2011 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL ForFo Immediate Release: Monday, September 26, 2011 • Week 5 Contact: John McElwain ([email protected]) 601 Poydras Street, Suite 2355, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 • www.sunbeltsports.org.org • 504.299.9066, ext. 215 2011 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL STANDINGS CONFERENCE RECORD OVERALL RECORD SUN BELT IN THE BCS W L For Opp Pct W L For Opp Pct The Sun Belt Conference is a BCS Conference. Louisiana-Lafayette 1 0 36 31 1.000 3 1 128 125 .750 In fact, the Sun Belt Conference is one of just Troy 1 0 38 35 1.000 1 2 85 116 .333 11 BCS Conferences. The Sun Belt Confer- FIU 1 1 72 52 .500 3 1 113 79 .750 ence champion will earn an automatic berth Arkansas State 0 0 0 0 .000 2 2 122 86 .500 Louisiana-Monroe 0 0 0 0 .000 1 3 69 124 .250 in a BCS bowl game if that team is ranked in Florida Atlantic 0 0 0 0 .000 0 3 17 115 .000 the top 12 of the fi nal BCS standings or if that WKU 0 0 0 0 .000 0 3 33 98 .000 team is ranked in the top 16 of the fi nal BCS North Texas 0 1 16 41 .000 1 3 63 151 .250 standings and its ranking is higher than that of Middle Tennessee 0 1 35 38 .000 0 3 80 114 .000 a champion of a conference that has an annual UPCOMING GAMES RECENT RESULTS automatic berth in one of the of BCS bowls. In the fi rst 10 years of the BCS arrangement, more October 1 September 17 * Arkansas State at Western Kentucky - 3 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) #23 TCU 38, Louisiana-Monroe 17 - 1 p.m. (The Mtn.) than $100 million was distributed to confer- Duke at FIU - 5 p.m. (ESPNU) #13 Virginia Tech 26, Arkansas State 7 - 3 p.m. (Fox Sports Net) Memphis at Middle Tennessee - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) FIU 17, UCF 10 - 5 p.m. (ESPN3) ences that do not have an annual automatic North Texas at Tulsa - 6 p.m. Indiana State 44, Western Kentucky 16 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) berth to one of the BCS bowls. Nine percent of * Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Lafayette - 6 p.m. (Cox4) Louisiana-Lafayette 38, Nicholls State 21 - 6 p.m. (Cox4) UAB at Troy - 6 p.m. #2 Alabama 41, North Texas 0 - 6:30 p.m. (Fox Sports Net) the net revenues from the BCS arrangement is #14 Arkansas 38, Troy 28 - 6:30 p.m. (CSS) October 6 guaranteed in aggregate to Conference USA, * Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee - 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) September 24 Iowa 45, Louisiana-Monroe 17 - 11 a.m. (Big Ten Network) the Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, October 8 * Troy 38, Middle Tennessee 35 - 3:30 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) and Western Athletic Conferences for their FIU at Akron - 2 p.m. * Louisiana-Lafayette 36, FIU 31 - 5 p.m. (ESPN3) * Florida Atlantic at North Texas - 6:30 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) North Texas 24, Indiana 21 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) participation in the BCS arrangement. When a * Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe - 6 p.m. Auburn 30, Florida Atlantic 14 - 6 p.m. (Fox Sports Net) * Troy at Louisiana-Lafayette - 6 p.m. Arkansas State 53, Central Arkansas 24 - 7 p.m. (ESPN3/KATV) team from one of those fi ve conferences plays All times Central (CT) and subject to change; * denotes in BCS bowl game, those conferences receive Sun Belt Conference game; TV carrier in parenthesis an additional nine percent of net revenues. When more than one team from those confer- ences play in a BCS bowl game, those confer- ences will receive an additional $4.5 million for each additional team. NORTH TEXAS TAKES OUT INDIANA, ULL UPSETS FIU The Sun Belt Conference went 2-2 in non- opponents. Both Troy and Middle Tennessee will conference play this weekend with North Texas play instate rivals from CUSA as they host UAB claiming a 24-21 win over Big Ten Conference and Memphis respectively. North Texas will head opponent Indiana. north to play at Tulsa. Two critical games were also contested in In league play, Louisiana-Lafayette will be conference play as Louisiana-Lafayette picked up in search of a 2-0 Sun Belt start and a fourth its third win of the season as the Cajuns defeated win of the season when it hosts Florida Atlantic. the previously undefeated FIU Panthers. Arkansas State and Western Kentucky will open Elsewhere in league play, Troy defeated rival league play against each other. The Hilltoppers Middle Tennessee for the sixth consecutive season are still in search of their fi rst win of the season, as the Trojans picked up their fi rst win of the but Arkansas State can push its record to 3-2 season in the Sun Belt Network Game of the Week. if they are victorious. The Hilltoppers and the On tap for the fi fth week of the season will Redwolves will clash in this week’s Sun Belt be three total games against Conference USA Network Game of the Week. 1 - WWW.SUNBELTSPORTS.ORG 2011 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL SUN BELT CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Blaine Gautier (Louisiana-Lafayette, QB) Cajuns quarterback Blaine Gautier, making just his fourth career start, led the Cajuns to a stunning 36-31 upset at FIU…Gautier guided the team to a season-high 419 yards of total off ense and did not commit a turnover… He totaled 307 yards (221 pass/86 rush) and tossed three touchdown passes to lead the off ense…Gautier was not sacked, averaging 5.7 yards-per-rush, and made one of the biggest plays in the game…With 50 seconds remaining in the fi rst half, the Cajuns off ense lined-up for a fourth-and-one attempt at the FIU 41-yard line… Everyone in the stadium looked for a run, but Gautier sold the play-action to perfection and hit a wide-open Ladarius Green with the touchdown…The score pushed the Cajuns one-point lead up to eight…Gautier’s 46- Off ensive yard touchdown strike to Javone Lawson early in the fourth quarter gave the Cajuns a 12-point cushion. Player of the Week (September 26) Chris Pickett (Troy, So., DB) Sophomore cornerback Chris Pickett teamed up with defensive ends Jonathan Massaquoi and John Robles to give the Trojans their second defensive touchdown in as many weeks. After a fi rst quarter that resulted in three punts and an interception off ensively, the Trojans trailed MTSU for the fi rst time since 2006 and were on the verge of falling further behind with the Blue Raiders marching deep into Troy territory. On a third down pass play, Massaquoi grabbed MTSU QB Logan Kilgore around the legs while Robles stripped the ball loose. Pickett scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 63 yards for a game-tying touchdown. Pickett fi nished the game with seven total tackles, including one for loss, and also broke up a pass to go with his fumble return. Defensive Player of the Week (September 26) Brian David (Arkansas State, So., K) Sophomore placekicker Brian Davis set a new Sun Belt Conference and ASU record Saturday when he booted six fi eld goals in ASU’s 53-24 win over Central Arkansas. His 23 points scored in the game was also an SBC and ASU record for points scored in a single game by a kicker. Davis did not miss on the night, connecting on fi eld goals of 24, 32, 33, 34, 21 and 33 yards, and was 5-of-5 on extra point attempts. Both his six fi eld goals and 23 points were the most by a kicker in the nation this season, and he was just one fi eld goal and one point shy of tying the NCAA records as well. Special Teams Player of the Week (September 26) Off ensive Player of the Week Defensive Player of the Week Special Teams Player of the Week Sept. 5: T.Y. Hilton (FIU, Sr., WR) Sept. 5: Eric Russell (Middle Tennessee, Sr., DB) Sept. 5: Hendrix Brakefi eld (WKU, So., P) Sept. 12: T.Y. Hilton (FIU, Sr., WR) Sept. 12: Winston Fraser (FIU, R-Jr., LB) Sept. 12: Brelan Chancellor (North Texas, So., KR) Sept. 19: Corey Robinson (Troy, So., QB) Sept. 19: LaDarrius Madden (Troy, Sr., DB) and Sept. 19: Melvin White (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr., DB) Sept. 26: Blaine Gautier (Louisiana-Lafayette, QB) Isame Faciane (FIU, So., DT) Sept. 26: Brian David (Arkansas State, So., K) Oct. 3: Sept. 26: Chris Pickett (Troy, So., DB) Oct. 3: Oct. 10: Oct. 3: Oct. 10: Oct. 17: Oct. 10: Oct. 17: Oct. 24: Oct. 17: Oct. 24: Oct. 31: Oct. 24: Oct. 31: Nov. 7: Oct. 31: Nov. 7: Nov. 14: Nov. 7: Nov. 14: Nov. 21: Nov. 14: Nov. 21: Nov. 28: Nov. 21: Nov. 28: Dec. 5: Nov. 28: Dec. 5: Dec. 5: 2 - WWW.SUNBELTSPORTS.ORG 2011 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AROUND THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE SUN BELT FOOTBALL MEMBERSHIP The Sun Belt Conference is currently comprised of nine football playing members – Arkansas State (found- Sun Belt Conference ing football member in 2001), Florida Atlantic (joined league as football member in 2005), FIU (joined Coaches Teleconference Call league as football member in 2005), Louisiana-Lafayette (founding football member in 2001), Louisiana- Contact John McElwain Monroe (founding football member in 2001), Middle Tennessee (founding football member in 2001), North ([email protected]) for info Texas (founding football member in 2001), Troy (joined league as football member in 2004) and Western Conducted every Monday from Kentucky University (joined league as football member in 2009).