League play began in earnest around college football this week, and the Sun Belt had six matchups of conference foes after just a sprinkling in the early going. In non-league play, the conference’s streak of weeks with a victory over a Power Five school was sadly snapped.
We had some key separation games, some amazing box-score stuffing performances (two teams scored 50!), and a titanic collision between two league favorites. Let’s get to the action.
Minnesota 35, Louisiana 24
The only chance for a Sun Belt team to get another win over a Power Five program fell short. The Ragin’ Cajuns were a game opponent for the Gophers and even took a 17-14 halftime lead. But eventually the big boy beef was too much, and Minnesota leaned on Louisiana en route to a 200-yard effort in rushing yards. New Louisiana quarterback Zeon Chriss made his third straight start and led the team with 74 rush yards on 10 carries, again showing that his dynamic rushing is going to be a key to the Cajuns shaking off their slow start and finishing 2023 strong.
Arkansas State 52, UMass 28
Two words: Jaylen. Raynor. The Red Wolves were left for dead after being outscored 110-3 in their first two outings, but the true freshman Raynor is single-handedly breathing life into this team after being inserted into the lineup halfway through their third game. He has accounted for 12 total touchdowns and sports an 87.4 QBR. In this game, he threw for six touchdowns on 20-of-25 passing for 383 yards. Butch Jones’ outfit has scored 96 points in Raynor’s two starts, a pair of wins over Southern Miss and UMass. The real test begins this week as Arkansas State travels to Troy to take on the defending league champion.
Marshall 41, Old Dominion 35
Old Dominion continues to be one of the hardest teams to figure out in all of college football. One week the Monarchs are barely hanging on to beat Texas A&M-Commerce, the next they are grabbing a 21-3 lead over undefeated Marshall. Jack Shields got the start for the Monarchs, who did nothing through the air but racked up 339 rushing yards against Marshall’s stout defense. Shields contributed to that total with a 66-yard run of his own, but also threw three picks, a week after he got the job because Grant Wilson tossed three of his own.
Marshall played with its food but eventually pulled away. The Herd continue to ask Cam Fancher to sling the ball around; it’s a bizarre game plan for a team with one of the best running backs in the country, a veteran offensive line, and a good defense. Fancher has attempted at least 27 passes in every game, but is only 79th in the country with a 52.3 QBR. The Herd are 4-0 but have been in danger of losing every game, and it’s easy to imagine how a Run The Dang Ball game plan could make things a little more comfortable.
Texas State 50, Southern Miss 36
Texas State is white hot. The Bobcats are now 4-1 to start the GJ Kinne era in San Marcos. His up-tempo offense scored five touchdowns in the first half of this game, a week after scoring five in the second half against Nevada. The Bobs opened the contest with a kick return touchdown from Ismail Mahdi; he also scored three more times rushing the ball. Southern Miss drops to a disappointing 1-4, and the Golden Eagles did well to rally back in the fourth quarter after trailing 42-10 at halftime, but things are going sideways this year in Hattiesburg.
Appalachian State 41, UL-Monroe 40
App State continues to play a bonkers game every week. These teams combined for a thousand yards of offense and six turnovers. This was a back-and-forth affair as quarterbacks Joey Aguilar and Jiya Wright alternated throwing brilliant passes to their teammates and headscratchers to the opponents. App State had the ball late, and kicker Michael Hughes drilled a walk-off 54-yard field goal to win it. Cornerback Tyrek Funderburk had a pick-six for the ‘Neers for the second straight week.
Georgia Southern 38, Coastal Carolina 28
These programs have waged some fierce battles recently, and Georgia Southern struck the latest blow. Davis Brin played a clean game, throwing three touchdowns with no turnovers, but Grayson McCall did not, throwing four interceptions to the Eagles. That proved to be the difference as the yardage was fairly even. Georgia Southern wide receiver Khaleb Hood continues to add to his impressive career portfolio; his 12 catches for 131 yards were both personal bests. He tacked on more yardage to his school record total and also recorded his sixth career 100-yard game, also a school record.
Troy 28, Georgia State 7
The defending conference champions were road underdogs to a Georgia State team that was 4-0 to start this campaign but a league doormat last season. Memories must be short around these parts, and Troy took that underdog status personally. The Trojans’ run defense was marvelous, holding an excellent Panthers ground game to just 105 yards at 3.4 per clip. Darren Grainger had to take to the air, and the Trojans picked him off twice and kept the Panthers from scoring in the second half. Troy tailback Kimani Vidal salted the game away with a pair of touchdowns, one each in the third and fourth quarters; the first came on a beautiful textbook wheel route from Gunnar Watson. The Trojans served notice that despite their pair of early season losses, they are still contenders to repeat as league champs.
James Madison 31, South Alabama 23
James Madison stays perfect to start the season at 5-0, and South Alabama drops another critical contest. The Dukes won this matchup of two of the best and most well-balanced teams in the league, and it wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. JMU traded a 2022 schedule that had bottom feeders Texas State and Arkansas State as its West Division draw for a 2023 slate with Troy and South Alabama, and it passed the test with flying colors.
The Dukes came out hot through the air, grabbing a 14-0 lead on a pair of Jordan McCloud touchdown throws. Their run defense absolutely erased the Jaguars’ solid rushing attack, even without standout linebackers Taurus Jones and Jailin Walker. But the JMU secondary has been gettable, and the Dukes’ second-half play-calling has been uber-conservative. The Jaguars were able to chip away at the lead by passing the ball and holding down a predictable rush attack that was just trying to hold the lead, but it was much too little, much too late.
Five Stars of the Week:
5. Kadarius Calloway RB — Old Dominion: 11 carries, 236 yards, 3 TDs
4. Michael Hughes K — Appalachian State: 5/5 XP, 2/2 FG, game-winning 54-yard FG as time expired
3. Jalen Green LB — James Madison: 4 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT returned for TD
2. Ismail Mahdi RB — Texas State: 14 carries, 89 yards, 3 TDs; 1 catch, 89 yards; 3 kickoff returns, 138 return yards, 1 return TD
1. Jaylen Raynor QB — Arkansas State: 20-of-25 passing, 383 yards, 6 TDs; 10 carries, 35 yards
About the author
Born in Washington, DC, and living in New York City, I am the target demographic of the Big Ten's last expansion. I attended the University of Missouri in the Big 12 era, but I love life in the SEC. I am passionate about college football, baseball, board games, Star Wars, the written word, progressive politics, and the perfect slice of pizza.
