Sun Belt News and Notes: 9/21/12

Sun Belt


Arkansas State:
Terry Mohajir is back where he started.
Mohajir, a former Arkansas State football player, was named as the school's athletic director Wednesday. He comes to ASU from Kansas where he served as a senior associate athletic director.
“I’m right back where I started my athletics career,” Mohajir said before getting emotional at the podium. “I’m so excited to be back and serve this emerging university as your director of athletics.”
A 90-day plan will be implemented by Mohajir to evaluate the athletic department. Building the budget is at the top the list, he said.
http://www.arkansassports360.com/87054/former-arkansas-state-player-terry-mohahir-named-red-wolves-athletic-director

Florida Atlantic:
The FAU Owls have a million-dollar game this weekend, and they have little chance of winning it.
Instead, the Owls likely will take a beating from the University of Georiga, a 43-point favorite. The Owls will walk away with a few fat lips — but also a big fat paycheck.
Then they'll do it again next weekend, traveling to play the defending national champions, the University of Alabama.
For a fledgling college football program like FAU, the harsh reality is that each season the school sacrifices its pride and players in exchange for the better team paying them big bucks to travel to unfriendly territory and enduring a painful loss. The money is then used to help fund FAU's other 18 sports teams.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-09-14/sports/fl-fau-georgia-alabama-money-games-0915-20120914_1_fau-coach-carl-pelini-owls-athletics-program

Florida International:
BRADENTON -- Two years ago, Willie Smith was all about basketball.
Now it appears his path to a higher education will run through a football field.
A defensive back at Manatee, Smith has verbally committed to Florida International University.
Smith is the third member of Manatee's team to commit,
joining defensive end Blake Keller (UCF) and quarterback Cord Sandberg (Mississippi State).
"It's the craziest thing ever," Smith said of his committing as a football player. "But it's the best thing."
http://www.bradenton.com/2012/09/21/4208836/prep-football-manatee-defensive.html#storylink=cpy

Louisiana-Lafayette:
LAFAYETTE — It seems like an eternity since Le’Marcus Gibson began playing college football and if given a choice, he would likely continue playing longer than that.
Reference a roadmap and a medical dictionary and that adequately defines Gibson’s career.
He could have quit the game several years ago, before receiving his diploma last year from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
http://theadvocate.com/sports/3881266-32/ulls-lemarcus-gibson-making-most

Louisiana-Monroe:
MONROE, La. – The ULM football team will kickoff its 35th season at Malone Stadium Friday night when it hosts Baylor. Kickoff between the Warhawks and the Bears is set for 7:01 p.m. CT and the contest will air on ESPN.
. Live stats will also be available during Friday’s game and fans can join the conversation on Twitter by following @ULMWarhawks and using the hashtag #WarhawkFB.
http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/local-sports-news/ulm-news/587787-ulm-football-set-for-2012-home-opener.html

Middle Tennessee:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, the creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to college football's outstanding receiver, today announced the addition of eight players to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List. Middle Tennessee's Anthony Amos is one of the eight new candidates.
Amos, a senior, leads the Blue Raiders with 21 receptions for 300 yards and three touchdowns. The Fayetteville, NC, native has established a personal-best in each of his last three games and is coming off a nine-catch, 128-yard effort in the win over Memphis.
http://www.dnj.com/article/20120918/BLUERAIDERS01/120918001/MTSU-s-Amos-added-Biletnikoff-list

North Texas:
Hardly a day goes by when the last four men standing from the class of 2008 don’t sit around and talk about all that has transpired in their five seasons at North Texas.
Coleman Feeley, Aaron Fortenberry, Jeremy Phillips and Tevinn Cantly never have a shortage of topics to mull over.
There are the big wins and losses, close ones and blowouts, near misses and a coaching change.
The quartet seems to have experienced about everything there is in college football with one notable exception — a winning season with a trip to a bowl game.
http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20120920-football-quartet-of-elders-hungry-for-winning-season.ece

South Alabama:
MOBILE, Ala. — Following a 31-7 loss at North Carolina State last weekend in its first road game of the 2012 season, life will not get any easier for the University of South Alabama football team.
Next up for the Jaguars (1-2) is a trip to Starkville, Miss., Saturday to take on Mississippi State.  Not only will it be the first time USA has faced a Southeastern Conference opponent — the Jags are slated to face four other schools from the league in the next five years — but it will mark the first time the program will take on a nationally-ranked opponent.
The Bulldogs, who are 3-0 entering play coming off a 30-24 victory at Troy, stand 23rd in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches’ polls.  Kickoff at Davis Wade Stadium is slated for 6 p.m., with the game televised regionally on a pay-per-view basis.
http://usajaguars.com/news/2012/9/18/FB_0918120128.aspx

Troy:
TROY — Jimmie Arnold made a strategic decision after his Troy teammates/roommates had teased him and Troy co-eds had ignored him.
The offensive lineman had gone two years without cutting his hair, long enough that it drooped down past his shoulders, regularly dripped into his sink and adversely affected his social life.
After grayshirting with the Trojans in 2008 and redshirting in 2009, Arnold made a break from his past in 2010. Out came the scissors.
“I just needed a change,” Arnold said. “Not many girls liked it, so I had to go with the clean-boy look.”
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120918/SPORTS0404/309180019/Troy-football-Arnold-loses-locks-gains-starting-job?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CSports%7Cp

Western Kentucky:
Long before games on ESPN, long before a two-sided stadium and long before a win over Kentucky, WKU football almost died.
The date of death was to be the spring of 1992, when a WKU budget committee recommended football be suspended in order to handle a state-mandated $6.1 million budget reduction.
But thanks in large part to a group of men that will be honored on Saturday, Topper football lives on.
There will be a ceremony at halftime of WKU’s game on Saturday vs. Southern Mississippi to pay tribute to the 20th anniversary of the 1992 “Save the Program” team and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 I-AA national championship team.
Jack Harbaugh, who coached both teams, said the 1992 season was one of the toughest of his career.
http://wkuherald.com/sports/football/article_cb65a9f8-0395-11e2-9bca-001a4bcf6878.html