NCAAF Team Report – Texas State – INSIDE SLANT
For a second straight week, a major Sun Belt Conference showdown emerges on a Tuesday night in front of a national television offense.
Louisiana-Lafayette, fresh off an impressive 30-12 win at Western Kentucky, plays at Arkansas State for an 8 p.m. ET game on ESPN2 that could very well be the league’s title game.
The Ragin’ Cajuns, 22-10 in its last 32 games and currently 2-0 in conference play, can open a major lead in the standings above the Red Wolves (3-3, 1-0) — the league’s two-time defending champion.
“The kids are excited. (Arkansas State’s) been a very tough opponent for the past two years and they have another very tough football team this year,” ULL coach Mark Hudspeth said. “An outstanding team with a lot of good players led by David Oku, a very good running back who can create some plays and make you miss and take it the distance.”
Oku and Arkansas State are 23-9 in their past 32 and have gone 15-1 in league play the last two seasons.
Coach Bryan Harsin’s team is coming off a 48-24 win against Idaho on Oct. 12.
“Ready to play,” he said. “Had some extra time to prepare for Lafayette, the guys are excited, we’re looking forward to Tuesday night. It’ll be great to have that time of atmosphere here on national television so we’re excited about it.”
The undercard of matchups all take place on Saturday on a day which could be termed, “desperation Saturday.”
Three teams — Western Kentucky, Texas State and Georgia State — will all try and avoid their third loss in league play while Troy, South Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe can all keep their SBC title hopes alive with wins.
Both WKU and Texas State could earn a fifth win, inching one step closer to become bowl eligible. The Hilltoppers (4-3, 1-2) host Troy (4-3, 2-1) at 4 p.m. ET while South Alabama (3-3, 1-1) travels to TSU and ULM (3-4, 1-1) hosts Georgia State (0-7, 0-2), both at 7 p.m. ET.
Arkansas State (3-3, 1-0)
THIS WEEK’S GAME: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
–QB Adam Kennedy had another impressive performance in a 48-24 win against Idaho on Oct. 12. The senior transfer from Utah State was 22 of 32 for 375 yards and threw four TDs. He’s completed 68 percent of his passes and has thrown for more than 1,574 yards.
–RB Sirgregory Thornton had nearly half his rushing attempts (13 of a total 30) in the Idaho win. The senior finished with 85 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per carry.
–LB Qushaun Lee continues his strong play. The junior has 54 total tackles, three of which are for a loss. He has also forced two fumbles.
Georgia State (0-7, 0-2)
THIS WEEK’S GAME: at Louisiana-Monroe, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
–QB Ronnie Bell had one of his better games in a 24-17 loss at Texas State. The sophomore was 20 of 36 for 308 yards and is 42 of 86 for 578 yards with five TDs the past two outings.
–WR Albert Wilson, the program’s all-time leading receiver, had seven more catches for 93 yards last week. The senior has five outings this year with at least seven catches and needs 237 more receiving yards to reach 1,000.
–RB Travis Evans showed some versatility by running for 71 yards and catching three passes for 23 yards last week. Evans, a senior, is averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
Louisiana-Lafayette (3-2, 1-0)
THIS WEEK’S GAME: at Arkansas State, Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
–RB Alonzo Harris will be looking for a third straight impressive performance. The junior churned up 115 yards on 22 carries in a win at WKU, scoring twice. That performance came one week after going for 78 yards on 16 carries against Texas State. The junior is averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
–WR Jamal Robinson has surged into the team lead in receiving with 26 catches for 436 yards and six scores. The junior caught three balls for 57 yards to lead ULL in a win at WKU.
–LB Justin Anderson had two key strips and fumble recoveries for the Cajuns at WKU. He also set a career high with 16 tackles, two of which were for a loss.
Louisiana-Monroe (3-3, 1-0)
THIS WEEK’S GAME: vs. Georgia State, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET.
–QB Brayle Brown made his second career start and got his first career win in a 21-14 victory at Texas State on Oct. 12. The sophomore was a pedestrian 16 of 32 for 112 yards and two interceptions.
–LB Cameron Blakes has taken the team lead in tackles with 48. The senior has also recorded three tackles for loss and 2 1/2 sacks.
–RB Centarius Donald scored the game-winning TD, going in from 10 yards out with 18 seconds left at Texas State. A senior, Donald is averaging 4.2 yards per carry this season.
South Alabama (3-3, 1-1)
THIS WEEK’S GAME: at Texas State, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET.
–QB Ross Metheny threw for 224 yards on 16 of 23 passing in a 38-21 win against Kent State at home. The senior is now 94 of 148 (63.5 percent) for 1,289 yards and six TDs while rushing for 242 yards and seven scores.
–RB Jay Jones was a yard short of 100 on just 13 carries in the win against Kent State. The junior averaged 7.6 yards per carry in setting a new season-high for yards with 99.
–WR Shavarez Smith leads all USA receivers with 23 catches for 433 yards and a TD. He added three receptions for 63 yards against KSU.
Texas State (3-2, 0-2)
THIS WEEK’S GAME: vs. South Alabama, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET.
–QB Tyler Jones, a freshman, threw just 11 times in a 24-17 win against Georgia State, and completed just five of those for 43 yards. Jones has thrown for just 376 yards and one score.
–RB Robert Lowe ran for a career-high 177 yards on 21 carries against Georgia State and scored the eventual game-winning TD last week. Lowe has now rushed for 100 yards four times in five games.
–DB David Mayo ranks 18th nationally with 5.9 solo tackles per game. The freshman defensive back also has three interceptions on the season.
Troy (4-3, 2-1)
THIS WEEK’S GAME: at Western Kentucky, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET.
–QB Corey Robinson went 21 of 37 for 350 yards and three touchdowns, the last of which gave Troy a 35-28 lead at Georgia State with 3:17 remaining. It was the second game-winning TD throw in as many weeks for the senior. Robinson has already thrown for more than 1,800 yards this season and has 15 TD throws.
–RB Brandon Burks is coming on strong. The sophomore had 113 yards on the ground against GSU and is averaging 4.6 yards on 90 carries this season.
–WR Eric Thomas has 37 receptions for 593 yards and 10 scores. The senior ranks second in receiving TDs nationally and 23rd in receiving yards.
Western Kentucky (4-2, 1-1)
THIS WEEK’S GAME: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
–RB Antonio Andrews leads the nation in rushing with 1,036 yards and in all-purpose yards per game at (230). The senior is second nationally in rushing yards per game (148) and ranks sixth with 10 rushing scores.
–LB Xavius Boyd continues to have a breakout season. The senior leads the WKU defense with 67 total tackles — 12 1/2 for loss — and 6 1/2 sacks.
–QB Brandon Doughty has thrown for 1,658 yards and eight touchdowns on 145 of 212 passing, but is second nationally with 10 interceptions — three of which have been returned for a touchdown.
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NCAAF Team Report – Texas State – NOTES, QUOTES
–Arkansas State senior quarterback Adam Kennedy recorded 375 passing yards, 397 yards of total offense and four passing touchdowns — all career highs — in Arkansas State’s 38-24 victory over Idaho. His total offense output was the most by a Sun Belt Conference player this season and his four passing scores tied the most. Additionally, his 375 passing yards were the second most this year among all players in the league and ranked as the sixth most in State history. Kennedy connected on 22 of 32 passing attempts, averaging 17 yards per completion. His totals included an 80-yard touchdown pass that stands as the longest in the Sun Belt this season, but he also completed at least one pass to four different players that covered over 25 yards. Kennedy has now thrown for more than 300 yards in each of the Red Wolves’ last two games and ranks first in the league in total offense.
–Arkansas State sophomore wide receiver J.D. McKissic posted a career-high 125 kickoff return yards, including a 98-yard return for a touchdown, and a career-best 48 punt return yards in Arkansas State’s win against Idaho on. Oct. 12. His 98-yard return, which ties the third longest in Arkansas State history, came at a crucial point in the game as Idaho had scored 17 unanswered points to pull within 31-24 early in the fourth quarter. The return began a 17-0 scoring outburst by the Red Wolves to end the game. It marked the first kickoff return for a touchdown by an A-State player since the 2001 season. McKissic, who finished with a career-high 261 all-purpose yards, averaged 62.5 yards per kickoff return and 9.6 per punt return. His 125 kickoff return yards were the most by an A-State player since the 2010 season.
–Georgia State suffered close, fourth-quarter losses in their first two Sun Belt games, falling 35-28 to Troy and 24-17 at Texas State. In both contests, GSU was either leading or tied with less than 10 minutes to play. Against Troy, the Panthers took a 28-21 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Trojans scored the winning touchdown with 3:17 left. Then last Saturday at Texas State, GSU tied the game at 10-10 early in the fourth quarter before the Bobcats regained the lead for good with eight minutes left.
–Georgia State senior wide receiver-return specialist Albert Wilson was named last week to the Midseason All-Sun Belt first team by Phil Steele’s College Football Preview. Wilson leads the Sun Belt in receiving yards (109 per game) while ranking second in receptions (5.7 per game). His average of 196.7 all-purpose yards per game is second in the league.
–The Arkansas State game for Louisiana-Lafayette will be the 1,061st game in Ragin’ Cajuns football history, but it will be just the eighth time that UL-Lafayette has played a game on a Tuesday (and fourth in 15 games). Last year, the Cajuns played consecutive Tuesday night games at North Texas (Oct. 16) and at home against Arkansas State (Oct. 23), the first Tuesday games in 49 years. After last week’s 37-20 win at WKU, UL-Lafayette is now 3-4 when playing on Tuesday.
–Texas State senior linebacker Damion McMiller recorded a career-best and game-high 15 tackles against Georgia State last week. McMiller’s 15 tackles is the most tackles in a game by a Bobcat this season and marks the first time in his career that he has recorded 10 or more tackles in a game.
–Troy senior wide receiver Eric Thomas caught a touchdown pass in his eighth consecutive game during a 35-28 win at Georgia State on Oct. 12 — the longest streak in the nation. With his TD reception, he moves into a tie for fifth in Troy history for touchdowns in a season with 10 (Danny Grant 1967, Vince Green 1970). Thomas also moved into a tie for second in program history with 27 career receiving touchdowns.
–Western Kentucky senior running back Antonio Andrews became the first running back in the FBS to eclipse 1,000 yards on the season, the 17th time a running back at WKU has reached that mark. It is the fourth consecutive season in which a WKU runner has reached the 1,000 yard mark, tying the school record for consecutive years with a 1,000 yard ball carrier on the roster. WKU players reached the mark previously in 1996-1999. Andrews moved into 61st place in NCAA history with 5,790 career all-purpose yards, passing college football greats Marshall Faulk and Herschel Walker with his 267 all-purpose yards in a loss to ULL.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Our kids are starting to get the idea and figure it out, getting closer and closer to doing what it takes to win a game. They’re very anxious. Anxious is our key word. They’re able to see their progress, see how they’re getting better and closer and closer to being able to compete in win games in the Sun Belt Conference.” — Trent Miles, Georgia State head coach.
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NCAAF Team Report – Texas State – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEK IN THE SUN BELT:
1. The marquee game of the week pits Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Ark. The two-time defending champs at ASU will try and match ULL’s offense in what could be the SBC game of the year.
The Cajuns could move to 3-0 in league play and put a stranglehold on the standings with four league games to go — two at home and two away.
State will try and stop ULL’s four-game winning streak as it starts a stretch of six straight SBC contests.
2. Two teams in their first season of Sun Belt Conference play can take a major step toward making program history when South Alabama travels to Texas State on Saturday. Both teams have never been to an FBS bowl game and State (4-3, 1-2) is a bit closer, but has lost 2 of 3 after a 3-1 start. The Bobcats can also not afford another conference loss if they want to keep their slim title hopes alive.
South Alabama (3-3, 1-1) has lost three games by a total of nine points and broke a two-game losing streak with a 38-21 win at home out of conference against Kent State. The Jaguars have four league games left this season, two of which are against favorites Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette.
3. Louisiana-Monroe (3-4, 1-1) could quietly get back into the league title race and hunt for a bowl bid with another win Saturday. The Warhawks host winless Georgia State (0-7, 0-2) and can get back to .500 after a three-game losing streak that ended last week with a win at Texas State After an off week, ULM has five league games left.
The Panthers have lost 11 straight, dating back to last season, but have lost the last two by a total of 14 points.
4. Western Kentucky hosts Troy in a matchup of two teams that could be sent in opposite directions, pending the outcome. The Hilltoppers (4-3, 1-2) will be trying to avoid its second two-game losing streak this season and are now 9-22 in their past 31 home games.
Troy (4-3) is looking for its first winning season since 2010 and could stay in the championship race by moving to 3-1 in conference with the win.
5. The Sun Belt has had at least four bowl-eligible teams the past two seasons, sending three out of four to the postseason in 2011 and four out of five in 2012. Louisiana-Lafayette, Texas State and either Troy or Western Kentucky can all earn their fifth win this week before the end of November. The conference has postseason tie-ins with the New Orleans Bowl and the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
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