better. Current Indiana coach and former JMU coach Curt Cignetti is 24-1 in his last 25 games as a head coach, with the lone loss vs. Clark’s Mountaineers. • App State had 37 days between home games — a Thursday game against South Alabama on Sept. 19 and the Oct. 26 return to Kidd Brewer Stadium against Georgia State. After the Liberty game was canceled, the Mountaineers played back-to-back road games before having a bye on Oct. 19. They then beat Georgia State and ODU (Nov. 2) on back-to-back Saturdays in Boone. • On Oct. 17, App State announced that the final three home games in Boone would be played as originally scheduled. The university reopened Oct. 11 and resumed classes Oct. 16. • After the storm, the volunteer efforts among coaches, staff members and players from coach Shawn Clark’s program have included unpacking and organizing donated goods at a local church and loading supplies/generators onto helicopters from a humanitarian aid organization. • App State is 98-35 since starting 1-5 in its 2014 FBS debut. The only teams with more wins than the Mountaineers’ 99 since their transition are Alabama (135), Clemson (127), Ohio State (124), Georgia (122), Oklahoma (107), Notre Dame (104), Boise State (103) and Oregon (101). • Under head coach Shawn Clark, App State is 19-1 when winning the turnover battle. The Mountaineers had lost the turnover battle in six straight games, going 2-4 in that stretch, before winning the turnover battle for the first time in 2024 against ODU. Coastal Carolina forced three takeaways and didn’t commit a turnover in App State’s last game. • Armanti Edwards, a record-setting QB for App State from 2006-09, is one of 22 members of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class. He was honored during the last home game with his On-Campus Salute from the National Football Foundation, which will induct him into the Hall of Fame on Dec. 10 in Las Vegas. • App State, which led the Sun Belt with 14 alums on NFL rosters in 2023, again has a league-high 13 alums on current rosters this season. • App State sold out of football season tickets for the third straight year in May. Three games sold out before the season kicked off, with the other three selling out during the season. • Under head coach Shawn Clark, App State is one of five G5 programs (and 14 FBS programs) with at least three nine-win seasons since the start of 2020. • App State was among the programs featured by EA Sports in the promotion of the College Football 25 video game, with WR Kaedin Robinson receiving extended exposure as a returner. • Nine team captains were named for the 2024 season: DE Kevin Abrams-Verwayne, QB Joey Aguilar, RB Anderson Castle, SAF Jordan Favors, STAR/SPT Andre Hamilton, ILB Brendan Harrington, WR Christan Horn, WR Kaedin Robinson and K Michael Hughes. • The 2024 roster had 34 scholarship newcomers, including 15 from the transfer portal.
OFFENSE
• Averaging 277.3 passing yards per game (No. 14 in FBS, No. 3 among G5 programs) with 19 TD passes this season, QB Joey Aguilar is the nation’s only returning FBS QB who had 33-plus TD passes and 3,700-plus passing yards in 2023. His 15 TD passes to either tie a game or give his team a lead led the country in 2023, and he has six more of those TD passes in 2024. • App State had one of the top QB/WR combos in the country, but Kaedin Robinson suffered a season-ending injury as he scored a 25-yard touchdown late in the Mountaineers’ last game. He ranks 11th nationally and 1st in the Sun Belt at 93.3 receiving yards per game, part of a season with 53 catches for 840 yards and two touchdowns. He was App State’s receiving yardage leader in each of its first nine games. • Kaedin Robinson ranks in the top 10 on App State’s career lists with 2,164 receiving yards (No. 7 overall, No. 3 in FBS era), 147 receptions (No. 8 overall, No. 3 in FBS era) and 14 touchdown receptions (T-No. 9 overall, T-No. 4 in FBS era). His 905 yards in 2023 were the most by an App State receiver in the FBS era, and his 840 yards this season rank No. 3 in the FBS era. • RB Ahmani Marshall blocked a punt for a safety to open the Georgia State game and then rushed for 115 yards and a TD on 18 attempts before adding in a 23-carry, 120-yard performance vs. ODU and a 28-carry, 124-yard effort at Coastal. His other 100-yard game as a Mountaineer was a 19-carry, 137-yard, one-TD game against ODU at home in 2022, and he had the first two-touchdown game of his career at Marshall before adding one at Coastal. • In addition to his 33 TD passes in 2023, a total that ranked fifth nationally, QB Joey Aguilar also set school records of 3,757 passing yards and 4,002 yards of total offense in 2023. Replacing the injured starter in the first half of the 2023 opener, he threw a TD pass on his first FBS play by hitting Kaedin Robinson for a 32-yard score. Aguilar then threw an 83-yard TD pass to Christan Horn on the second offensive snap (and first pass) of 2024. At ECU, Joey Aguilar threw for a career-high 424 yards and two TDs, including a 36-yard, go-ahead score to Makai Jackson late in the third quarter. His 32 completions and 47 pass attempts were also career highs. The 424 passing yards set a record for a road performance by an App State QB and rank as the third-best total in program history, behind only the 433 yards from Armanti Edwards against South Carolina State in a 2008 playoff game and the 427 yards from Taylor Lamb against Coastal Carolina in 2017. • WRs Christan Horn and Dalton Stroman are two big-play threats, with career averages of 17.1 and 18.2 yards per reception, respectively. Stroman has five touchdown catches over the last six games, with two touchdowns against Marshall and one apiece against South Alabama, Georgia State and ODU. • The offensive line has helped the running game take strides, with App State averaging 174.8 yards on the ground over four straight games before it gained 215 yards on the ground at Coastal but totaled 150 rushing yards because of 65 yards lost on sacks. App State had a season-high 184 rushing yards against ODU. • Before adding a TD catch against Georgia State, WR Makai Jackson scored in each of the first three games. He scored on a 47-yard end-around in the opener, led the team with an FBS career-high six catches in the loss at Clemson (including a 17-yard TD) and scored the go-ahead TD at ECU during a six-catch, 86-yard performance. • Tight ends Max Drag, Kanen Hamlett, David Larkins and Eli Wilson have all scored touchdowns in the last four games, with Hamlett scoring the first and second touchdowns of his career in the last two home games. His go-ahead touchdown in the final three minutes against Georgia State was his second career catch, and Drag’s touchdown in the final two minutes against ODU was his first career catch. Hamlett and Drag made their first career starts in a set with two tight ends as Wilson and Larkins were sidelined against ODU. • App State is 11-for-17 on fourth down this season, including a 6-for-6 game at Marshall.
DEFENSE
• Two-time team captain Brendan Harrington has shown toughness and perseverance since suffering season-ending injuries early in the 2022 season (shoulder injury in the opener vs. UNC) and the 2023 season (knee injury in Week 2 vs. UNC). He has a team-high 50 tackles this season after making a team-high nine tackles and receiving a game ball from coach Shawn Clark against ODU, then recording a team-high 10 tackles at Coastal Carolina. • Santana Hopper, PFF’s national defender of the week at ECU after a strong game that included forcing a fumble on a sack, had a hand in three sacks vs. Georgia State (one solo, two half-sacks). He leads the defense with four sacks and six tackles for loss this season. • Free safety DJ Burks ranks second on the team with 48 tackles. He had a career-high 14 tackles in his first career start, at strong safety against South Alabama, and has started the last four games at free safety. • OLB Nate Johnson (Gaffney, S.C.) and DL Santana Hopper were named Freshman All-Americans last season, when Johnson tied for first nationally among true freshmen with 7.5 sacks and Hopper made a late-season surge while contributing 3.5 sacks among his 7.5 tackles for loss. • OLBs Thomas Davis and Nate Johnson have split time at the “Dog” position this season. Davis has two sacks among his 3.5 tackles for loss, while Johnson officially contributed a sack for the first time this season against ODU. He had a first-half sack at ECU erased by a targeting call • CB Nick Taylor, the only App State true freshman to play in a game so far this season, made his first career start vs. Georgia State and saw extensive action against ODU.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• All-America kicker Michael Hughes was 5-for-5 on field goals this season to extend his streak of consecutive makes to 16 before an injury sidelined him at Marshall, where redshirt freshman Jackson Moore converted a 42-yarder on his first career attempt to run the team streak to 17 in a row before a missed kick later in the first half. Moore made a 44-yard field goal at Louisiana, went 1-for-2 with a 33-yard field goal against Georgia State and made a 38-yard field goal at Coastal Carolina. • Ahmani Marshall’s blocked punt to produce a safety for an early 2-0 lead against Georgia State was App State’s first blocked punt since 2019 (Demetrius Taylor vs. Coastal Carolina) and App State’s first safety since 2022 (when Troy intentionally took one with 20 seconds left while holding a four-point lead to avoid punting from its end zone; App State followed a free kick with a Hail Mary touchdown). • In 2023, assistant Brian Haines had at least one special teams player receive All-America recognition for the third straight year, as Michael Hughes and multi-unit coverage stalwart Jackson Greene were both honored to join kick returner Milan Tucker (2022) and kicker Chandler Staton (2021). Last week, long snapper Christian Johnstone received All-America honorable mention from the Special Teams University organization.
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at Arkansas State Red Wolves
2:00 p.m. ESPN+
SERIES HISTORY
Overall A-State leads 32-14 In Jonesboro A-State leads 18-5 In Monroe A-State leads 13-9 At Neutral Site A-State leads 1-0 Last Meeting 34-24, W (Oct. 28, 2023) First Meeting 15-0, W (Sept. 19, 1959) Current Streak A-State W14
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Notes
FIRST-AND-10
• The ULM football team (5-5, 3-3 Sun Belt) will play at Arkansas State (6-4, 4-2) in the penultimate regular season game of the 2024 season on Saturday (Nov. 23) afternoon at 2 p.m. from Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark. The Warhawks are looking to snap a four-game losing streak after falling against Sun Belt foes Texas State, Marshall and South Alabama before losing the non-conference finale at Auburn on Saturday. The Warhawks are one win away from clinching bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018. ULM was bowl eligible in both the 2018 and 2013 seasons but did not participate in a bowl game. The lone bowl appearance in program history came following the 2012 season when the Warhawks fell to Ohio in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl. First-year head coach Bryant Vincent has directed one of the most exciting turnarounds in college football and guided ULM to a 5-1 record following a 38-21 homecoming victory over Southern Miss, which was ULM’s first win over USM in Malone Stadium. After the Golden Eagles trimmed ULM’s lead to 17-14 on a blocked field goal score in the third quarter, the Warhawks ripped off 21 unanswered points to lift the team to its third-straight SBC win. True freshman phenom running back Ahmad Hardy posted a season-high 121 rushing yards and crossed the goal line twice to lead ULM’s rushing attack. In his second start of his collegiate career, redshirt freshman quarterback Aidan Armenta tossed a pair of touchdown passes to James Jones and Julian Nixon and scored his first-career rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Warhawks generated two takeaways from a forced fumble by Carl Fauntroy Jr. and an interception by Wydett Williams, Jr. The Warhawks secured its best start in the FBS era following a dramatic 21-19 victory over previously unbeaten James Madison on Oct. 5. ULM grinded out the win after scores from a 38-yard Ahmad Hardy rushing touchdown, a scoop and score forced by Earl Barquet Jr. and returned by Daniel Knudsen and a 12-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Armenta to Jake Godfrey. ULM started its conference slate with a 13-9 win at Troy with Hardy scoring the game’s lone touchdown in a defensive battle. Before falling on the road to No. 1/2 Texas, the Warhawks began the season with a 2-0 start after ULM defeated Jackson State 30-14 in week one, scoring the final 16 points of the game to seal the win. In week two, the Warhawks dominated UAB and shut out the Blazers in the second half while scoring 19 second-half points in a 32-6 home win, which was the largest margin of victory over an FBS opponent since the 2018 season. The ULM defense has held opponents to zero touchdowns in two games this season (UAB & Troy). • Saturday marks the 47th matchup between ULM and Arkansas State. The Red Wolves enter Saturday’s game holding a 14-game winning streak versus ULM dating back to 2010. ULM’s last victory over the Red Wolves was in 2009 when ULM won 16-10 at Malone Stadium. The Warhawks last win in Jonesboro was on Nov. 17, 2001 in a 16-7 decision. • ULM completely overhauled its roster during the offseason and added 73 new players to its 2024 roster. After Bryant Vincent was hired in early December, he and his staff signed 35 new Warhawks in less than two weeks during the early signing period on December 20, including 17 junior college transfers and 13 four-year transfers. ULM’s recruiting continued with 11 new additions on National Signing Day in February and wrapped up with 27 new faces during the spring signing period. The Warhawks lost nine starters on offense and seven on defense from the 2023 squad. •Coach Vincent was named to the American Heart Association’s 2024 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List. He was one of 27 head coaches in the country to be included on the list and was the lone coach from the Sun Belt Conference recognized. The award, given each January to a college football coach, recognizes contributions that make the sport better for athletes and fans alike by demonstrating grit, integrity and a winning approach to coaching and life – both on and off the field. • ULM’s 12-game football schedule features six home games for the fourth time in the last six seasons (previously in 2019, 2021 and 2023). Overall, it marks the seventh time that the Warhawks have played a six-game home schedule in Malone Stadium since joining the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A). According to Phil Steele, the Warhawks entered the season with the toughest schedule in the Group of Five and Sun Belt Conference with the 64th toughest schedule in the FBS. ULM’s opponents earned a winning percentage of .565 last season, which is the highest opponent winning percentage in the Sun Belt and No. 34 in the country. The Warhawks’ 2024 opponents went a combined 87-67 (.565) last season, with six opponents posting .500 or better records, including three teams that posted double-digit win totals, in Texas (12-2) Troy (11-3) and James Madison (11-2). In addition, nine foes also participated in postseason bowl games a year ago: Texas (CFP Semifinal/Allstate Sugar Bowl), Marshall (Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl), Troy (76 Birmingham Bowl), Arkansas State (Camellia Bowl), James Madison (Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl), South Alabama (68 Ventures Bowl), Texas State (SERVPRO First Responder Bowl), Auburn (Music City Bowl) and the Ragin’ Cajuns (R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl). • True freshman running back Ahmad Hardy has arrived in a big way and has led the charge for ULM in the backfield this season. The true freshman running back leads all freshman FBS running backs and ranks number 24 in the nation with 975 rushing yards. Last week, Hardy crossed the goal line for the 10th time this season and became the first Warhawk since 2019 to register double-digit rushing touchdowns in a single season. Hardy eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the sixth time this season with 105 yards and two touchdowns versus Texas State. With 25 more yards, Hardy would become ULM’s first 1,000 yard rusher since Josh Johnson’s 1,298 yard season in 2019 and would be the 12th player in ULM program history to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark. Hardy produced 207 yard rushing yards at Marshall and became the first ULM running back to reach 200 yards on the ground since Thomas Khoufi rushed for 201 yards at Georgia State on Nov. 12, 2016. Hardy broke free for an 80-yard score and his largest rush of the season to give ULM a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. Hardy leads the Sun Belt with 975 rushing yards and is first in the conference in rushing yards per game (97.5). The Lawrence County High School (Miss.) graduate has recorded six games with over 100 yards rushing, with his season-high coming versus Marshall (207). According to Pro Football Focus, Hardy had 59 missed tackles forced on runs this season entering week nine, which was second most in the FBS. • Baltimore, Maryland native running back James Jones brought down his second touchdown reception of the season at Marshall. Jones has totaled 331 rushing yards on 76 carries (4.4 yards/carry) and scored a 22-yard rushing touchdown versus Jackson State and a 36-yard receiving touchdown versus Southern Miss as well as a receiving touchdown at Marshall. • Northeast Louisiana natives and ULM defensive stars Wydett Williams Jr. and Carl Glass Jr. both have racked up more than 70 total tackles this season and are both in the top 15 on the Sun Belt tackles leaderboard. Williams, a General Trass High School alum and native of Lake Providence, La., intercepted his third pass of the season versus Southern Miss and is 18th in the country with three interceptions, trailing only JMU’s Terrence Spence (5) in the Sun Belt Conference. Williams Jr. was voted Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week following a media member panel vote after his week one performance versus Jackson State. Williams became the first ULM football player to earn SBC Player of the Week recognition since 2021. Williams tallied a game-high 10 tackles and an interception in his ULM debut versus the Tigers. The Delta State transfer added 0.5 sacks and 0.5 TFLs on opening night. He was an All-Louisiana First Team and All-NELA First Team selection in high school. In 23 games at Delta State, he racked up 72 total tackles, six pass breakups, 3.5 TFLs and one sack. A Monroe native, Carl Glass Jr. is the anchor of the ULM linebacker unit and shared a game-high nine total tackles with Carl Fauntroy in the Troy game. Glass Jr. forced his second fumble of the season at Auburn and made the recovery. Glass Jr. also made nine stops and forced a fumble in the season opener versus Jackson State. The senior linebacker landed on Athlon Sports’ Preseason All-SBC Third Team defense and Phil Steele Preseason defense. Glass tallied 59.0 total tackles last season to go along with 7.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Fauntroy forced his first fumble of the season and made a game-high nine total tackles in ULM’s win over the Golden Eagles. The Mobile native secured his first-career interception at Texas on Sept. 21 and has made five or more tackles in three games this season. • First-team junior college All-American edge rusher and MACCC Defensive Player of the Year Billy Pullen has made an immediate impact on the ULM defense and made a pair of game-changing plays versus UAB including a strip sack and a safety. Pullen’s 0.50 sacks per game is the seventh-highest in the Sun Belt and ranks 50th in the nation. ULM’s top edge rusher arrives in Monroe after recording 13 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss at Co-Lin in 2023. • Aidan Armenta has completed 78 of 137 passes for 987 yards and seven passing touchdowns in 10 games. The 2022 New Mexico Preps Quarterback of the Year led the Warhawks to victory in his first career start under center versus JMU, throwing the game-winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to his former teammate at New Mexico, Jake Godfrey. The Albuquerque native completed 17 passes on 30 attempts for 147 yards in ULM’s victory versus JMU. Armenta came in relief in ULM’s win at Troy and completed four passes for 108 yards. Two of Armenta’s completions were over 40 yards, including a 57-yard pitch-and-catch to Godfrey. The redshirt freshman quarterback transferred to ULM after spending last season at New Mexico under Coach Vincent as the Lobos’ offensive coordinator. • Redshirt Junior General Booty tossed his second touchdown pass of the season at Auburn on a 65-yard strike to freshman receiver Jonathan Bibbs. He has completed 29 passes on 54 attempts for 306 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown pass to Davon Wells in the season opener. Booty arrived in Monroe after spending the last two seasons at Oklahoma, making two appearances for the Sooners. • Hunter Herring scampered for a 44-yard rushing touchdown to put the Warhawks in the lead at South Alabama. Herring has been utilized in short yardage situations and on special teams for ULM. Herring has accumulated 113 rushing yards on 14 carries and has blocked a punt for the Warhawks. • Jake Godfrey hauled in his first-career touchdown reception in ULM’s win over James Madison. Godfrey’s season-long 57-yard reception from Armenta set the Warhawks up in the red zone and led to the game’s only touchdown at Troy. He has tallied 12 catches for 171 yards in SBC play. Davon Wells is ULM’s leading receiver with 238 yards and reeled in his longest reception of the season on a 51-yard touchdown catch from Armenta at South Alabama. Wells padded ULM’s wide receiver unit and was added to Warhawks’ roster during the spring signing period. Wells was a two-time All-NEC Second Team wide receiver and kick returner at Long Island University. He was voted First Team All-NEC at All Purpose and Punt Returner by FCS Football Central.
Arkansas State Red Wolves Notes
1ST AND 10
1 Among all centers in FBS with a minimum of 600 snaps played, Jacob Bayer is the top-rated center nationally.
2 Corey Rucker needs 61 receiving yards to become A-State’s career receiving yards record holder.
3 Justin Parks is one of three current four-year FBS captains, along with Utah’s Cameron Rising and Auburn’s Payton Thorne.
4 A-State is among 12 teams in FBS with four or more wins decided by eight or fewer points.
5 Head Coach Butch Jones is among 17 active FBS head coaches with 100 or more wins.
6 The Red Wolves have 97 wins as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, second-most of any member, past or present.
7 Seven different players have combined for 13 total interceptions for the A-State defense.
8 A-State is bowl eligible for the 14th time as a FBS member.
9 The Red Wolves have used 37 different starters this season, 17 on offense and 20 on defense.
10 17 players have made their first starts at A-State this season, six on offense (Harden, Little, McGehee, Myers, Ndoma-Ogar, Wallace) and 10 on defense (Bradley, Collins, Etienne, Greil, Ham, Jefferies, Jones, Joyner, Mahoney, Stephens, Whitehead).
A-STATE VS THE SUN BELT
Arkansas State has an all-time record of 97-77 in Sun Belt Conference games. Along with ULM and Louisiana, A-State is one of three teams that have been a part of the conference since its inaugural football season in 2001. The Red Wolves rank second in all-time Sun Belt victories with 97.
South Alabama Jaguars at Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
2:00 p.m. ESPN+
THE SERIES
Saturday will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the Jaguars and Golden Eagles – South Alabama leads the all-time series between the two schools by a count of 4-0 – South Alabama’s last victory in the series took place in 2023 when the Jaguars hosted Southern Miss on national television and dominated in the form of a 55-3 blowout
South Alabama Jaguars Notes
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF SCORE FIRST
South Alabama is undefeated this season when scoring the first points of the game. The Jaguars are 5-0 and defeated Northwestern State, App State, Troy, ULM and Louisiana when drawing first blood. Conversely, the Jags are 0-5 on the year when their opponent scores first.
NEVER MISSED
South Alabama owns a perfect, 4-0 record against Southern Miss. The Eagles are one of two FBS opponents that the Jaguars have played multiple times and never lost against. The other is San Diego State (2-0). Southern Miss is one of three Sun Belt teams the Jags have never lost to, the others being Marshall and Old Dominion.
CLIMBING THE LADDER
With the win over Louisiana, South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez moved into a tie for eighth place in program history for wins by a starting quarterback with five. A win against Southern Miss would give him six and move him into a tie for fifth-most wins at South Alabama.
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Notes
Noting the Golden Eagles
• Southern Miss plays in its 108th football season in 2024, having first fielded a team in 1912. The program did not play during World War I (1917-18) or World War II (1943-45). • The Golden Eagles currently play in their fourth different conference in their football history, after holding a spot in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1931-41, the Gulf States Conference from 1948-1951 and Conference USA from 1996- 2021, before starting play in the Sun Belt Conference for the 2022 season. • Since 1994, the program has collected 24 winning seasons and played in 19 bowl games. • Overall, Southern Miss has enjoyed 74 winning seasons and five years of .500 football over its history. Since 2000, the Golden Eagles have had 18 of 24 winning seasons. • The 2022 LendingTree Bowl was the 27th bowl appearance for the Golden Eagles as they hold a 12-15 record overall in postseason games. • Of the 11 FBS opponents for the Golden Eagles this season, six are already bowl eligible with four more still with the opportunity to go to a bowl. Golden Eagle 2024 opponents have a combined 70-51 record (.579).
Against South Alabama
• The two schools meet for the fifth-straight season and the third time as Sun Belt Conference opponents. The series began in 2020 on the opening night of the COVID-19 season in Hattiesburg. The Jaguars have won all four previous contests in the series. Go to page 3 for a breakdown of the series and last year’s recap and box score. • Former USM head coach Jay Hopson is in his second season as a Jaguar assistant coach. Hopson was the top man of the Southern Miss program from 2016 until resigning early in 2020, stepping down after the meeting with the Jaguars to open that season. • USA assistant coach Paul Petrino once coached for the Golden Eagles • USM has 13 players from the state of Alabama, which is the second most number from a particular state on the roster. They include Ti Mims (Bay Minette), Ja’Len Sims (Birmingham), Jay Jones (Demopolis), Miles Adams (Flomaton), Will James (Grand Bay), Brennen Milliron (Hoover), Josh Bledsoe (Lafayette), Drew Lawson (Madison), Hayden Breal (Mobile), Kristin Booth (Oxford), Brodarius Lewis (Prattville), Ethan Crawford (Tuscaloosa) and Chandler Merrill (Vestavia Hills). • Twenty players on the Jaguar roster call the state of Mississippi home. • The campuses are only just under 90 miles from each other via US-98.
Golden Eagles Competing in Third Season in Sun Belt Conference
• After spending 26 seasons in Conference USA, the Golden Eagles play in their third Sun Belt Conference season. • The Golden Eagles are part of a 14-team Sun Belt that are separated in the East (App State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Marshall and Old Dominion) and West (Arkansas State, Louisiana, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Texas State, Troy and ULM) division. JMU, ODU and Marshall joined the Golden Eagles as first-year members during the 2022 season. • Southern Miss played at Troy for its first Sun Belt contest on Oct. 8, 2022, dropping a 27-10 decision. • Southern Miss won five Conference USA titles during its tenure, including one since divisional play started in 2005. They captured their only league title contest and the school’s fifth overall C-USA league crown when they beat Houston, 49-28, in 2011. • The school’s other C-USA titles came in the inaugural season of 1996 as well as the 1997, 1999 and 2003 campaigns. The Golden Eagles also won two East Division crowns in C-USA (2006, 2011) and captured their first West title in 2015 after moving to that division during the 2014 campaign. Southern Miss won its third division title in 2015 but lost in the C-USA championship game at WKU, 45-28. Southern Miss is 1-2 in C-USA title games. • Along with the five C-USA titles, the Golden Eagles also won three additional league titles – 1948, 1950, 1951 – when they were members of the Gulf States Conference
A Golden Eagles Win over South Alabama would…
• snap a eight-game current losing streak • give the Golden Eagles their first Sun Belt victory of the season • allow them to beat South Alabama for the first time in five meetings • end a 11-game losing streak against FBS opponents • give Reed Stringer his first win as a head coach • finish their longest losing streak since dropping 23-straight games from the 2012-13 season.
Georgia Southern Eagles at Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
2:30 p.m. ESPN+
Georgia Southern Eagles Notes
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF
10 Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina have met 10 previous times with the Eagles leading 6-4. Coastal had won the previous three contests before the Eagles won at home last season.
9 Senior Gavin Stewart has connected on nine eld goals this season, with five of them coming from 40 yards or longer (on six attempts).
8 Led by four apiece from Josh Dallas and Dalen Cobb, eight different Eagle receivers have caught at least one touchdown pass this season.
7 Georgia Southern has played 14 one-score games in the almost three full seasons under head coach Clay Helton, winning seven of them and losing seven.
6 Jayson Foster scored a school-record six rushing touchdowns in the 2007 win at Coastal Carolina.
5 Linebacker Marques Watson-Trent has five double-digit tackle performances this season and 15 for his career.
4 Georgia Southern has played a road game after each of its four losses this season, including this week at Coastal Carolina. The Eagles have won all three of those games thus far.
3 The Eagles have lost three games in a row at Brooks Stadium dating back to 2020 after starting o‑ 2-0.
2 This is the second game on the Eagles’ 2024 schedule against a team from the Palmetto State. Georgia Southern dispatched of South Carolina State in the season opener.
1 Georgia Southern is ranked first in the Sun Belt and 15th in the FBS in net punting, averaging 42.27 net yards per kick.
NOTABLE STREAKS AND TRENDS ENTERING THE GAME
• Georgia Southern is 15-3 under head coach Clay Helton when scoring eight or more points in the second quarter and 3-15 when scoring seven points or less. • Southern is 8-3 when under Helton when scoring eight or more points in the fourth quarter. • The Eagles are 5-1 under Helton when completing 35 passes or more in a game. • Southern is 12-3 when having a combined 60 or more rushes and completions under Helton (4-0 with 65+). • GS is 14-7 when rushing for 100 or more yards in a game under Helton, 4-1 when rushing for 200 or more yards. The Eagles are 11-5 when tallying 30 or more rushes in a game and 9-1 when winning the rushing battle (9-17 when losing it). • Since 2000, the Eagles are 117-16 when they’ve rushed for 300 yards or more. • Dating back to the start of the 2018 season, GS is 30-10 in games when having at least one 100-yard rusher. • Since joining the FBS in 2014, Georgia Southern is just 10-32 when rushing for less than 150 yards in a game. • Dating back to 2019, the Eagles have won 16 of their past 20 games when not committing a turnover. • Dating back to 2020, the Eagles are 22-5 when winning the turnover battle, 4-22 when losing it, and 3-5 when the margin is tied. Under Clay Helton, the Eagles are 12-2 when winning the battle, 4-13 when losing it and 2-3 when it’s tied. • As a member of the FBS (since 2014), the Eagles are 50-9 when scoring 30 or more points, 21-56 when scoring less than 30 points. The Eagles are 14-5 under Clay Helton when scoring 30 or more points, 4-13 when scoring less than 30 points. • Georgia Southern is 225-1 all-time when having a lead of 18 or more points at any point in the game. That lone loss came in 2005 when the Eagles led at Texas State 35-16 in the third quarter and lost 50-35. • The Eagles have won 82 straight games when holding a lead of 17 or more points at any point in a game dating back to that 2005 Texas State game. • Since 1983, Georgia Southern is 203-17 when allowing 17 points or less. The last time the Eagles lost a game when allowing 17 points or less was in 2013, a 16-14 loss to Furman at home. The current streak of victories when allowing 17 or less points is 32. • Georgia Southern had won 90 games in a row when scoring 40 or more points before scoring 45 points and losing to Boise State in this year’s opener. Overall, the Eagles are now 150-3 all time, including 99-1 at home when scoring 40 or more points in a game. Georgia Southern is 7-1 under Helton when scoring 40 or more points in a game.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Notes
Game notes not available.
Troy Trojans at Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
4:00 p.m. ESPN+
THE LOUISIANA-TROY SERIES
• Louisiana and Troy will officially meet for the 20th time with the Trojans holding an 11-9 advantage in the series. • The school’s first met in 1946 with Louisiana claiming a 64-0 win in Lafayette. • Troy has won the last two meetings in the series, including a last-minute 23-17 victory in the last meeting (11/5/22) in Lafayette. • The Ragin’ Cajuns are 7-6 against Troy in games played in Lafayette.
Troy Trojans at Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Did You Know?
• Troy has started six different offensive line units in eight games this season, tied for the third most in the country • Troy’s games in 2024 have averaged just 124.6 combined plays, the 12th fewest in the country (Army, 119.8) Texas Tech leads the country with 148.2 combined plays. Troy and A-State combined to run 153 plays, a season high for the Trojans • Troy ran a season-high 73 plays at Georgia Southern and the Trojans have topped the 70-play in three straight games; the Trojans had run 58 or fewer plays in four of the previous six games • Troy had 372 yards of offense in the first half (222 yards on the ground) against Coastal; that total would have been more than five of Troy’s full games this season • Combined with the second half at Arkansas State and the first half against Coastal, Troy’s offense scored 56 points over a four-quarter stretch … the Trojans had scored 136 points in the previous 30 quarters • Troy has more than doubled its per-quarter point average the last 10 quarters of play. Troy has scored 94 points over its last 10 quarters of play for an average of 9.4 per quarter. The Trojans averaged 4.5 points per quarter the first 30 quarters of the season • Paddy McAteer, who didn’t kick an American football until April, ranks as the No. 17 KOS in the country by PFF and 11th, averaging 69.8 yards per attempt • Big plays have been key to Troy’s success offensively, the Trojans have scored on just 9.09 percent of its drives (5-of-55) without a big play (any pass of 15+ yards or a rush of 12+ yards). Troy has scored on 66 percent of drives with a big play (33-of-50) • Devonte Ross (15) and Damien Taylor (9) are responsible for 53.3 percent of Troy’s plays of 20- plus yards this season • Troy ranks third nationally converting on 96.6 percent (27-of-28) of its red zone opportunities • Devonte Ross’ 77-yard punt return for a touchdown at Iowa was the first the Hawkeyes allowed since Christian McCaffrey in the 2016 Rose Bowl.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Notes
LOUISIANA HOSTS TROY IN HOME FINALE
• Louisiana closes out its 2024 home schedule when it plays host to Sun Belt Conference West Division rival Troy. • The game would mark the final regular-season contest at the stadium known as Cajun Field with the rebranded Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium becoming the official name beginning with the 2025 season. • The game will mark the final regular-season home appearance for 19 players who will be honored in a pre-game ceremony. • The Ragin’ Cajuns look to secure a berth in the SBC Championship Game for the fifth time in the seven-year history of the game with Troy earning the previous two appearances in 2022-23.
A LOUISIANA WIN WOULD …
• Clinch a share of the Sun Belt Conference West Division title. • Clinch a spot in the SBC Championship Game for the fifth time in the seven-year history. • Keep Louisiana on pace for its fourth 10-win season in the past six years. • Be head coach Michael Desormeaux’s 22nd career win. • Improve Desormeaux’s record in SBC games to 13-10. • Be Louisiana’s 93rd overall win in Sun Belt Conference play. • Snap a two-game losing streak to Troy. • Give Louisiana a 4-2 record at Cajun Field.
TEAM NOTES
• Louisiana became the last FBS team nationally to lose a fumble this season in its Week 12 game against South Alabama. • Louisiana has turned the ball over six times during the 2024 season to rank tied for second (Clemson, Georgia Tech, James Madison, Vanderbilt, UNLV) behind Army (3) among FBS schools. • The Ragin’ Cajuns have 84 players on its roster from the state of Louisiana to lead all instate FBS schools. • The Ragin’ Cajuns have allowed 184.2 yards through the air in their first 10 games to lead the Sun Belt Conference and rank 22nd nationally in passing yards allowed. • Louisiana has controlled the clock during the 2024 season ranking 12th nationally in time of possession (32:31 per game). • Louisiana enters the week third in the Sun Belt Conference and ranked 40th nationally among FBS schools in total defense allowing 337.2 yards per game. • Louisiana ranks fifth among all FBS teams in tackles for loss allowed (3.3 per game). • Louisiana’s third-down conversion percentage (.483) is second in the Sun Belt and is 12th among FBS programs. • Seven players – King McGowen (OT), Kaden Moreau (OG), Quinton Williams (OT), Caden Jensen (TE), Zylan Perry (RB), Lorenzell Dubose (CB) and Carmycah Glass (LB) – have each earned their first career starts during the 2024 season. • Thirteen players – Ben Wooldridge (QB), Lance LeGendre (WR), Terrance Carter (TE), Bill Davis (RB), Dre’lyn Washington (RB), Harvey Broussard (WR), Tavion Smith (WR), Landon Burton (C), Caleb Kibodi (LB), Chandler Fields (QB), Zylan Perry (RB) and Caden Jensen (TE) – have scored at least one touchdown this season for Louisiana. • Louisiana’s four interceptions against App State equaled its most in a game since October 30, 2010 at Ohio. • Louisiana had a string of 18 consecutive quarters with a score snapped after going scoreless in the third quarter of its 34-24 win at Coastal Carolina.
Georgia State Panthers at Texas State Bobcats
6:00 p.m. ESPN+
SERIES NOTES:
Georgia State and Texas State are meeting for the fifth time in program history. The Panthers are 4-4 in the series against the Red Wolves. > The Panthers and Bobcats are meeting for the first time since the 2021 season. Georgia State tied the series record in the last matchup after taking advantage of a 28-16 win at home on Oct. 23, 2021.
Georgia State Panthers Notes
THE KICKOFF:
Georgia State travels to Texas State for the final road contest of the season on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET at UFCU Stadium.
PANTHERS VS. THE SUN BELT:
Despite a slow start to conference play, the Panthers continue to stand in Sun Belt rankings, on both sides of the ball. > The Panthers rank fourth in the Sun Belt and top 50 in the nation for fewest penalties (56). > Defensively, GSU ranks fifth in the conference and top 50 in the nation for fumbles recovered with six. Henry Bryant leads the Panthers and the Sun Belt with two fumble recoveries, ranking fifth in the nation. KD McDaniel, Izaiah Guy, Anthony Blume and Rykem Laney all have one to tie for eighth in the conference for fumbles recovered. > Senior Kevin Swint leads the Panthers with three forced fumbles to rank second in the conference and 12th in the nation. D-Icey Hopkins, Josiah Robinson and Henry Bryant have one forced fumble.
Texas State Bobcats Notes
• Texas State is coming off a historic 2023 season that saw the program win its first bowl game, in its first appearance, a 45-21 victory over Rice in the SERVEPRO First Responder Bowl. • The Bobcats set an FBS-program record with eight wins in 2023. • Texas State posted the highest season attendance average the program has seen in 2023 at 21,184 (127,102 total), and has had two sellouts at UFCU Stadium in 2024. • TXST is coming off a 58-3 win over Southern Miss, good for its highest scoring output of the season. • With Saturday’s victory, Texas State is bowl eligible for the second consecutive season. • The Bobcats had 703 yards of total offense in the win over Southern Miss last weekend, good for a program record (was 697). • Quarterback Jordan McCloud was named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Honorable Mention list after his 335-yard, 4 TD performance against Southern Miss. • TXST will recognize senior players ahead of Saturday’s contest. • Georgia State enters the match-up 2-8 overall and 0-6 in Sun Belt play and is coming off a 27-20 loss to Arkansas State.
Marshall Thundering Herd at Old Dominion Monarchs
6:30 p.m. ESPNU
Saturday’s meeting is the 10th all-time meeting between the two schools, who played in Conference USA together for several years before joining the Sun Belt together. Marshall leads the overall series, 8-1, and has won three of four meetings in Norfolk.
Marshall Thundering Herd Notes
Trying To Win The Race!
Prior to the season, Marshall was selected to finish 5th in the Sun Belt Conference’s East Division standings. With two weeks left in the regular season, the Thundering Herd is currently in first place after winning four straight games in SBC play. Now, Marshall’s race to the SBC East Division title takes the Thundering Herd to S.B. Ballard Stadium for the first of two road games to end the 2024 regular season. Marshall is currently at 7-3 overall and 5-1 in SBC play. The Thundering Herd’s lone losses on the season came to a pair of Power Five opponents – nationally-ranked Ohio State and ACC member Virginia Tech – and to Georgia Southern, whom the Herd fell to 24-23 on the road. Following Saturday’s matchup at ODU, the Herd ends the year at James Madison.
One Goal Secured!
As Marshall started the 2024 season, the imagery of 6-7 was all around – on shirts, scoreboards and in meeting rooms – to remind player of the 2023 record and the desire to improve. With last week’s 31-19 win over Coastal Carolina, Marshall eclipsed its win total from the 2023 season. The Herd has now won four straight contests heading into Saturday’s road game at Old Dominion. Marshall has seen its fair share of success in Norfolk, winning three of four games with the Monarchs there, including a 12-0 shutout win over ODU in 2022.
With a win on Saturday…
…Marshall would remain in first place in the SBC East Division while maintaining its hopes of playing for the 2024 SBC Championship. A win on Saturday paired with a James Madison loss to App State and a Georgia Southern loss at Coastal Carolina would clinch the East Division title for Marshall. The Herd would also reach 8 wins for the 9th time in 12 years.
Old Dominion Monarchs Notes
• Old Dominion hosts Marshall in the home finale on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The Monarchs will honor their seniors prior to the game. • ODU fell last week to James Madison, 35-32. • Running Back Aaron Young had 17 carries for a career-high 116 yards and a touchdown against James Madi- son. It was the second-straight game Young recorded 100-yards rushing. He had 110 yards rushing the previous game at App State. • Quarterback Colton Joseph completed 9-of-21 for 189 yards with an interception. He also had 13 carries for 35 yards and tied his career-high with three rushing touchdowns, tying his previous career high with three rushing scores in the win over Texas State. • Wide receiver Diante Vines caught four passes for a career-high 89 yards. • Linebacker Koa Naotala registered his third double-digit tackle game of the season with 11 stops against JMU. He also notched a half a sack. • Marshall defeated Coastal Carolina 31-19 last week in Huntington. Braylon Braxton completed 20-of-31 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 30 yards. JJ Roberts led the Thundering Herd with 12 tackles and had four pass breakups. • ODU played a Division I record 11 one-score games in 2023, going 6-5 in those games. So far this season 7-of-the first-10 have been one score games. Nineteen of the last 24 games have been decided by one score. • Old Dominion’s 57 newcomers are the 15th most in the country and the 28 transfers (JUCO and Four-Year) are tied for 15th most in the country.
The Outcome
An ODU win would mean: • Give ODU its first win over MU since 2016 • Snap ODU’s six-game losing streak to Marshall • Clinch at least a .500 Sun Belt Conference record for the second-straight season
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
DOWN TO THE WIRE
Though App State holds a 13-5 advantage in the all-time series with James Madison, the two programs have produced a pair of thrilling contests as Sun Belt Conference brethren in 2022 and 2023. The Dukes scored 29 unanswered points to earn their first Sun Belt Conference victory, 32-28, in come-from-behind fashion on Sept. 24, 2022. Last season, the Mountaineers halted James Madison’s bid for an unbeaten campaign with a 26-23 overtime win on Nov. 18, 2023, spoiling the day for the Dukes after they hosted ESPN’s College GameDay—the third Sun Belt campus to host the show since 2020. This season’s matchup holds significance for both programs. A Mountaineers win would keep them unbeaten inside Kidd Brewer Stadium since the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene on the high country and would edge them within a victory of bowl eligibility. A Dukes win would keep them in the Sun Belt East Division race, ahead of a final-weekend date with current Sun Belt East Division leader Marshall at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, on ESPNU.
GOING BOWLING?
Coming off a 2023 campaign in which it led the nation with 12 Bowl Season participants, three of this Saturday’s Sun Belt matchups—ULM at Arkansas State at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+, South Alabama at Southern Miss at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+ and Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina at 2:30 p.m. on. ESPN+— feature a team playing for bowl eligibility. The Warhawks, Jaguars and Chanticleers can all clinch bowl eligibility with wins. A bowl appearance would be the first for ULM since 2012, the third-straight for South Alabama and the fifth-straight for Coastal Carolina. Arkansas State leads the all-time series with ULM, 32-14; South Alabama is 4-0 all-time against Southern Miss; and Georgia Southern leads the all-time series with Coastal Carolina, 6-4.
TO THE VICTOR GO THE SPOILS
The two teams that have represented the West Division in the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game—Troy (2022 & 2023) and Louisiana (2018-21)—will meet at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, on ESPN+. A week after knocking Georgia Southern from its perch atop the Sun Belt East Division, the two-time defending Sun Belt champion Trojans will look to continue to play spoiler when they visit the Ragin’ Cajuns in Lafayette, La. Louisiana tops the Sun Belt West Division at 5-1 in league action, a game up on Arkansas State (4-2), South Alabama (4-2) and Texas State (4-2). The Ragin’ Cajuns also lead the all-time series with Troy, 13-11.
STACKING YARDAGE
A week after setting a single-game program record with 703 yards of total offense against Southern Miss, Texas State will host Georgia State at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, on ESPN+. The Bobcats, who are bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history, rank sixth in the nation averaging 470.3 yards of total offense per game. The Panthers are allowing 409.0 yards of total offense per game this season. A Texas State win would give the Bobcats five Sun Belt Conference victories for the second time in program history and the first time since 2014. A Georgia State win would snap a seven-game losing streak overall and a 10-game losing streak to conference opposition dating back to the 2023 season. The victor will earn a 5-4 edge in the all-time series.
THE THUNDER ROLLS
Marshall rides a Sun Belt-leading four-game winning streak into a road matchup with Old Dominion at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, on ESPNU. The streak has propelled the Thundering Herd to the top of the Sun Belt East Division at 5-1 in conference play, a game up on Georgia Southern (4-2) and James Madison (4-2). Marshall leads the all-time series, 8-1, with the Monarchs lone victory coming in 2016 in Norfolk. Old Dominion, which won its final two regular-season games in 2023 and 2021 to clinch bowl eligibility, will need to close out its campaign with back-to-back wins to reach the six-win plateau for the third time in four seasons under head coach Ricky Rahne. Marshall will attempt to maintain its one-game lead on the Eagles and Dukes ahead of a Saturday, Nov. 30, road bout with James Madison at 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU in the regular-season finale.
WEEKLY AWARDS
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Trojans junior quarterback Matthew Caldwell accounted for all four Troy touchdowns in a 28-20 victory over Georgia Southern. The Auburn, Ala., native, completed 26-of-32 passes for 288 yards and two scores and rushed for 13 yards and two more touchdowns. Caldwell converted on 10 third downs with either his arms or his legs.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Red Wolves senior defensive lineman Bryan Whitehead was a force to be reckoned with in Arkansas State’s 27-20 win over Georgia State that clinched bowl eligibility for the second-straight season. The Bartlett, Tenn., product registered a career-high five tackles, including establishing new career-bests with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Whitehead also forced the first fumble of his career and added a quarterback hurry
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Thundering Herd redshirt senior defensive back J.J. Roberts made the momentum-shifting play on special teams for Marshall en route to a 31-19 win over Coastal Carolina. The Ona, W.Va., native jumped through the line and blocked a field goal attempt, which Jacobie Henderson returned 65 yards for a score to extend Marshall’s lead to two-possessions. The blocked field goal for a touchdown was the first for the Thundering Herd in 14 years. Roberts also added 12 tackles, four pass breakups and a tackle for loss on defense.
