Sun Belt Conference Team Notes - Week 14
Courtesy of The Sun Belt Conference
November 29, 2007
Sun Belt Results
November 17
Louisiana-Monroe 21, Alabama 14
#14 Florida 59, Florida Atlantic 20 (ESPN GamePlan)
* Louisiana-Lafayette 38, Florida International 28
November 20
* Troy 45, Middle Tennessee 7 (ESPN2)
November 24
Southern Mississippi 16, Arkansas State 10
North Texas 27, WKU 26
* Florida Atlantic 55, Florida International 23 (ESPN+/ ESPN GamePlan)
* Louisiana-Monroe 17, Louisiana-Lafayette 11
Sun Belt Schedule
December 1
* Florida Atlantic at Troy (CSS) – 1 p.m.
* North Texas at Florida International – 6 p.m.
All times central and subject to change
* denotes Sun Belt Conference game
TV carrier in parenthesis
Sun Belt Conference Notes
Sun Belt Champion to be Determined
It will all come down to the last game of the season for Troy and Florida Atlantic. If the Trojans can win the season finale they will take home the outright Sun Belt Championship and earn the Sun Belt’s bid to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. If the Owls win the two teams will share the conference championship, but FAU will represent the league in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
ULM Defeats Alabama, 21-14
Quintez Secka had two interceptions and Louisiana-Monroe turned Alabama away three times on promising scoring drives in the fourth quarter to pull off a 21-14 upset and send the Crimson Tide to a third consecutive defeat. The Warhawks forced four turnovers and blocked a field goal for their first win over a Southeastern Conference team since 1994. ULM held firm every time Alabama appeared poised to tie the game.
Western Kentucky University Joins Sun Belt Football
Western Kentucky University is currently in transition to become the ninth Sun Belt Conference football playing institution and the 120th Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) member. The Hilltoppers will play six SBC teams in 2008 and will be eligible for the conference title and a bowl berth in 2009. WKU, the 2002 Division I-AA National Champions, will play three contests against current Sun Belt members this season (Middle Tennessee, Troy, and North Texas). In week two of the season WKU recorded five touchdowns against West Virginia Tech in the first quarter - tying an NCAA I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) record with 49 points in a quarter. The Hilltoppers would go on to win 87-0.
North Texas-Navy Game Sees Multiple Records Set
North Texas and Navy set an NCAA record for most combined points in a regulation game with 136. It tied the overall record with Boise State and Nevada which occured earlier this season in four overtimes. The 63 combined second quarter points set a NCAA record for most combined poinst by two teams in a single quarter. The previous record was 61 points set in 1999 by San Jose and Hawaii. Giovanni Vizza’s seven first half touchdown passes ties an NCAA record for most touchdown passes in a half. Doug Johnson was the last quarterback to accomplish the feat in 1997.
Sun Belt Conference Team Notes
Arkansas State (3-4 SBC, 5-7 Overall)
Last Week at Southern Mississippi: ASU finished below .500 for the first time since the 2004 season, completing the year with a 5-7 record. The Indians last two setbacks of the year came by a combined nine points. ASU’s 31 victories over head coach Steve Roberts’ first six years are its most over a six-year span as a Division I-A member (19 years) and its most at any level since winning 34 from 1986-91. Including the 2007 season, ASU’s average home attendance was over 17,000 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in Indian Stadium history. Its average home attendance of 17,040 in 2007 was the third highest average in the history of Indian Stadium. The Indians finished their season with 4,558 yards of total offense, the second most in ASU history and the most ever under Roberts. ASU also posted a school-record 243 first downs and its 1,426 kickoff return yards were also the most in school history. The Indians’ 388 pass attempts this season were their most during the Roberts era and its 2,446 passing yards were the second most in ASU history. Senior safety Tyrell Johnson finished his career at ASU as the Sun Belt Conference’s all-time leading tackler (363), all-time leader for interception return yards (309) and ranked No. 3 in the league for total interceptions (13). Sophomore quarterback Corey Leonard, a 2007 Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist, finished the year with a school-record 16 touchdown passes and 2,782 yards of total offense. Sophomore running back Reggie Arnold rushed for 1,060 yards, making him the first player in ASU history to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. Sophomore wide receiver Brandon Thompkins posted an ASU and Sun Belt Conference record 1,062 kickoff return yards. Senior wide receiver Levi Dejohnette finished his career at ASU ranked No. 3 in career receiving yards (1,816) and No. 3 in career receptions (152) in school history. ASU will return its leading passer (Leonard) and rusher (Arnold) and its second leading receiver (Thompkins) in 2008. The Indians’ lose their two leading tacklers from 2007 next season in Koby McKinnon (101 tackles) and Khayyam Burns (97), but return middle linebacker Ben Owens who finished with a career-high 96 tackles.
Florida Atlantic (5-1 SBC, 6-5 Overall)
Last Week vs. Florida International: FAU outscored FIU 35-3 in the first two quarters. Rusty Smith had a career day and broke several single season records including yards and TD passes. Defensively, FAU extended its consecutive games with an interception to 19. The Owls were led by Greg Joseph who drew his first start and had 10 tackles.
This Week at Troy: It will all come down to the last game of the season for Troy and Florida Atlantic. If the Trojans can win the season finale they will take home the outright Sun Belt Championship and earn the Sun Belt’s bid to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. If the Owls win the two teams will share the conference championship, but FAU will represent the league in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
Florida International (0-6 SBC, 0-11 Overall)
Last Week vs. Florida Atlantic: RB A’mod Ned’s 9-yard run in the first quarter pushed his season total to 455, surpassing his previous season high of 445 yards, set in the 2006 season...Ned became the sixth Golden Panther to rush for 500 yards in a season with his 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 10 carries for 68 yards to push his season totals to 126 carries for 550 yards... Freshman WR James Rucker caught a career-high six passes for 52 yards, surpassing his old marks of three catches for 25 yards against Troy...Sophomore QB Paul McCall came off the bench and completed 23-of-35 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns.
This Week vs. North Texas: North Texas and Florida International will meet for the last collegiate football game to be played in Miami’s famous Orange Bowl. The Orange Bowl is one of two stadiums to host five NFL Super Bowls. The Miami Dolphins also called the Orange Bowl home from 1966 to 1987. The Orange Bowl Football Classic was played there from 1937 to 1995.
Louisiana-Lafayette (3-4 SBC, 3-9 Overall)
Last Week vs. Louisiana-Monroe: There were only five freshmen to rush for 1,000 yards in 2005. In 2007, only two of those (Arkansas’ Darren McFadden and Louisiana’s Tyrell Fenroy) can boast three straight 1,000-yard campaigns. Fenroy finished 2007 with 1,021 yards to become the Cajuns only three-time 1,000-yard back. Fenroy will enter 2008 needing 64 rushing yards to catch Brian Mitchell in becoming the school’s all-time champion. Fenroy and quarterback Michael Desormeaux each ran for over 1,000 yards, marking the 40th time in NCAA history that one team had a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season. Louisiana-Lafayette established new school and Sun Belt records for rushing yards in a season (3,019) and yards per rush (5.6). The Cajuns 251.6 rushing yards per game are second to the 2005 Cajuns’ 254.3 rushing yards per game.
Louisiana-Monroe (4-3 SBC, 6-6 Overall)
Last Week at Louisiana-Lafayette: With its 17-11 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette, ULM becomes bowl eligible for the first time since it jumped to Division I-A in 1994. ULM won five of its last six games of the season. Greg James scored the second touchdown of his career at ULL with a 60-yard touchdown on an interception return. It was the 13th longest in ULM history and sixth longest of the road. ULM has now won five of the last six games against Louisiana-Lafayette Punter Scott Love set the ULM single-season record with his 23rd punt inside the 20-yard line.
Middle Tennessee (4-3 SBC, 5-7 Overall)
Last Week at Troy: Senior Bradley Robinson picked up his 14th career interception and tied the all-time Sun Belt Conference record. His 14 picks equals the amount Chris Harris (ULM) and Johnathan Burke (ASU) amassed during their careers. Robinson’s fifth interception of the season also tied him with Cedric Stegall for second place on Middle Tennessee’s all-time list and leaves him three shy of the career record of 17 held by James Griffin. Dwight Dasher made his first collegiate reception when he hauled in a 10-yard pass from Joe Craddock...Middle Tennessee’s fumble of a punt in the second quarter was its first lost fumble since the Memphis game...QB Joe Craddock’s 34-yard run in the first quarter was the longest of his career...TE Stephen Chicola’s TD catch in the first quarter was his first of the season and the fourth of his career...Freshman Jeremy Kellem recorded his second sack of the season against Troy...OT Franklin Dunbar made his team-best 30th straight start tonight while DT Trevor Jenkins made his 25th straight start...Damon Nickson recorded his third career sack against Troy...Senior Dana Stewart recorded his second interception of the season and the second of his career late in the fourth quarter...The blocked punt against the Blue Raiders by Troy marked the first punt MT has had blocked since Tennessee Tech recorded one on Sept. 14, 2006.
North Texas (1-5 SBC, 2-9 Overall)
Last Week vs. WKU: North Texas’ blocked punt return for a touchdown was the first since Evan Robertson recovered a blocked punt in the endzone against SMU last season. The block was Aaron Weathers* third of the last two games, and his fourth of the season. It was the first touchdown of Chris Neal’s career. Competing in his final game at Fouts Field, Jamario Thomas tallied his fifth, sixth and seventh rushing touchdowns of the season. Thomas has now had back-to-back games with at least two touchdowns for the first time since his freshman season in 2004 (MTSU and Utah State in 2004). The senior tied Ken Bahnsen (1950-52) for third in school history with 26 career touchdowns.
This Week at Florida International: North Texas and Florida International will meet for the last collegiate football game to be played in Miami’s famous Orange Bowl. The Orange Bowl is one of two stadiums to host five NFL Super Bowls. The Miami Dolphins also called the Orange Bowl home from 1966 to 1987. The Orange Bowl Football Classic was played there from 1937 to 1995.
Troy (6-0 SBC, 8-3 Overall)
Last Week vs. Middle Tennessee: The Trojans improved their all-time record on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU to 7-1 with the victory over Middle Tennessee. The only Trojan loss on the networks was in the 2004 Silicon Valley Football Classic against Northern Illinois. The victories came against Portland State (1984 Division II championship game), Missouri (2004), North Texas (2005), FIU (2005), Rice (2006) and Oklahoma State (2007). With the victory over Middle Tennessee, the Trojans clinched at least a share of their second consecutive Sun Belt Conference title. It is Troy’s 19th conference title in football in 83 seasons of play. Troy also owns league titles in the Alabama Intercollegiate Conference (1939, 41-42), the Alabama Collegiate Conference (1967-68-69), the Gulf South Conference (1971, 73, 76, 84, 86-87) and the Southland Football League (1996, 99-00). The victory over Middle Tennessee also gave the Trojans their eighth victory of the season, marking the second straight season the team has won that many games and the 10th time in Coach Larry Blakeney’s 17 season the Trojans have won at least eight games.
This Week vs. Florida Atlantic: It will all come down to the last game of the season for Troy and Florida Atlantic. If the Trojans can win the season finale they will take home the outright Sun Belt Championship and earn the Sun Belt’s bid to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. If the Owls win the two teams will share the conference championship, but FAU will represent the league in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.