JONESBORO, Ark. (9/29/12) – The Arkansas State University football team
appeared on the way to winning its Sun Belt Conference opener Saturday (Sept.
29) evening with a solid first-half showing, but Western Kentucky rallied in
the second half to eventually hand the Red Wolves a 26-13 loss at Liberty Bank
Stadium.
A crowd of 25,160 fans were in attendance for what both teams regarded
as a “big” game in possibly deciding the 2012 SBC Champion. The contest was certainly a game of two
halves as Arkansas State (2-3; 0-1 SBC) controlled the first half with 13
straight points before Western Kentucky (4-1; 1-0 SBC) erupted with 26
unanswered second half points.
“I was real proud of our team in the first half, against a real good
Western Kentucky team,” said ASU head coach Gus Malzahn. “I think the key to the game was the third
quarter. They (WKU) got some momentum
with a short punt, went down the field and scored. We turned right around, threw an interception
and they went down the field and scored again.”
The setback snapped ASU’s eight-game home winning streak, which had
tied for the sixth longest in the nation.
The Red Wolves also dropped to 7-5 all-time in league openers while WKU
not only won its third straight but was able to avenge last year’s 26-22 home
loss to A-State and even the all-time series (3-3-1) between the two teams.
Florida Atlantic:
Boca Raton, FL - Two touchdowns scored with a 1:12 time span of the
second half wasn't enough as the Florida Atlantic University football team
suffered a 20-14 loss to the University of North Texas in Sun Belt Conference
action on Saturday at the FAU Stadium.
After trailing 17-0, FAU's offense erupted in the final minute of the
third quarter and first minute of the fourth period. The first touchdown came
on the team's third trip into scoring territory. Junior running back Damian
Fortner capped a nine-play, 73-yard scoring drive with an 11-yard scamper to
the right corner of the end zone.
Then, junior defensive back Keith Reaser intercepted a Derek Thompson
pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. One play later, senior
quarterback Graham Wilbert broke away and scored on an 11-yard scamper. The
extra point cut the Owls' deficit to 17-14 early in the final period.
North Texas (2-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) came back to score a 28-yard field goal
by Zach Olen with 7:29 remaining to build the six-point lead.
Florida International:
Chuck Grace’s start in football wasn’t your traditional one. In fact,
it was downright surreptitious.
Grace, now a senior FIU strong safety, wanted to play age-group
football as a little kid. Dad also wanted his son to play. However, Mom firmly
wanted him not to play. It was one of those “he’ll get hurt” things.
What to do?
Dad had a plan.
“My dad had a friend who coached a little league team,” Grace recalled,
“so he signed me up and he would sneak me to the practices. Mom didn’t know at
all.
Louisiana:
LAFAYETTE — Homecoming Week activities begin Sunday at the University
of Louisiana at Lafayette and culminate Oct. 6 with the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 4 p.m.
football game against Tulane’s Green Wave at Cajun Field.
Schedule of events:
Sunday: Newman Club Alumni Breakfast, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Our Lady of
Wisdom Catholic Church, Jeanmard Hall; homecoming Mass and reception, 11 a.m.,
Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church; and Ragin’ Cajuns Bowling, 4 p.m. to 6
p.m., Lafayette Lanes.
Louisiana-Monroe:
Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson's golf games are a lot like most of
the chatter around water coolers nationwide.
There is a lot more talk about the 12-year old football conference, and
it's not just courtesy small talk because he is the commissioner or because his
Sunday afternoon buddies are hoping he will take it easy on them on the links.
"There's much more awareness," Benson said of the conference
he took over on April 1. "They certainly were not following the Sun Belt
before I met them."
It's because Sun Belt teams are not taking it easy on their
pre-conference opponents that usually consist of money games. ULM and Western
Kentucky took wins and pay checks home with them after beating teams from the
SEC, and this past weekend Middle Tennessee defeated ACC member Georgia Tech on
the road.
Middle Tennessee:
MURFREESBORO — Each school strives for its own signature win.
But the Sun Belt Conference collects them all, and this season has been
more successful than any before.
MTSU’s 49-28 upset of Georgia Tech Saturday was the Sun Belt’s third
victory this season over a team from a BCS automatic qualifying conference,
tying for the most in a year in league history.
Louisiana-Monroe shocked then-No. 8 Arkansas in its season opener, and
Western Kentucky followed with a win over Kentucky.
“We are so young as a conference that we haven’t gotten the respect
that we deserve nationally,” said MTSU coach Rick Stockstill on Monday’s Sun
Belt coaches teleconference.
North Texas:
Beginning next year, North Texas will play games against in-state
rivals on a yearly basis as a member of Conference USA.
UNT’s chances to play games that capture the attention of fans in the
state will be rare until then, just as they have been in the past.
That’s what makes UNT’s game at Houston on Saturday so important.
The Mean Green has a chance to post a signature win over an in-state
rival that plays at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, something UNT hasn’t
done since rolling past SMU 24-6 at home in 2006.
Beating Houston would certainly fall into that big-win category.
The Cougars won their first 12 games last season and were ranked No. 7
nationally before falling to Southern Miss in the Conference USA title game.
Houston then bounced back to beat Penn State in the Ticket City Bowl.
http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/mean-green/20121001-football-unt-views-saturdays-game-as-big-opportunity.ece
South Alabama:
MOBILE, Ala. – University of
South Alabama football head coach Joey Jones, defensive lineman Andy Dalgleish
and offensive lineman Melvin Meggs sat down with the media Monday to recap
Saturday’s contest against Troy and discuss this week’s open date.
A few highlights from Monday’s press conference are below.
Head coach Joey Jones
Opening statement:
“Looking back at the [Troy] game, it was 24-10 at halftime and I told
the kids that if we could come out and drive down the field and score that I
really felt like we had a chance to win the ballgame. I had a great feeling
about it. But needless to say, we didn’t drive down and score in the second
half like I wanted us to. It’s two-sided; you’re frustrated because you always
want to win – you prepare to win and work your tail off 16 hours a day to get
your kids ready to play. But the positive side of it is when you look at how
far away we are from being there, and I think we’re close. We’re not at all
where we want to be yet, but you’re talking about playing a team [Troy] that is
as good as anybody in the conference. We’re going to get there. Everyone knew
it was going to be a tough year playing these teams, but we have to keep
positive and keep our kids encouraged in what we’re doing and believing in what
we do. There is going to be a good time coming; it’s going to come so we have
to keep our eyes set on that.”
Troy:
TROY — John Hartwell, in a whirlwind first day as Troy’s athletic
director, said he wants to grow the Trojans’ fan base.
Both in numbers and spirit.
He wants to survey all season-ticket holders to ask their likes and
dislikes about attending a game.
He wants to make Troy football a weekend-long experience.
And he wants more merchandise available so that fans — both current and
future — can show off their colors.
“We don’t need folks to have excuse A through D as to what’s a
hindrance about them coming to games or being involved in our program,”
Hartwell said.
Western Kentucky:
WK has now become the second Kentucky university behind Louisville to
sell beer at athletic events.
The Athletic Department is saying the reaction has been nothing but
positive.
"It's something that our fans wanted, it's something that they've
become accustomed to at many of the other venues that they go to," WK
Athletic Director, Todd Stewart says.
Stewart says since beer has been sold at places like the Hot Rods games
and SkyPAC, fans have been requesting to have it on the WK concession menu for
years.
However, he says it's most important to do so safely.
"You can't buy more than two beers at one time, we're cutting off
sales after the third quarter, and in order to buy beer you have to get a
non-transferable bracelet, and have your photo id before hand," Stewart
says.
Even with record-breaking attendance at the last home game against
Southern Miss, police say, safety has yet to be an issue.
"We were kind of nervous about the alcohol sales at first, not to
say something won't happen we still have several games left, but so far
everything's going well," Officer Mandy Johnson with WK Police says.
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