Chad Lunsford let go
Warhawk hospitalized
Results
Best/worst performance
Notes
Commentary
Georgia Southern pulls the plug
Chad Lunsford was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles on Sunday following a third consecutive loss.
Lunsford was 28-21 in Statesboro, including three straight bowl trips and two bowl wins. The Eagles won 10 games in his first full season in 2018.
Georgia Southern is off to a 1-3 start in what was a pivotal year for Lunsford.
The firing comes on the same day as a video began circulating on social media of defensive linemen Gavin Adcock chugging a beer on top of a moving school bus during the team’s traditional pregame routine.
ULM quarterback hospitalized
ULM associate head coach Rich Rodriguez announced on Twitter his son and starting quarterback Rhett Rodriguez was hospitalized following the Troy game and is in the ICU with a lung injury.
Terry Bowden later posted the below update through the ULM football account:
It is not completely clear when the injury occurred. Rodriguez missed only the second quarter of the game. On the final play of the first quarter, he completed a short dump off pass and jogged off the field following the play having been untouched by the defense. Chandler Rogers stepped in and handled quarterback duties during the second quarter.
Upon review of the game, it is possible Rodriguez sustained the injury on ULM’s very first offensive play. Rodriguez scrambled to the far sideline only to take a hard shot from Troy linebacker Carlton Martial to his unprotected rib cage. He fumbled and looked to be in pain immediately following the play but did get up and continue to run the offense.
Results
Thursday
App State 31
Marshall 30
Nate Noel 20 att 187 yards
Corey Sutton 10 rec 127 yards 1 TD
Saturday
No. 16 Coastal Carolina 53
UMass 3
Jaivon Heiligh 5 rec 118 yards 1 TD
Jeffrey Gunter 3 tackles, 2 sacks
Eastern Michigan 59
Texas State 21
Brady McBride 16/25 187 yards 3 TD 0 INT
Issiah Nixon 7 tackles, 1 sack
No. 23 Auburn 34
Georgia State 24
Tucker Gregg 12 att 150 yards 1 TD
Chris Moore 6 tackles 2.5 TFLs, 1 sack
Tulsa 41
Arkansas State 34
Corey Rucker 4 rec 115 yards
Kivon Bennett 11 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 sack
Louisiana 28
Georgia Southern 20
Levi Lewis (UL) 17/28 249 yards 3 TD 0 INT
Gerald Green (GS) 18 att 186 yards 3 TD
ULM 29
Troy 16
Andrew Henry (ULM) 19 att 108 yards 1 TD
Javon Solomon (Troy) 7 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2 sacks
Top team performance
Louisiana-Monroe
The Warhawks came into the game as 24-point home underdogs and had successfully socially distanced itself from an FBS win since 2019. That came to and end when ULM dominated Troy from start to finish in a stunning home victory.
The offense was responsible for 20 points after failing to find the endzone against FCS Jackson State just two weeks ago. The defense created eight points with a safety and a late pick six that sealed up a 1-0 conference record for the Warhawks. They’re also our voted-on Team of the Week.
Worst team performance
Troy
Conversely, Troy had an embarrassing showing that created a fire storm of angry tweets from fans. The Trojans get the grand distinction of allowing ULM to snap a 12-game losing streak to FBS opponents.
Once again, Troy was abysmal on the ground with just 2.9 yards a carry. The Trojans were forced to punt the ball away seven times. The last time ULM forced seven punts was in October of 2019.
Notes
Andrew Henry had ULM’s first 100-yard rushing game since Nov. 30, 2019.
Appalachian State tied the Sun Belt record for first downs in a game with 39.
Jaivon Heiligh continues to chase the 100-yard receiving games record. Heiligh record his eighth such game on Saturday and is three short of tying the conference record.
For the fifth time since the beginning of last year, Texas State allowed an opponent to record 30-plus first downs.
Arkansas State has allowed 2,279 yards of offense from its opponents through four games. That’s the third worst start in Sun Belt history.
Gerald Green is the first Georgia Southern player since Favian Upshaw in 2015 to reach 180 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a game.
Play of the week
Darren Grainger’s act of elusiveness was our most viewed highlight of the week on Twitter.
Commentary
It’s not exactly surprising that Georgia Southern is letting go of Lunsford this year. Yes, he’s been bowling three years in a row after Tyson Summers left the team a mess. But this is a program and a fan base that expects a title contender, not a team that is content to tread water. With the way this season was and is shaping up for the Eagles, athletic director Jared Benko has decided to get a head start on the job search.
When Texas State lost a close one to Baylor, a lot of heads turned toward McBride’s multi-interception game. This week, McBride didn’t throw a pick and lost one fumble. That’s enough ball control to a win a game, but the Bobcats followed up their FCS loss with a 35-point beating at the hands of EMU, ending the Sun Belt’s six game win streak against the MAC.
Georgia State should have beaten Auburn, plain and simple. The Tigers had their game-winning drive extended on a pass that was ruled completed on review that probably wasn’t correct. But the Panthers had Auburn quarterback TJ Finley dead to rights on fourth down and couldn’t make the play. GSU also had a punt blocked for a touchdown in the second half that proved to be critical. All-in-all though, a promising outing from a Panther squad that had gotten off to a brutal start.
If you haven’t seen a cooked goose before, go to Google and search “Chip Lindsey.” The Trojans’ offensive-minded leader has led Troy to just one 30-point output in the last eight FBS games. Lindsey is 12-15 in two-plus seasons. Reminder, Troy won 31 games in the three seasons immediately preceding Lindsey’s tenure.
Scheduling news
Coastal Carolina announced Monday morning a three game, two-for-one series with Virginia.
In a rarity in today’s college football landscape, this series will actually start next year when the Chants travel to Charlottesville.
Virginia’s return trip is slated for 2024. The series ends at UVA in 2025.