It was a light week in the Sun Belt, as five teams were on bye. The league came up short for a second week in a row on a Power Five win, as NC State held on to defeat Marshall. Two championship contenders blew out would-be challengers, and Louisiana made a statement.
All that and more, in the best little conference in the land! Let’s get to the action.
NC State 48, Marshall 41
This is not the game Marshall wants to play. It is also not usually the kind of game Dave Doeren’s NC State program wants to play. But the Wolfpack dragged the Herd into a track meet and used their Power Five speed and playmaking on the perimeter to open a lead. Marshall quarterback Cam Fancher attempted 51 passes and 20 rushes in this game, a bizarrely high usage rate for a replacement level quarterback. This game could have been a lot different with some better offensive execution for the Herd; they went for almost every fourth down play, but only converted one out of their five attempts. NC State’s initialized hookup tormented Marshall’s defense, as quarterback MJ Morris connected on a pair of touchdowns to freshman receiver Kevin Concepcion.
Louisiana 34, Texas State 30
In a “Separation Saturday” game for the West division, Louisiana earned a big win over the upstart Bobcats behind a great day from redshirt freshman Zeon Chriss. Texas State jumped out to the early lead in this one, riding its red-hot offense to a 20-7 lead. With about 10 minutes left in the ballgame, Texas State quarterback TJ Finley connected with receiver Joey Hobert for what looked like a game-clinching touchdown and a 30-21 lead. But the Ragin’ Cajuns owned the final 10 minutes, blocking a Texas State punt, recovering an Ashtyn Hawkins fumble, and finding the end zone twice on offense. Chriss was spectacular, throwing for three scores and running for a fourth.
Troy 37, Arkansas State 3
Jon Sumrall and the defending Sun Belt champions had something in store for Arkansas State’s phenom freshman Jaylen Raynor that he had not yet seen: an actual good defense. Troy dominated this game from start to finish, and it wasn’t even as close as the scoreboard says.
Offensively, the Trojans did not do a great job finishing some drives and honestly left some points on the board. Running back Kimani Vidal had another huge day at the office and currently sits alone at the top of the FBS rushing yards leaderboard. Defensively, they completely erased the Red Wolves offense. Add it up and Troy outgained the Red Wolves in yardage 587 to 203. The Trojans celebrated their homecoming by flexing their championship muscles.
South Alabama 55, UL-Monroe 7
South Alabama finally took care of business and played its best ball of the season. This is a team that still has the players to be a contender in the Sun Belt. Despite a few ugly losses in September, this team will be a factor down the stretch. The Jags’ big three on offense all had excellent games; quarterback Carter Bradley played arguably his best game of the season with 20-of-29 passing for 303 yards and three scores. This was the total dominance Jaguars faithful needed to see: the team doubled up UL-Monroe in yardage and scored on every possession except one missed field goal attempt. For ULM, the highlight was another brilliant touchdown catch by stud receiver Tyrone Howell, this time under the gun before halftime after a scramble from quarterback Jiya Wright.
Old Dominion 17, Southern Miss 13
Old Dominion’s bizarre season took another twist with a solid road win. The Monarchs are not a very good football team — certainly not a predictable one — but they are a gritty crew and they fight their butts off. They held Southern Miss without a single offensive touchdown and made a heroic goal-line stand late in the fourth quarter to preserve a hard-fought win. Linebacker Jason Henderson made the tackle on that fateful play and is now the program’s all-time leader in that category.
Southern Miss’s catastrophic season continues, as offensive line woes continue to plague this outfit. The Golden Eagles are now 1-5 on the year. With a chance to turn the game around late in the closing minutes, they had the Monarchs in a third-and-long from their own end zone — and allowed Old Dominion to convert to end the game. The offense is woeful, the Nasty Bunch defense is no more, and luck is not going their way, either. For a program that had been making incremental strides out of the depths of 2020, this season is a major step back.
Five Stars of the Week:
5. Javon Solomon EDGE — Troy: 2.5 TFL, 2 sacks
4. Carter Bradley QB — South Alabama: 20-of-29 passing, 303 yards, 3 TDs
3. Jason Henderson LB — Old Dominion: 17 tackles, 1 sack, 2.5 TFL
2. Kimani Vidal RB — Troy: 28 carries, 245 yards, 3 TDs
1. Zeon Chriss QB — Louisiana: 13-of-17 passing, 205 yards, 3 TDs; 12 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD
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.
