Scores
Best/worst performers
Notes
Commentary
Recap
Thursday
South Alabama 41
Georgia Southern 14
Jake Bentley (USA) 24/31 389 yards 3 TD 0 INT
Jalen Tolbert (USA) 11 rec 174 yards 1 TD
Logan Wright (GS) 14 att 60 yards
Saturday
Troy 31
Texas State 28
Kimani Vidal (Troy) 25 att 162 yards 2 TD
Carlton Martial (Troy) 18 tackles 2 TFL
Brady McBride (TXST) 22/32 279 yards 3 TD 3 INT
ULM 31
Liberty 28
Chandler Rogers 16/25 225 yards 2 TD 1 INT
Andrew Henry 15 att 80 yards 1 TD
Best Performance
ULM
Louisiana was a lock for this honor following its unexpected dominate showing against App State. Then ULM pulled off a shocking upset. The Warhawks came into their showdown with Hugh Freeze, Malik Willis and the Liberty Flames as 32.5-point underdogs and fresh off back-to-back drubbing at the hands of Coastal Carolina and Georgia State. That didn’t matter.
ULM picked off Willis three times en route to the biggest FBS vs FBS upset of the season so far. The Warhawks stunned Liberty with a wild 28-point third quarter that featured two scores from running back Andrew Henry. ULM had not scored 28 points in a quarter since 2010 when it did so against Western Kentucky. Calum Sutherland nailed a 53-yard field goal inside two minutes to go to give Terry Bowden yet another signature win.
Worst performance
App State
Did not expect to see you here, Mountaineers. I successfully predicted Louisiana to beat App State before the season started but had admittedly changed my mind before kickoff. The Mountaineers were handled easily along the line of scrimmage. A Cajun team that has struggled to run consistently picked up 246 rushing yards on 5.6 yards per carry.
On the other side, App State amassed just 78 yards on the ground on 29 carries. Chase Brice turned the ball over three times and the offense didn’t convert a single one of its 11 third down attempts. It doesn’t get any easier, either, with Coastal coming up shortly.
Notes
App State was held to one touchdown in a conference game for the first time since joining the Sun Belt.
App State’s 76 rushing yards is the second-fewest the Mountaineers have had in a game since moving to the FBS level.
Louisiana handed App State its worst conference loss since joining the Sun Belt.
South Alabama’s win over Georgia Southern was its biggest conference win in school history.
Jake Bentley set South Alabama’s single game passing yards record with 389 against Georgia Southern.
Jake Bentley is the first Jags quarterback to throw for 350 yards or more and win the game.
Jalen Tolbert tied the USA school record for receptions in a game with 11. He now owns or shares the single game record for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Georgia Southern has been held under 3.0 yards per carry in back-to-back games for the first time since joining the Sun Belt.
Kimani Vidal had Troy’s first 150+ yard rushing game since 2019.
Troy’s Carlton Martial moved into a tie for second-most career games with 12+ tackles in Sun Belt history with 12. Trojans are 3-9 in those games. The record is 13 by NMSU’s Rodney Butler.
ULM recorded three interceptions in a game for the first time since 2013. The Warhawks have won four straight games when picking off the opposing quarterback three times.
Commentary
It’s time for Georgia Southern to stick with true freshman quarterback Cam Ransom. It’s clear the big lefty is the future of this offense and the keys should be handed over to him. Let him gain as much experience as possible in a year that has already been lost for the Eagles.
Jalen Tolbert is coming alive. He’s receiving a ton of attention with his big play ability and is up to three games this year of 100+ receiving yards. He’s top 10 nationally in receiving yards per game and second among all wide receivers with at least 30 receptions in yards per catch at 19.94.
ULM is baffling. The Warhawks were hard to watch offensively for 75 percent of the game and unstoppable for the rest. The defense had its best game of the year, not including Jackson State. ULM is now 3-3 but has a difficult road ahead. Which Warhawk team will we see next? The ones who played Georgia State or the ones who played Liberty?
Updates:
Arkansas State head coach Butch Jones said in his presser quarterback James Blackman could be out a couple more weeks with a shoulder injury.
According to multiple outlets, former Georgia Southern star running back Wesley Kennedy has been reported missing. Any information will be helpful.