Sun Belt Sports Blog

Troy 47, Florida Atlantic 21 - Troy clinches first place in Sun Belt standings, share of conference title, and a berth in the New Orleans Bowl

These are your 2009 Sun Belt Conference champions, ladies and gentlemen: The Troy Trojans. Again.

Coach Larry Blakeney is the proud head coach of a program that has won the Sun Belt for a fourth straight season. Next week, the Trojans will try to secure an outright title at Louisiana-Lafayette, but for now, they can spend 24-48 hours reveling in the magnitude of their accomplishment and the consistency of their excellence.

The way in which Troy took home the Sun Belt title belt was fitting: Once again, “bad, bad Levi Brown” was the baddest man in the whole downtown of Troy, Ala. The stud signal caller did to Howard Schnellenberger’s FAU crew what he’s been doing to most defenses this season: Cutting them open and feasting on their innards. Brown completed 27-of-36 passes - that’s a whopping 75 percent - for 477 yards and three touchdowns, as Troy scored on each of its first four possessions and strolled to a 23-7 lead. The rest of the game - like the 2009 Sun Belt race - was history.

Florida 62, Florida International 3

Well, at least Mario Cristobal’s Golden Panthers didn’t get shut out.

This game was as close as it figured to be, as the defending national champions used Florida International as a tune-up for their rivalry game against Florida State on Nov. 28. Gator linebacker Brandon Spikes snared a pick-six from FIU quarterback Paul McCall to get things started in the Swamp, and coach Urban Meyer’s team continued to roll from that point onward. Starting quarterback Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes for Florida, while backup John Brantley tossed three scoring passes in the second half. The Gators gouged the Golden Panthers for 584 total yards, and allowed just 189 to their in-state visitors from Miami. FIU needs to use this game not only to bolster the athletic budget - these aren’t called “paycheck games” just for kicks - but to develop talent with an eye toward 2010.

Army 17, North Texas 13

It all looked so promising for the North Texas Mean Green. With just under six minutes left in regulation at Fouts Field in Denton, Tex., coach Todd Dodge’s club was leading Army, 13-10, and had a 3rd and 1 at the Black Knights’ 12-yard line. With just a few more yards, the Mean Green would have been able to post a two-score advantage against an Army club that rarely passes the ball. One more yard on third down, and UNT would have stood on the verge of paydirt, forcing Army to get the stop it so desperately needed.

Then the wheels came off for a team that continues to falter at the end of close contests. A four-yard loss on that 3rd and 1 play brought on the field goal unit, and after calling timeout, Dodge watched in horror as a 33-yard kick by Jeremy Knott was blocked. The stunning turnabout was significant, since Army only needed a field goal to tie, but with that having been said, UNT still owned a lead.

Not for long.

Army quarterback Trent Steelman promptly dashed for 55 yards to get the Black Knights into the red zone, and just moments later, the signal caller found paydirt to give Army the lead. North Texas moved the ball to midfield on its ensuing possession, only for quarterback Riley Dodge - in a recurring development - to throw a game-ending interception on a 1st and 10 play with ample time (1:31) left on the Fouts Field clock. Yes, it’s been that kind of season for the Mean Green.

Middle Tennessee State 38, Arkansas 14

The Blue Raiders will play Louisiana-Monroe next week to fully and finally determine the second-best team in the Sun Belt, but as this rout of Arkansas State showed, coach Rick Stockstill’s club is certainly playing like the No. 2 team in the conference. MTSU scored on each of its first three possessions to bolt to a 17-0 first quarter lead, and the rout was on at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Blue Raider quarterback Dwight Dasher got the party started with an 80-yard touchdown pass to D.D. Kyles, the first of four scoring passes Dasher would deliver on the afternoon. With MTSU’s defense limiting the visiting Red Wolves to just 220 yards, and only 44 on the ground, the competitive imbalance of this encounter was quickly and firmly established.

Louisiana-Lafayette 21, Louisiana-Monroe 17

Monroe’s hopes for a share of the Sun Belt title flew out the window at Cajun Field in Lafayette, La., as the Ragin’ Cajuns scored their most satisfying conference win of the season. ULL’s best non-conference victory came in September against Kansas State, but this four-point triumph had to be even sweeter for coach Ricky Bustle and his ballclub. The win lifted ULL to 6-5 on the season and gave the lads from Lafayette a shot at a bowl (how good a chance remains to be seen).

The way in which Lafayette beat Monroe in the Louisiana hyphen game also had to satisfy the Bustle Boys. The Ragin’ Cajuns moved 80 yards in 12 hard-nosed plays to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, as backup quarterback Brad McGuire - a running specialist who took the baton from passing quarterback Chris Masson - plunged into the end zone from one yard out with 7:16 left in regulation. The visiting Warhawks, under inconsistent quarterback Trey Revell (8-of-12 for 91 yards with one touchdown but two interceptions), couldn’t deliver an answer, and the calculus of the Sun Belt race was permanently altered. Now, only Middle Tennessee State has a chance to split the league title with Troy.

Who can allow MTSU to split the Sun Belt with the Trojans? Yes, it’s the same Lafayette lineup that will host the conference heavyweight next weekend.

by: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer