2014 Sun Belt Football For Immediate Release: September 15, 2014 Contact: John McElwain ([email protected]) Offi ce: 504-556-0883 | Cell: 504-234-5434 Mercedes-Benz Superdome 1500 Sugar Bowl Drive New Orleans, LA 70112 | SunBeltSports.org | @SunBelt | #FunBelt 2014 Sun Belt Conference Football Standings Conference Points Overall Points W L For Opp Pct W L For Opp Pct Home Away Neut Streak UL Monroe 1 0 38 31 1.000 2 1 55 72 .667 2-0 0-1 0-0 Lost 1 New Mexico State 1 0 34 31 1.000 2 1 86 83 .667 1-0 1-1 0-0 Lost 1 Appalachian State 0 0 0 0 .000 1 1 80 52 .500 1-0 0-1 0-0 Won 1 South Alabama 0 0 0 0 .000 1 1 26 48 .500 0-1 1-0 0-0 Lost 1 Texas State 0 0 0 0 .000 1 1 86 35 .500 1-1 0-0 0-0 Lost 1 Arkansas State 0 0 0 0 .000 1 2 76 85 .333 1-0 0-2 0-0 Lost 2 Georgia Southern 0 0 0 0 .000 1 2 144 75 .333 1-0 0-2 0-0 Lost 1 UL Lafayette 0 0 0 0 .000 1 2 80 110 .333 1-1 0-1 0-0 Lost 2 Troy 0 0 0 0 .000 0 3 62 120 .000 0-2 0-1 0-0 Lost 3 Georgia State 0 1 31 34 .000 1 2 107 119 .333 1-2 0-0 0-0 Lost 2 Idaho 0 1 31 38 .000 0 2 64 83 .000 0-1 0-1 0-0 Lost 2 Upcoming Schedule Recent Results Sun Belt sets win record vs. Non-Conference Foes The Sun Belt Conference’s 21 non-conference wins in September 20 September 13 the 2013 season eclipsed the previous record mark Troy at Georgia - 11 a.m. (SEC Network) Georgia Tech 42, Georgia Southern 38 - 11 a.m. (ACC RSN) of 19 set in 2012. Additionally, of note for the league’s Texas State at Illinois - 3 p.m. (ESPNews) Air Force 48, Georgia State 38 - 1 p.m. (ESPN3) non-conference win total was that the Sun Belt fared Georgia State at Washington - 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Net) Miami 41, Arkansas State 20 - 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU) well against its peer opponents in the non-AQ BCS ranks Utah State at Arkansas State - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Mississippi State 35, South Alabama 3 - 3 p.m. (ESPNEWS) Appalachian State at Southern Miss - 6 p.m. (ASN) #14 Ole Miss 56, UL Lafayette 15 - 3 p.m. (SEC Net) during the 2013 season. The Sun Belt fi nished the year Idaho at Ohio - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Western Michigan 45, Idaho 33 - 4 p.m. (ESPN3) a combined 8-1 against members of Conference-USA (4- * Georgia Southern at South Alabama - 6:30 (Sun Belt/ESPN3) #10 LSU 31, UL Monroe 0 - 6 p.m. (ESPNU) 1), the Mid-American Conference (3-0) and the Mountain New Mexico at New Mexico State - 7 p.m. (ESPN3) Abilene Christian 38, Troy 35 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) West Conference (1-0). The Sun Belt also had the best UL Lafayette at Boise State - 9:30 p.m. (CBS-SN) UTEP 42, New Mexico State 24 - 7 p.m. Navy 35, Texas State 21 - 7 p.m. (ESPNEWS) overall non-conference win percentage when comparing September 25 the four non-AQ conferences. * Appalachian State at Georgia Southern - 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) September 6 Tennessee 34, Arkansas State 19 - 11 a.m. (SEC Network) Sun Belt Membership September 27 South Alabama 23, Kent State 13 - 1 p.m. (ESPN3) * South Alabama at Idaho - 4 p.m. (ESPN3) * New Mexico State 34, Georgia State 31 - 1 p.m. (ESPN3) The Sun Belt Conference will contest the 2014 football * Troy at UL Monroe - 6 p.m. (Sun Belt/ESPN3) Appalachian State 66, Campbell 0 - 5 p.m. (ESPN3) season with 11 members – Appalachian State, Arkansas New Mexico State at LSU - 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network) Georgia Southern 83, Savannas State 7 - 5 p.m. (ESPN3) State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Idaho, UL La- Texas State at Tulsa - 7 p.m. (ESPNews) * UL Monroe 38, Idaho 31 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) fayette, UL Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Louisiana Tech 48, UL Lafayette 20 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) All times Central (CT) and subject to change Duke 34, Troy 17 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Texas State and Troy. UALR and UT Arlington compete as non-football playing members. The Sun Belt will have four new members in the league this year as Appala- Ten Teams in Action Saturday; Georgia Southern to Play chian State and Georgia Southern were added as all- First Ever Sun Belt Game sports members and Idaho and New Mexico State were Eight Sun Belt teams will continue their non-con- non-conference road games for the week are Idaho’s added as football playing members. Both Appalachian ference schedules in week four, while Georgia Southern game at Ohio and Appalachian State’s game at Southern State and Georgia Southern bring with them highly suc- makes its debut in Sun Belt play as the Eagles travel to Miss. It will be the second consecutive week that the cessful football programs and each team will begin the Mobile to play South Alabama. Vandals have played a team out of the Mid-American process of transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision To date Sun Belt teams have played six of the nine Conference and the second ever meeting between Idaho opposing Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences and Ohio. Appalachian State’s game against Southern (FBS) immediately. The 2014 Sun Belt football season and will add to that number this week when Georgia State Miss will be the fi rst time the two schools have played. will mark the debut of both in the league schedule and plays Washington out of the Pac-12. By the end of the Arkansas State and New Mexico State play home standings. Additionally, both the Mountaineers and Ea- month of September, Sun Belt teams will have played non-conference games for this week as both host teams eight of the nine conferences when Texas State plays out of the Mountain West Conference. A-State’s meeting gles will be able to compete for the league championship Tulsa. The only conference that the Sun Belt will not play with Utah State is the sixth in the series, but the fi rst in football for the 2014 season. Both teams will fi rst be against this season is the Big 12 – marking the fi rst time game where the two meet in non-conference play. Utah eligible to compete in a spot for a postseason bowl game ever in the Sun Belt’s 14 year history that no team will State and Arkansas State played three games as mem- play against the Big 12 during the season. bers of the Big West and two games as members of the come the 2015 season. Idaho and New Mexico State In addition to Georgia State’s trip to Seattle, fi ve other Sun Belt. Utah State played two seasons in the Sun Belt are familiar partners of the Sun Belt Conference, having Sun Belt teams will be on the road for non-conference (2003-04). New Mexico State’s meeting with New Mexico been football members from the league’s inaugural games this week. Like the Panthers, UL Lafayette will will be the 106th meeting between the two schools – the year of football in 2001 through the 2004 season. Both travel some distance for their game as the Cajuns match- game has become known as the “Rio Grande Rivalry.” up with Boise State. It will be the fi rst meeting between Georgia Southern is coming off of a second game members played an integral part of forming the Sun the two teams despite both having been former members against an ACC opponent in which the Eagles nearly won Belt Conference for football and now add strength to of the Big West Conference (the Cajuns and Broncos time despite being double-digit underdogs. As fi rst year mem- the league. Both teams will be immediately eligible to in the Big West did not overlap). And in similar fashion bers, the Eagles visit to play South Alabama is their fi rst to Georgia State, Texas State and Troy will have games ever Sun Belt Conference game and it is the fi rst meeting compete for the Sun Belt football championship and also against members of “Power Five” conferences as they between the two schools. The game will be available for for a spot in postseason bowl games. play Illinois and Georgia respectively. The remaining viewing on the Sun Belt Conference Network via ESPN3. 1 www.SunBeltSports.org @sunbelt @sunbelt /SunBeltConference /SunBeltSports 2014 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL SUN BELT CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Nick Arbuckle Kevin Ellison (Georgia State, Jr., QB) (Georgia Southern, So., QB) Nick Arbuckle tied the Georgia State single-game Kevin Ellison directed a comeback attempt at record with 414 yards passing and accounted for Georgia Tech as the Eagles scored 28 unanswered three touchdowns in the Panthers’ 48-38 loss to points in the second half with Ellison rushing for Air Force. Arbuckle completed 26 of 42 passes, the fi rst of the four touchdowns to start the scoring including a pair of second-half touchdown passes spree. Ellison ran for 102 of his 107 yards and was to LynQuez Blair, covering 15 and 13 yards.