WEEK 7 GAME SCHEDULE
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs James Madison Dukes
Coastal Carolina Notes
COASTAL CAROLINA BY THE NUMBERS
-4 Coastal Carolina is tied with Georgia for the national lead in punt yards allowing this season, holding opponents to -4 punt return yards through five games.
2 CCU has surrendered just two sacks this season and is tied for fourth in the nation in fewest sacks allowed.
3 Coastal is one of only three FBS teams with four defensive touchdowns this season, joining SMU and Tulane. 16.6 Excluding the service academies, no FBS school in the nation is averaging more yards per completion than the Chanticleers at 16.6.
158.9 Coastal’s team passing efficiency of 158.9 is the best in the Sun Belt Conference.
A COASTAL WIN WOULD …
• move Coastal to 171-90 all-time, including 13-6 in the Tim Beck era; • make Coastal 5-3 in Sun Belt Conference road openers; • give Coastal at least five wins in its first six games for the fourth time in the last five seasons; • give Coastal its first win over James Madison since 2005; • move Coastal to 33-25 all-time in Sun Belt Conference games;
A COASTAL LOSS WOULD …
• give Coastal consecutive losses in conference road openers for the first time since 2008-09; • be Coastal’s fourth consecutive loss to James Madison;
CHANTS ON THE GRIDIRON
• In its 22nd year of football, Coastal holds an all-time record of 170-90 (65.4%), including a 56-36 (60.9%) mark as an FBS program. • The Chants have posted 14 winning seasons in 21 year of football. • Coastal has had only five losing seasons in program history, including three during the Chants’ first three seasons in FBS.
SCOUTING THE DUKES OF JAMES MADISON
• James Madison is 4-1 and coming off a 21-19 loss to ULM. • JMU enters the game tied for the national lead in turnover margin (+2.2) and turnovers gained (15). • Cornerback Terrence Spence is one of only 18 players in the country with at least three interceptions this season. • The Dukes have outscored their opponents 60-21 in the first quarter this year. • James Madison has won the turnover battle in all five of its games so far in 2024. • Since moving up to the FBS ranks, JMU owns a 12-2 record at home. • Punter Ryan Hanson was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List for the fifth consecutive season, along with earning First-Team College Football Network Preseason All-American honors and being named CFN Preseason National Punter of the Year. • Offensive lineman Cole Potts was a Second-Team College Football Network Preseason All-American selection.
James Madison Notes
DUKES FACE CHANTS IN PRIMETIME THURSDAY
• JMU is back at home on a short week, as it’s set to host Coastal Carolina Thursday night at Bridgeforth Stadium. • It’s JMU’s first home Sun Belt game and its first weeknight home game since the 2021 FCS quarterfinals. • This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the teams, with JMU leading the series, 3-1. • Thursday’s game is sponsored by ALKU, and the 2024 JMU football season is presented by CarMax.
THURSDAY’S COVERAGE
• JMU’s matchup with Coastal will be nationally televised on ESPN2. On the call are Matt Barrie and Dan Mullen upstairs with Harry Lyles Jr. down in the sideline. • Fans can listen to the game on the Morris Insurance and Financial JMU Radio Network, with Dave Riggert and former JMU punter Harry O’Kelly calling the action. • Pregame radio coverage at Bridgeforth begins two hours prior to kickoff at 5:30 p.m. • Live stats are available at JMUStats.com.
THURSDAY NIGHT IN THE VALLEY
• JMU has a history of non-Saturday games due in large to its runs through the FCS Playoffs, but this week’s matchup with Coastal represents just the fourth regular-season game to be played on a Thursday in the 53- year history of the program. • Last year, JMU won 20-9 at Marshall on Oct. 19, 2023, in its first Sun Belt midweek game. • The Dukes’ second Thursday game came back on Sept. 13, 2018, when JMU rolled to a 73-7 win over Robert Morris in a game moved up to Thursday due to the threat of Hurricane Florence. • JMU first played on a Thursday back on Oct. 29, 1981, when hosting Hampton, known as Hampton Institute then. • Adding in Friday games in the FCS postseason (formerly Division I-AA) and the 2001 finale, this Thursday will be the 14th game to be played on a Thursday or Friday since moving to Division I in 1980. The Dukes are 10-3 in those games, which includes a 5-2 mark at Bridgeforth Stadium.
JMU RESULTS OFF FIRST LOSS IN REGULAR SEASON
• Coming off its first regular-season setback, JMU has been solid at bouncing back the following week. • Since 2000, JMU is 19-3 in weeks after a regular-season loss, with the lone two defeats coming with the Dukes’ starting quarterback being sidelined due to injury in 2015 and 2022. • Of the 19 wins coming off its first loss, JMU has won 13 by double digits, including a 56-14 win at Coastal in the 2023 regular-season finale in Conway. • JMU went unbeaten in the 2017 and 2020 regular seasons with its only losses occurring in the FCS playoffs.
ULM EDGES JMU IN SUN BELT OPENER
• JMU had a quick starting, going up 10-0 in the first quarter, but ULM outscored the Dukes 21-9 over the final three stanzas to edge the Dukes 21-19 last Saturday in Monroe, La. • Trailing 21-13 in the fourth, JMU put together a 75-yard drive and found the endzone on a Tyler Purdy one-yard rush with 4:04 to play, but the two-point conversion was no good. • JMU’s defense got two stops late but was unable to get in field-goal range, as ULM stopped the Dukes twice on fourth down in the closing moments. • Despite the loss, JMU out-gained the Warhawks 399-257 and held a 2-1 lead in takeaways.
QUICK STARTS
• After scoring a total of three points in the opening quarters of games one and two, JMU turned it into high gear after the bye, combining for 57 points between the first quarters of the UNC, Ball State and ULM games. • At UNC on Sept. 21, JMU put up 25 points in the opening stanza, which is the third-most in a first quarter in school history. • It tacked on 22 more in the first 15 against Ball State, which was fifth-best in the 53-year history of the program. • Last week at ULM, JMU scored 10 points in its first two drives to grab a 10-0 lead just over six minutes into the game.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Arkansas State Red Wolves vs Texas State Bobcats
THE ARKANSAS STATE – TEXAS STATE SERIES
Saturday’s game will mark the 12th meeting between Arkansas State and Texas State as the two sides are set to continue their Sun Belt Conference series that begin in 2013. The Red Wolves lead 7-4 in the 11 games played, but Texas State has won three of the last four meetings after A-State had won the previous five. Three of the last four meetings were decided by a combined seven points, all won by Texas State – 47-45 in 2020, 24-22 in 2021 and 16-13 in 2022. The Red Wolves are 2-3 in the five previous meetings in San Marcos, most recently suffering a 16-13 setback in 2022. The last win for A-State in San Marcos was a 33-7 triumph in 2018.
Arkansas State Notes
1ST AND 10
1 Ryan Heicher’s 44.6 yards per punt is the top single season punt average in program history (min. 20 punts).
2 The Red Wolves have 94 wins as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, second-most of any member, past or present.
3 Justin Parks is one of three current four-year FBS captains, along with Utah’s Cameron Rising and Auburn’s Payton Thorne.
4 Of 77 players to play this season, 65 percent (50) are in their first or second year in the program.
5 Corey Rucker ranks fifth in career receiving yards with 2,421 and needs 26 yards to pass Robert Kilow (1998-00) for fourth.
6 A-State’s seven interceptions through five games are the most since the 2015 squad had 10.
7 Three of the last four meetings between A-State and Texas State have been decided by a combined seven points (47-45, 24-22, 16-13).
8 FBS, FCS and NCAA Division II transfers account for 26 percent of the A-State roster this season. Among 32 total transfers, 21 were added prior to this season.
9 The Red Wolves have used 33 different starters this season, 17 on offense and 16 on defense.
10 14 players have made their first starts at A-State this season, six on offense (Harden, Little, McGehee, Myers, Ndoma-Ogar, Wallace) and eight on defense (Bradley, Etienne, Greil, Ham, Jones, Joyner, Stephens, Whitehead).
A-STATE VS THE SUN BELT
Arkansas State has an all-time record of 94-75 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 94.
Texas State Notes
OPENING DRIVE
• 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). • Texas State opened the season receiving votes in the US LBM preseason Coaches Poll and received eight votes in the week 3 edition. • Texas State finished 7-2 across nine games played in the state of Texas in 2023. • TXST is coming off a 38-17 win over Troy, its first over the program since Oct. 4, 1997 and first on the road. • Nash Jones was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award.
A WIN VS. ARKANSAS STATE MEANS…
• The Bobcats improve to 5-7 in the series with Arkansas State. • Texas State has won 5 of 7 dating back to the 2023 season. • TXST starts 2-0 in Sun Belt Conference play for the first time in program history (joined in 2013). • The Bobcats are 6-4 in their last 10 SBC outings dating back to the start of 2023. • TXST moves to 3-1 at UFCU Stadium this season.
FAST START
The Bobcats have outscored their opponents 72-10 in the first quarter of games this season and 134-55 through the first half. TXST has also held 3 opponents (Lamar, Sam Houston & Troy) scoreless in the first quarter.
GOING FOR A DRIVE
Texas State’s offense scored on 45% of its drives (57 TD, 15 FG on 160 drives) in 2023 and scored on 55% (6/11) in the season opener against Lamar. • TXST sits at 44% to open 2024, scoring on 28 of 63 drives. • Texas State was 7-1 when it scored on 40 percent or higher of its offensive drives in a game, with wins against Baylor (50%), Jackson State (85%), Nevada (42%), Southern Miss (43%), ULM (42%), Georgia Southern (64%), and South Alabama (50%). Its lone loss was against Louisiana (60%). • Texas State averaged 10+ yards per play on 23 percent of its drives, which was 8th-best in the nation according to BCFToys.com (nongarbage time drives against FBS opponents only).
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles vs Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Southern Mississippi Notes
Noting the Golden Eagles
• Southern Miss plays in its 108th football season in 2024, having fi rst fi elded a team in 1912. The Golden Eagles are 618-466-27, which is 49th best among FBS teams by win percentage (.568). • The Golden Eagles currently play in their fourth diff erent 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. • The program has collected 24 winning seasons since 1994 and appeared in 19 bowl games during that time. • Overall, Southern Miss has enjoyed 74 winning seasons and fi ve years of .500 football over its history. Since 2000, the Golden Eagles have had 18 of 24 winning seasons. • Against the current membership of the Sun Belt Conference, the Golden Eagles are 80- 39-1 versus league foes, having never met James Madison. • The 2022 LendingTree Bowl was the 27th bowl appearance for the Golden Eagles as they hold an 12-15 record overall in postseason games.
Against ULM
• The Golden Eagles and Warhawks play for the ninth time in the two school’s football histories and the third time as members of the Sun Belt Conference with Southern Miss leading 6-2 in the series. • Frank Gore, Jr. rushed for 131 yards, with a touchdown, to move into third place on the Southern Miss career rushing list and the Golden Eagles beat ULM 24-7 at home last season (see page 3 of the notes for the recap). • Southern Miss got 199 yards on the ground from Gore, Jr., in the 2022 inaugural Sun Belt meeting between the two schools as the Golden Eagles pulled out a 20-10 decision in a rain-soaked Monroe. • One ULM assistant coach worked at Southern Miss, running back coach Broderick Fobbs, who was an assistant coach on the 2012 coaching staff overseeing the WRs. • Southern Miss is 2-0 when they play ULM in Monroe.
Notes from the Louisiana Game
• The Golden Eagles held Louisiana to its lowest point output of the season at 23 points. • Louisiana snapped an eleven-game losing streak in its series against the Golden Eagles and won for only the second time in 25 tries in Hattiesburg. • Louisiana won the time of possession battle in the game 40:32 to 18:18. • QB Tate Rodemaker finished the game with a season-high 71 percent completion percentage, completing 15 of 21 passes for 140 yards. • Sophomore running back Kenyon Clay recorded his first two-rushing touchdown game of his career, scoring both in the second quarter. • Dreke Clark broke free for two 20-yard rushes on Southern Miss’ drive at the end of the second quarter, including a 27-yarder, his longest of the season. • Linebacker Tre’ Pinkney led the team with 12 tackles, marking his second double-digit tackle game of the season. Elijah Sabbatini also recorded a career-high ten tackles in the contest. • Freshman linebacker Chris Jones earned his first career sack in the first quarter, stopping Louisiana quarterback Ben Wooldridge on a third down in the first quarter. • Free safety Ques McNeal broke up a pass in the endzone on the first play of the second quarter. The senior leads the team with four pass deflections this season. • Redshirt freshman Will James earned his first career pass deflection on a throw to the endzone in the second quarter. • Ryan Johnson earned his first sack as a Golden Eagle and the second of his career at the end of the second quarter and Jalil Clemons got his first sack of the season and tenth of his career on a third down at the start of the fourth quarter. • Bryce Lofton tied a career-high of seven punts for a career-high total of 329 yards. The redshirt junior averaged 47 yards per punt with a long of 52 and one placed inside the 20.
Louisiana-Monroe Notes
FIRST-AND-10 –
• The ULM football team (4-1, 2-0 Sun Belt) is set to wrap up a two-game homestand at Malone Stadium on Saturday (Oct. 12) with its homecoming matchup versus Southern Miss (1-4, 0-1) at 4 p.m. on ESPN+. For the first time in the FBS era and since the 1993 season, the Warhawks are off to a 4-1 start in year one of the Bryant Vincent era following a dramatic 21-19 victory over previously unbeaten James Madison last Saturday night. 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). • The Warhawks are seeking their first 5-1 overall start since the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA Championship season and its first 3-0 start to Sun Belt Conference play since the 2017 season. • ULM is 2-6 all-time versus Southern Miss and 0-2 versus the Golden Eagles inside Malone Stadium. USM has won the previous two meetings back in 2022 & 2023. • 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. • 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 have 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 phenom running back Ahmad Hardy has led the charge in the ULM backfield this season and has rushed for 379 yards in his first five collegiate games. Hardy, a graduate of Lawrence County High School in Mississippi, havs recorded two 100-yard rushing games including 106 yards at Troy and scored the game’s lone touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the Warhawks ahead with less than 10 minutes to go. Hardy ranks fourth in the SBC in rushing touchdowns (4) and second in rushing yards per game (75.8). The Warhawks have primarily featured three running backs through the first five games with Hardy, including Taven Curry, who led ULM with 64 yards on the ground versus UAB and Baltimore, Maryland native James Jones, who has totaled 133 rushing yards on 33 carries (4.0 yards/carry) and scored a 22-yard rushing touchdown versus Jackson State. • Defensively, ULM is second in the SBC in scoring defense (19.8) and third in total defense (340.2 yards/game). Northeast Louisiana defensive stars Wydett Williams Jr. and Carl Glass Jr. both have racked up more than 40 total tackles this season.
Old Dominion Monarchs vs Georgia State Panthers
SERIES NOTES:
Georgia State and Old Dominion are meeting for the sixth time in program history. The Panthers are 1-4 in the series after falling 24-25 to the Monarchs during the 2023 season. > The Panthers’ only win over Old Dominion occurred at home in 2023, when Georgia State defeated the monarchs 31-17.
Old Dominion Notes
• Old Dominion completes its three-game road trip as the Monarchs take on Georgia State on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 3:30 p.m. • Old Dominion is coming off yet another one-score game, falling 45-37 at Coastal Carolina last Saturday. • Colton Joseph made his second career start, completing 22-of-40 passes for 262 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed nine times for 68 yards and a touchdown. All are career highs. • Devin Roche saw his first extended action of the season, carrying 12 times for a career-high tying 86 yards and his first career touchdown. He also caught two passes for 27 yards. • Wide receiver Isiah Paige had eight receptions for 81 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown catch. • ODU played a Division I record 11 one-score games in 2023, going 6-5 in those games. So far this season 4-of-the first-5 have been one score games and 16 of-the-last 18. • For the second-straight week ODU’s opponent is coming off a bye. Prior to the bye, Georgia State lost to Georgia Southern, 38-21. The Panthers have wins over Chattanooga and Vanderbilt, who last week beat No. 1 Alabama, 40-35. • Linebacker Koa Naotala is tied for second in the Sun Belt and leads the Monarchs with 45 tackles. Safety Jahron Manning is tied for fourth with 43 stops. • 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.
Georgia State Notes
THE KICKOFF:
After coming of its second bye week of the season, Georgia State looks to secure its first Sun Belt win against Old Dominion on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 3:30 p.m. at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium. > Following hosting ODU, the Panthers hit the road for a four-game, month-long road series, including matchups against Marshall (Oct. 17), App State (Oct. 26), UConn (Nov. 11) and James Madison (Nov. 9). Georgia State will return to Center Parc Credit Union Stadium on Nov. 11 to host Arkansas State.
PANTHERS VS. THE SUN BELT:
Despite a slow start to conference play, the Panthers continue to stand in the Sun Belt rankings on both sides of the ball. • Georgia State currently ranks fifth in the Sun Belt East after starting the season 2-2. A Panthers’ win over Old Dominion could potentially bump GSU to tie for the No. 3 in the SBC east division. • The Panthers lead the Sun Belt and rank fourth in the nation for fewest penalties with 19. • Ofensively, the Panthers rank top 10 in the Sun Belt in completion percentage (7th with 0.595) team passing efficiency (9th with 128.18) and winning percentage (9th at 0.500). • The Panthers’ passing offense ranks third in the conference and 23rd nationally with 268.3 yards per game. • Defensively, GSU ranks third in the conference and 24th in the nation for fumbles recovered with four. Senior Kevin Swint leads the Panthers with two forced fumbles, and KD McDaniel, Izaiah Guy, Henry Bryant and Rykem Laney have all recorded a fumble recovery.
Appalachian State Mountaineers vs Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
THE LOUISIANA-APP STATE SERIES
• Saturday’s meeting with App State will be the 12th between the schools dating back to 2014 – and the first since the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Championship Game at Cajun Field – with the Mountaineers holding an 8-3 lead. • App State claimed the first eight meetings in the series before the Ragin’ Cajuns claimed a 24-21 victory on December 4, 2020 to start a current three-game win streak. • Beginning in 2018, the schools met in the first three Sun Belt Conference Championship Games (no game in 2020) with the Mountaineers claiming titles in 2018-19 before Louisiana earned a 24-16 victory in the 2021 SBC Championship Game at Cajun Field.
Appalachian State Notes
TOP STORYLINES
• On Saturday, App State will play Louisiana for the first time in 1,044 days after the two Sun Belt Conference programs faced each other seven times in a span of 1,142 days from Oct. 20, 2018 to Dec. 4, 2021. In those four seasons, there were two games apiece with meetings in Sun Belt Championship Games in 2018, 2019 and 2021. • App State’s 52-37 loss at Marshall was the Mountaineers’ first game appearance in 16 days. After playing a Thursday game against South Alabama on Sept. 19, the impact of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27 and beyond led to the cancelation of the Sept. 28 home game against Liberty. With Fall Break on campus scheduled for Oct. 14-15, classes will resume no earlier than Oct. 16. • To donate to the App State Disaster Relief fund, which benefits students, faculty and staff, visit https://goapp.st/Relief and scroll down to the relief section under “Selected Designations.” Last week, the volunteer effort among App State coaches, staff members and players from head coach Shawn Clark’s program included unpacking and organizing donated goods at a local church and later loading supplies onto helicopters from a humanitarian aid organization. • App State and Louisiana squared off in the first three contested Sun Belt title games (the 2020 game was canceled), and they’ve combined for eight berths (the Mountaineers also played in the 2023 title game; UL qualified in 2020). The home teams went 3-0 in those head-to-head matchups, with App State winning 30-19 in 2018 and 45-38 in 2019 before Louisiana won 24-16 in 2021. • This series has been a streaky one. App State won the first eight matchups from 2014 (the Mountaineer’ debut as a Sun Belt member) through 2019, while Louisiana has won the last three matchups. This will be the first matchup with the current head coaches squaring off. • App State is 96-33 since starting 1-5 in its 2014 FBS debut. The only teams with more wins than the Mountaineers’ 97 since their transition are Alabama (131), Clemson (123), Ohio State (120), Georgia (118), Oklahoma (106), Notre Dame (99), Michigan (98) and Boise State (98). App State is tied for No. 5 nationally with 36 road wins since 2014, with a 29-12 mark in SBC regular-season road games. • Averaging 304.6 passing yards per game (No. 9 in FBS, No. 2 among G5 programs) with eight 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 two more of those TD passes in 2024.
MORE STORYLINES
• Armanti Edwards, a record-setting and title-winning QB for the Mountaineers from 2006-09, is one of 22 members of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class. The official induction ceremony will be held Dec. 10 during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas. • App State, which led the Sun Belt with 14 alums on NFL rosters in 2023, again has a league-high 14 alums on current rosters this season. • The only FBS programs in the country with four conference championship game appearances in the last six seasons are App State, Alabama, Boise State, Clemson, Georgia, Oregon and Utah. The Mountaineers have won four Sun Belt titles overall, plus division titles in 2021 and 2023. • 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. • Shawn Clark has led the Mountaineers to a win over a ranked opponent in each of the last three years: 30-27 over No. 14 Coastal Carolina in 2021, 17-14 over No. 6 Texas A&M in 2022 and 26-23 (OT) over No. 18 James Madison in 2023. App State is 3-3 in its last six games vs. ranked teams. • Under head coach Shawn Clark, App State is 18-1 when winning the turnover battle. • 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. • App State is one of 32 FBS teams that returns the same head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, starting quarterback and head strength coach from 2023. • App State ranked 33rd nationally by returning 68 percent of its production from 2023. The roster had 34 scholarship newcomers entering 2024, including 15 from the transfer portal. • Falling behind 16-0 after one quarter at ECU, App State posted its largest comeback win since a Sun Belt game at Idaho in 2017, when the Mountaineers overcame a 20-0 deficit to win 23-20. • Last month, Kidd Brewer Stadium was listed at No. 23 overall on ESPN’s list of top 25 college football stadiums in the country. Fourteen of the top 17 crowds in stadium history have occurred since the start of 2022, and all 15 home crowds in that stretch have eclipsed 30,000. The Mountaineers led all FBS schools in percentage of stadium capacity filled (115.8%) last season. • App State drew the third-biggest crowd in stadium history (36,232) for the ETSU opener, then drew 34,133 for a Thursday game vs. South Alabama. In May, season tickets sold out for the third straight year for a program that set Sun Belt season attendance records in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
OFFENSE
• QB Joey Aguilar, four of the top five running backs and five of the top seven pass-catching targets returned from 2023 for an offense with only one returning starter on the offensive line. • For the first time since 2017, when Frank Ponce had a fourth straight year coaching quarterback Taylor Lamb, App State opened a season with the same starting quarterback and quarterbacks coach from the previous season. Zac Thomas played under Ponce in 2018, then had different coordinators in 2019 and 2020. Chase Brice played for different coordinators in 2021 (Ponce for his second stint in Boone) and 2022. • 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. • Kaedin Robinson has led App State in receiving yards in all five games, with four games of 85-plus yards and two 100-yard games, after tying for the Sun Belt lead last year with 10 TD receptions while catching 67 passes for 905 yards — the most single-season receiving yards by an App State player in the FBS era. He has caught a pass in 30 consecutive games, which ranks in the top 15 among all FBS players. • 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. • WRs Christan Horn and Dalton Stroman are two big-play threats, with career averages of 17.2 and 18.9 yards per reception, respectively. With Horn sidelined at Marshall, Stroman made his second career start and scored two touchdowns during a five-catch, 75-yard outing. He scored a 21-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-5 throw and a 27-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-19 play. • TE Eli Wilson had a momentum-swinging, 34-yard TD catch in the 2024 opener and App State’s first TD at ECU. He ranked in the top three among Sun Belt tight ends in catches (34), yards (350) and touchdown catches (five) in 2023. • RB Kanye Roberts returned to the starting lineup at Marshall and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season. Last year, he was App State’s top rusher five times in the last nine games of a 696-yard season that included seven rushing TDs. He had three different 109-yard games in Sun Belt play before a two-TD performance against Troy in the Sun Belt title game. • RB Ahmani Marshall had the first two-touchdown game of his career at Marshall, while Maquel Haywood was the Mountaineers’ leading rusher against South Alabama. Joey Aguilar led the team with 55 rushing yards at Marshall despite being sacked four times, as he totaled 85 yards on six carries that didn’t result in sacks. • Returning from a 2023 preseason injury to play in the final six games of last year, RB Anderson Castle gained 80 yards on seven carries (only one after halftime) in the loss at Clemson and made his second career start at ECU. His late 10-yard run allowed App State to run out the clock. • App State went 6-for-6 on fourth-down conversions at Marshall and is 7-for-10 this season.
DEFENSE
• App State brought back a pair of returning starters on the line, at linebacker and in the secondary. • OLB Thomas Davis led App State with 1.5 tackles for loss at Marshall. He has 3.0 this season. • 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. • Nate Johnson had a first-half sack at ECU erased by a targeting call, while Santana Hopper was named the national defensive player of the week by PFF College after forcing a fumble on a third-quarter sack and also stopping a run for no gain among his three tackles. PFF credited him with three QB pressures and gave him a 94.5 run-defense grade. • Against South Alabama, DE Santana Hopper forced a fumble on a sack for the second straight game. The fumble was recovered by fellow defensive lineman Shawn Collins. • In his first career start vs. South Alabama, SAF DJ Burks had a career-high 14 tackles, including one for a loss. He has 28 of his team-high 30 tackles in the last three games after totaling four tackles in his first 17 games as a Mountaineer, mostly as a special teams contributor. • ILB Brendan Harrington had six tackles, including one tackle for loss, in his inspiring return to the lineup vs. ETSU and has 16 tackles in four games. He has shown toughness and perseverance after 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). • A defense that recorded four sacks and recovered one fumble at ECU made another key stop when CB Seth Robertson intercepted a deep pass at the App State 31 and returned the ball 21 yards with the Mountaineers holding a two-point lead in the final five minutes. • Joshua Donald, Cahari Haynes, Montez Kelley and Santana Hopper produced sacks vs. ECU, which had 110 yards of offense in the first quarter but managed 214 yards the rest of the way. • In the 2024 opener, App State recorded three sacks over the final 18 minutes. OLB Thomas Davis accounted for 1.5 on back-to-back plays late in the third quarter. The Mountaineers limited ETSU to 305 total yards, with 80 coming on their only touchdown of the day.
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. • Last year, Michael Hughes made 19 of 22 field goals, including a game-winning kick from 54 yards as time expired in a 41-40 victory at ULM. Since the start of the 2023 season, he has scored 208 points by going 33-for-39 on field goals (84.6 percent) and converting 115 extra points. • 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).
Louisiana Notes
LOUISIANA SET TO RENEW GRIDIRON RIVALRY WITH APP STATE
• Louisiana looks to build on its current two-game win streak on Saturday when it faces Sun Belt Conference rival Appalachian State at Cajun Field. • The game marks the first meeting between the schools since Louisiana claimed a 24-16 win in the 2021 SBC Championship Game at Cajun Field. • Louisiana and App State will meet for the 12th time overall in a series which dates back to 2014. • The Ragin’ Cajuns and Mountaineers faced off in the first three SBC Championship Games (2018, 2019, 2021) • The Ragin’ Cajuns opened Sun Belt Conference play last Saturday with a 23-13 victory at Southern Miss, snapping an 11-game losing streak in the series and claiming their second-ever victory in Hattiesburg in 26 career games.
A LOUISIANA WIN WOULD …
• Give the Ragin’ Cajuns a 5-1 overall record and 2-0 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. • Improve Louisiana’s home record to 2-1 on the season. • Give Louisiana its first three-game win streak since 2021 when it railed off 13 straight wins. • Be its fourth straight over the Mountaineers dating back to 2020 after an 0-8 start in the series from 2014-2019. • Be head coach Michael Desormeaux’s 18th career win, tying him with George Mitchell (1947- 49) for 13th place in school history. • Even Desormeaux’s record in SBC games to 9-9. • Be Louisiana’s 89th overall win in Sun Belt Conference play
TEAM NOTES
• Louisiana is one of five FBS teams nationally which has not lost a fumble through the first six weeks of the season. • The Ragin’ Cajuns have 84 players on their roster from the state of Louisiana to lead all instate FBS schools. • The Ragin’ Cajuns have allowed 147.2 yards through the air in their first five games to rank first in the Sun Belt Conference and eighth nationally in passing yards allowed. • Louisiana enters the week leading the Sun Belt Conference and ranked 19th nationally among FBS schools in total defense allowing 289.8 yards per game. • The Ragin’ Cajuns are third in the SBC and 44th in total offense (444.8). • Six players – King McGowen (OT), Kaden Moreau (OG), Quinton Williams (OT), Caden Jensen (TE), Zylan Perry (RB) and Carmycah Glass (LB) – have each earned their first career starts during the 2024 season.
POSITION NOTES – OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
• Ben Wooldridge recorded his third career 300-yard passing game after completing 25 of 33 passes for 308 yards and three TDs against Grambling. • The 25 completions matched a career-high for the Pleasanton, Calif., native, who also had 25 completions at Old Dominion last season. • Wooldridge attempted a season-high 34 passes against Tulane and tossed TD passes to Caden Jensen and Terrance Carter. • Wooldridge was one of eight quarterbacks to earn the Manning Award “Stars of the Week” on Sept. 30 after completing 20 of 29 passes for 257 yards and three TDs in a win at Wake Forest. • Wooldridge’s 222 yards at Southern Miss increased his career total at Louisiana to 3,383 yards and 510 behind current head coach Michael Desormeaux (3,893, 2005-08) for 10thplace in school history. • Chandler Fields, who started multiple games for Louisiana in both 2022 and 2023, has completed 4 of 5 passes for 55 yards in a backup role.
Running Backs
• Louisiana gained a season-high 257 yards on the ground against Kennesaw State with Zylan Perry posting his first career 100-yard rushing game with a career-high 104 yards. • Bill Davis recorded the second 100-yard rushing game of his career with 103 yards on nine attempts against Tulane. The redshirt freshman set up a third-quarter TD drive with a career-long, 73-yard rush to the Tulane 2. • Davis led Louisiana with 95 yards on 13 carries at Wake Forest, with a 2-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. • Perry gained 78 yards on a career-high 11 attempts against Wake Forest and set up Davis’ TD with a career-best 30-yard carry. • Dre’lyn Washington rushed for a game-high 91 yards on 12 carries, increasing his career total to 996 yards. • Walk-on Tylon Citizen gained 29 yards on five carries against Kennesaw State in his second career game.
Offensive Line
• With a new offensive line coach in Steve Farmer, Louisiana will look to continue its push up front with four returning starters on the line. • Anchored by center Landon Burton, Louisiana returns both guards – AJ Gillie and Jax Harrington – along with tackle George Jackson. • The offensive line came into the season-opener against Grambling with 177 career games played with 90 career starts. • Louisiana has used four different lineups up front in five games. • Harrington returned to the lineup against Wake Forest after missing the previous two games due to injury. • Bryant Williams, who made his first career start in the 2023 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, earned the start at left tackle in the season-opener against Grambling. • Left guard AJ Gillie played and started in his 43rd career game at Southern Miss. • Kaden Moreau (right guard) and Quinton Williams (right tackle) each earned their first career starts against Kennesaw State after injuries to Bryant Williams and Harrington. • Harrington (25 starts), George Jackson (21 starts) and Landon Burton (11 starts) are next in the most career starts for the Ragin’ Cajuns. • Redshirt freshman Matthew Broussard made his first career appearance in Louisiana’s win over Grambling. • John Bragg made his collegiate debut at right tackle in Louisiana’s road win at Kennesaw State.
Receivers/Tight Ends
• Thirteen players had at least one reception in the win over Grambling with Caden Jensen (3), Ty Stamey (2), Dale Martin (1), Rahji Dennis (1) and Landon Baptiste (1) each recording their first career grabs. • Eighteen players (including running backs) have recorded at least one reception this season. • Tavion Smith’s two receptions against Grambling matched his total from 2023 while his 56-yard TD grab was a career-long. • Jensen recorded his first career touchdown catch against Tulane. • Lance LeGendre earned his second career start at wide receiver at Wake Forest and responded with career-highs in receptions (6), yards (123), touchdowns (2) and long reception (48). • Harvey Broussard and Terrance Carter each caught TD passes for Louisiana in the win over Grambling. • Carter’s seven catches at Southern Miss marked a career-best. • Jacob Bernard’s 52-yard reception against Kennesaw State was a career-long.
POSITION NOTES – DEFENSE
Defensive Line
• Kadarius Miller and Jordan Lawson each recorded a pair of tackles, including one stop for loss, against Grambling. • Mason Narcisse’s five tackles at Wake Forest were a season-best. • Miller leads all defensive linemen with nine tackles on the season. • Louisiana native and Ball State transfer Kyron Mims tied a career-high with four tackles against Kennesaw State. • Lafayette native and LSU transfer Fitzgerald West, Jr., has nine tackles on the season with a career-high four coming against Kennesaw State. • Antoine Baylis notched Louisiana’s first sack of the season in the Game 5 win at Southern Miss.
Linebackers
• K.C. Ossai, the team leader with 95 stops in 2023, posted seven tackles in against Grambling in the season opener. • Ossai leads Louisiana with 35 tackles on the season. • Ossai capped off the 2023 campaign with a career-high 18 stops against Jacksonville State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. • Carmycah Glass and Cameron Whitfield are second and seventh respectively in tackles with 23 and 14. • Whitfield’s 4.0 sacks at Southern Miss tied a school-record that was last set by Chauncey Manac at Liberty in 2021. • Caleb Kibodi’s first career interception was a 50-yard TD against Grambling. • Jaden Dugger (13 tackles, 0.5 TFL) played his first two seasons as a defensive back as FCS Georgetown before transferring to Louisiana.
Defensive Backs
• Keyon Martin recorded a team-high nine stops at Wake Forest to tie his career-best last set at Youngstown State in 2021. • Martin leads all defensive backs with 23 tackles on the season with Tyrone Lewis (22) and Tyree Skipper (16) next. • Justin Agu earned his fourth career start in Louisiana’s contest against Tulane. • Agu’s eight tackles at Wake Forest were a career-best. • Skipper’s fourth-quarter interception at Wake Forest was his first of the season and fourth of his career.
POSITION NOTES – SPECIALISTS
Kickers/Punters/Returners
• Almendares, who has converted on 51 field goals in his career, is two shy of tying Stevie Artigue (53, 2015-19) for the school record while his 130 PATs are 21 shy of tying Artigue’s school-record (151). • Almendares’ 50-yard field goal in the third quarter at Wake Forest was the fourth make from 50-plus yards and his first since a 50-yarder at Southern Miss in 2022. • Tony Sterner’s 27-yard field goal against Grambling marked his first points in a Cajuns uniform and his first since a 35-yard boot for Incarnate Word against Prairie View on Sept. 17, 2022. • Punter Nathan Torney had been the “Maytag Repair Man” this season after attempting three punts through the first four games. • Torney, the fourth Australian punter for UL since 2013, punted four times at Southern Miss. • Dalen Cambre’s blocked punt against Kennesaw State was the third of his career. The Lafayette native blocked punts against Texas State in 2022 and 2023 and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against Liberty in 2021. • Zylan Perry led all FBS players in kickoff return yards in 2023 (862) and enters the week ranked No. 9 nationally in kickoff return average (28.0). • Perry’s 57-yard return at Wake Forest set up Almendares’ go-ahead 31-yard field goal in the final minute at Wake Forest.
Marshall Thundering Herd vs Georgia Southern Eagles
SERIES HISTORY
Overall Record …………………………………….Marshall leads, 6-2
In Statesboro ………………………………………………MU leads, 3-1
In Huntington …………………………………………….MU leads, 3-1
At Neutral ……………………………………………………….Never Met
Marshall Notes
Saturday’s meeting at Allen E. Paulson Stadium will mark the ninth all-time meeting between the two programs. Marshall leads the all-time series between the teams by a 6-2 margin and has won the last six meetings, including both with the two programs as SBC foes.
Georgia Southern Notes
OF NOTE
• Marshall leads the series with Georgia Southern 6-2. The Eagles won the ‑ rst two games but the Thundering Herd have won the past six to take the lead in the series. • In ‑ ve of the previous eight games, both teams were ranked in the I-AA Top 25 Poll, including three times when Marshall was the No. 1 team in the country. • Marshall leads the series with the Eagles in Statesboro, 3-1, but MU has actually played ‑ ve games at Paulson Stadium. The Herd lost to Youngstown State in the 1991 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship Game played in Statesboro. • Eight members of Eagle Nation will be inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend, including a pair of football players in Darryl Hopkins and Jerick McKinnon. • Southern will wear a white on white combination for just the second time at home in the program’s history. The other time came in 2020 against UMass when the Minutemen had issues getting their road uniforms delivered in time during COVID.
NOTABLE STREAKS AND TRENDS ENTERING THE GAME
• Georgia Southern is 14-3 under head coach Clay Helton when scoring eight or more points in the second quarter and 1-13 when scoring seven points or less. • Southern is 6-3 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 11-3 when having a combined 60 or more rushes and completions under Helton (4-0 with 65+). • GS is 12-6 when rushing for 100 or more yards in a game under Helton, 4-1 when rushing for 200 or more yards. The Eagles are 9-5 when tallying 30 or more rushes in a games and 8-1 when winning the rushing battle (7-15 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 29-10 in games when having at least one 100-yard rusher. • Since joining the FBS in 2014, Georgia Southern is just 8-30 when rushing for less than 150 yards in a game. • Dating back to 2019, the Eagles have won 15 of their past 19 games when not committing a turnover. • Dating back to 2020, the Eagles are 20-5 when winning the turnover battle, 3-20 when losing it, and 3-5 when the margin is tied. Under Clay Helton, the Eagles are 10-2 when winning the battle, 3-11 when losing it and 2-3 when it’s tied. • As a member of the FBS (since 2014), the Eagles are 49-9 when scoring 30 or more points, 19-54 when scoring less than 30 points. The Eagles are 13-5 under Clay Helton when scoring 30 or more points, 2-11 when scoring less than 30 points. • Georgia Southern is 224-1 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 81 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 202-17 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 at 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
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
THE TAKEAWAY
The two remaining one-loss teams in the Sun Belt East Division will square off in a nationally-televised mid-week showdown in front of a sold-out crowd as Coastal Carolina (4-1, 1-0 SBC) visits James Madison (4-1, 0-1 SBC) at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, on ESPN2. The takeaway battle will be pivotal in the matchup, which pits the national leader in defensive touchdowns—four from the Chanticleers Black Swarm defensive unit—against a James Madison offense that has had just one pass intercepted all season—good for fourth in the country. The Dukes defense ranks second in the country with 10 interceptions on the year and will go up against a Coastal Carolina offense that has had just two passes intercepted all season—good for 17th in the nation. Both James Madison (1st, 2.20 & 1st, 15) and Coastal Carolina (21st, 0.80 & 26th, 9) rank among the Top 26 programs in the country in turnover margin and turnovers gained. The Dukes lead the all-time series, 3-1, with three-straight victories—including in both prior matchups as Sun Belt Conference foes.
THE COMFORTS OF HOME
Georgia State (2-2, 0-1 SBC) concludes a four-game homestand when it hosts Old Dominion (1-4, 0-1 SBC) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, on ESPN+. The Panthers are 2-1 in home games on the year and have yet to leave the city of Atlanta this season, with their lone road game being a 35-12 loss to cross-town rival Georgia Tech. The contest will conclude a three-game road swing for the Monarchs, who have split the prior two road games. Old Dominion leads the all-time head-to-head, 4-1, though Georgia State won the last matchup in Center Parc Stadium, 31-17 in 2022. Old Dominion scored the game-winning touchdown as time expired in last year’s contest—the regular-season finale for both clubs—to secure its sixth win and get bowl eligible. The home team in unbeaten in two prior Sun Belt Conference showdowns.
PRIDE OF MONROE
Off to the best start of its FBS era, ULM (4-1, 2-0 SBC) will look to build on its unblemished Sun Belt Conference record when it hosts Southern Miss (1-4, 0-1 SBC) at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, on ESPN+. The Warhawks already own victories over the two winningest Sun Belt programs since the league expanded to its current 14-member configuration in 2022—Troy and James Madison. Now the team will aim to secure its first win over Southern Miss in Sun Belt Conference play, having lost back-to-back conference contests to the Golden Eagles in 2022 and 2023.
PICTURE PERFECT
Four of the seven remaining unbeaten teams in Sun Belt Conference action will appear in a pair of evening matchups on Saturday, Oct. 12. Arkansas State (3-2, 1-0 SBC) will travel to Texas State (3-2, 1-0 SBC) at 6 p.m. on ESPN+, ahead of the nationally-televised Marshall (3-2, 1-0 SBC) at Georgia Southern (3-2, 1-0 SBC) game on ESPNU. The Red Wolves lead the Bobcats, 7-4, in the all-time series, though Texas State has won three of the last four. The Thundering Herd lead the Eagles, 6-2, in the all-time series, with six-straight wins dating back to 1993. A Georgia Southern victory would be the first over Marshall in Sun Belt Conference play, having lost back-to-back conference contests to the Thundering Herd in 2022 and 2023.
RETURN TO CAJUN COUNTRY
App State (2-3, 0-2 SBC), which is off to its first 0-2 start in Sun Belt Conference play since the 2014 season—its first in the league after making the jump from the FCS ranks, will aim to return to its winning ways when it visits Louisiana (4-1, 1-0 SBC) at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, on ESPN+. App State finished with more than two losses in Sun Belt Conference competition just once in its first decade in the league, going 3-5 in 2022. The cross-division road contest will be the Mountaineers first return trip to Lafayette since the 2021 Sun Belt Football Championship Game, which the Ragin’ Cajuns won 24-16 to secure their first outright Sun Belt title in program history. That victory was the latest in a string of three-straight Louisiana wins in the head-to-head series, which App State still leads 8-3. The meeting is the first in 1,044 days for the Mountaineers and Ragin’ Cajuns, who played seven times in a span of 1,142 days from Oct. 20, 2018, to Dec. 4, 2021, including matchups in the 2018, 2019 and 2021 Sun Belt Football Championship Games.
