Sun Belt Sports Blog

NOTE: For coverage of the Arkansas State-Louisville game, go to BigEast-fans.com, part of the Dash Fans Network

Florida International 20, Louisiana-Lafayette 17

The Golden Panthers beat the Ragin’ Cajuns for the first time in six tries, thanks to clutch play in all three phases of gridiron competition. FIU’s defense held Lafayette in check on an afternoon in Miami when the Golden Panthers coughed up four turnovers. It’s remarkable that Lafayette didn’t post a bigger score given all the sudden change situations Florida International endured, and that’s why this contest was still close heading into the final minutes of regulation.

Because they were still in the fight, the Golden Panthers were able to tie the game when FIU quarterback Paul McCall hit Greg Ellingson on a 3-yard scoring strike with only 10 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. That ballsy drive represented the offense’s biggest and most important contribution of the day. Once in overtime, special teams joined the fun and tipped the scales in favor of coach Mario Cristobal’s club. FIU kicker Dustin Rivest hit a 24-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime, and then the Golden Panthers blocked a 29-yard field goal attempt from the Ragin’ Cajuns. After starting the Sun Belt season at opposite ends of the standings, ULL and FIU are now bunched in the middle of the pack.

Middle Tennessee State 27, Florida Atlantic 20

The Blue Raiders will have a hard time overcoming Troy for the Sun Belt title, but coach Rick Stockstill’s squad now stands in very good position to take second place in the conference. Middle Tennessee stared down a 20-13 fourth-quarter deficit at Lockhart Stadium to upend the Owls in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

This game was a nightmare for the Owls, particularly on special teams. FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger won a national title with Miami in 1983, so the white-haired wizard had to cringe when his club suffered two botched punts and a blocked field goal in the first three quarters of this contest. Uneasiness about his kicking game certainly had something to do with Schnellenberger’s decision to go for a first down on 4th and 3 at the MTSU 25 with just over six minutes left in a 20-20 fourth-quarter tie. FAU failed on that fourth-down try, and just moments later, Middle Tennessee quarterback Dwight Dasher–held to just 90 yards passing by the Owls’ stout defense–rambled 74 yards for a touchdown on a well-timed draw play. FAU’s veteran quarterback Rusty Smith got injured with roughly five minutes to go; given the fact that the Owls trailed at the time, 27-20, their chances of a comeback took a huge hit. Backup signal caller Jeff Vancamp did guide FAU to the Blue Raider 23 in the final minute, but when a fourth-down pass to the 8 was ruled incomplete with 59 seconds remaining, the visitors from Tennessee had notched a very significant win that could very well produce a bowl bid before this season’s over.

North Texas 68, Western Kentucky 49

The Mean Green notched their first conference win of the year, leaving the Hilltoppers as the only Sun Belt club without a league triumph. Two years ago, North Texas lost a 74-62 decision at home to Navy, but this time, coach Todd Dodge’s team came out on the sunshine side of a shootout at Fouts Field.
This was truly a video game, as only one score–a late UNT safety–was produced by a defensive unit. All told, 115 of the afternoon’s 117 points were produced by two offenses who ran wild throughout this donnybrook in Denton, Tex.

Western Kentucky and North Texas combined for 52 first downs, 1,008 total yards, 602 rushing yards, 13 third-down conversions (out of 20 attempts), and 16 touchdowns. WKU had three running backs with at least 84 rushing yards, while UNT running back Lance Dunbar accounted for 262 all-purpose yards by himself, with 227 yards coming on the ground. Mean Green quarterback Riley Dodge, the son of the head coach, produced 332 yards while completing 80 percent of his passes for four touchdowns, all without an interception. Dodge’s final stat line read like this: 24-of-30, 262 passing yards, 4 passing TDs, 0 INTs, 70 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs. Yes, that’s right: Riley Dodge scored 7 touchdowns on the afternoon. That’s how crazy this scoreboard-busting beauty really was.

Troy 42, Louisiana-Monroe 21

Bad, bad Levi Brown - he’s the baddest man in the town of Troy, Ala.
He’s also the Sun Belt Player of the Year for 2009, barring an unforeseen and quite drastic turn of events.
Troy, behind another dynamic performance from its star quarterback, took complete control of the Sun Belt race by whipping the visiting Warhawks in a battle of the last two unbeaten teams in conference play. On an evening when the Trojans rushed for only 50 yards, Brown did all the heavy lifting for Larry Blakeney’s bunch. The stud signal caller went 28-of-41 for 378 yards and 4 touchdowns without an interception, playing a mean game of pitch-and-catch against Charlie Weatherbie’s club. Brown’s favorite target, Troy receiver Jerell Jernigan caught a career-high 13 passes for 203 yards, fueling a potent passing attack that enabled the home team to accumulate a 35-14 advantage with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. Troy didn’t score a single offensive point in the fourth quarter, but with Trojan linebacker Boris Lee snaring a pick-six to put ULM away, Brown and Co. didn’t need to pile up the numbers. Three quarters of prolific production were more than enough to give Troy a two-game lead over ULM in the conference standings, including the head-to-head tiebreaker. Given that Troy also beat a Middle Tennessee team that’s 3-1 in the Sun Belt, it’s clear that the Trojans own a commanding position as the season heads into November.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer