Sun Belt News and Notes: 11/16/12

Arkansas State:
JONESBORO, Ark. (11/12/12) - Arkansas State senior quarterback Ryan Aplin was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after accounting for three touchdowns and 378 yards total offense, including a season-high 334 passing yards, in the Red Wolves' 45-23 victory over ULM last Thursday.
Aplin earned the league's weekly honor for the first time this season, but also the sixth time of his career.  He is the fourth A-State player to be recognized by the Sun Belt with one of its weekly awards, joining linebackers Nathan Herrold and Qushaun Lee and kicker Brian Davis.
The Tampa, Fla. native completed 26-of-34 attempts for a .765 percentage and threw two touchdown passes covering 35 and 70 yards.  His rushing touchdown covered 38 yards and gave ASU its first lead of the game at 14-7.  Aplin ran his passing-touchdown count on the season to 16, which ties the third most in ASU history.
Aplin posted his fourth 300-yard passing game of the season and 10th of his career, while his 334 yards tied the 10th most in school history.  He has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in 34 of his last 38 games dating back to his freshman season and completed multiple touchdowns in six games this year.  Including the ULM game, Aplin has now rushed for a touchdown in four of the last five games.
Aplin holds 21 combined single-game, season and career school records and is the Sun Belt Conference's all-time leader in total offense with 11,550 yards to his credit.  He is nearing the league's all-time best mark for passing yards in a career as well, needing just 175 more to move past FAU's Rusty Smith for the record.  Additionally, he is ranked second all-time in the league in completions (841), tied for second in touchdown passes (59) and third in rushing yards by a quarterback (1,612).
http://www.astateredwolves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=35558&SPID=2798&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205735120&DB_OEM_ID=7200

Florida Atlantic:
BOCA RATON-WPEC - Coming off their first road win in 16 tries, there's plenty of bounce in the step of the FAU football team.
As the owls prepare for their rival FIU, the players are reaping the benefits, of their hard work under new head coach Carl Pelini.
While the Owls are just 3-7 on the season, they have won 2-of their last 3-games and never stopped putting forth a huge effort.
The work is paying off and the coach and the players are thrilled, to have things moving in the right direction.
The Owls host the Golden Panthers Friday at 8pm in Boca Raton.
http://www.cbs12.com/sports/stories/vid_162.shtml

Florida International:
BOCA RATON — The Don Shula trophy stands about 4 feet tall and includes a Florida Atlantic helmet on one side and a Florida International helmet on the other.
Attached to it are engraved plaques to commemorate each team’s victories in the series. Currently, the trophy sits in FIU’s athletic department by virtue of the Golden Panthers’ 41-7 victory last year.
The question is: Will the trophy be shoved into a closet to collect dust after tonight?
FAU and FIU could be playing each other for the final time when they meet at 8 p.m. tonight at FAU Stadium in a Shula Bowl game televised on ESPNU. The Golden Panthers are moving to Conference USA next season and two schools could not find a mutual date to play in either 2013 or 2014.
The game will mean little to this year’s Sun Belt Conference standings, with FAU (3-7, 2-4) rebuilding in coach Carl Pelini’s first season and FIU (2-8, 1-5) the conference’s biggest flop after being tabbed as the pre-season favorite.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/sports/college-football/fau-fiu-meet-friday-night-in-what-could-be-final-s/nS7bL/

Louisiana-Lafayette:
They say they're moving on.
But for the UL Ragin' Cajuns, the sting of an almost, not-quite upset bid at No. 7 Florida last Saturday still hadn't worn off two days later.
"We should have beat them, at least two touchdowns maybe," UL senior slot receiver Harry Peoples said Monday.
"We left plays on the field we should have executed. That's where all the focus is (now): just executing plays, and getter better."
The Cajuns — still one win shy of being bowl-eligible for a second straight year — have three regular-season Sun Belt Conference games remaining, including a key one Saturday at Cajun Field vs. Western Kentucky.
UL (5-4 overall, 3-2 in the Sun Belt with hopes for a conference title, or at least a share of it, still alive) also plays host Nov. 24 to South Alabama and closes Dec. 1 at Florida Atlantic.
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20121113/SPORTS0201/211130320/Cajuns-focused-solely-avenging-losses-WKU?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7C

Louisiana-Monroe:
ULM senior linebacker DaCorris Ford walks to class with an extra sense of pride now.
The Warhawks are winning and classmates recognize it.
"Usually everybody is just like, 'ULM football, whatever,' but I've passed several people in the hall that say, 'Awesome interception,' or 'I actually feel proud to say I'm a fan of ULM' because it used to be where we were used to losing, so we're winning and it feels great to me," Ford said.
The verbal pats on the back are just a small reason Ford walks with his head held higher.
The senior is in a position in his life that he may not be in if Todd Berry did not come to ULM as the head coach of the Warhawks in Dec. 2009.
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20121114/SPORTS/211140323/Ford-among-permanent-ULM-captains-season

Middle Tennessee:
MURFREESBORO — Football ponderings conjured on a glorious Saturday afternoon …
OK, be honest now:
How many amongst us thought way back in late August that MTSU football would be sitting here in mid-November with three games to play and in control of its own destiny for an outright Sun Belt Conference championship?
The Blue Raiders had opened the season with a disturbing home loss to Football Championship Series member McNeese State. Swirling whispers had a feel of “here we go again” for a team coming off a moribund 2-10 campaign.
But by the time MTSU had answered that initial setback with three straight victories, including a convincing win at Georgia Tech, the sentiment had turned from a season of concern to one of possibilities.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20121111/BLUERAIDERS01/311110050/Pogue-MTSU-proved-us-wrong-now-can-win-Sun-Belt?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CSports%7Cs

North Texas:
Carlos Harris settled under the punt Saturday at Apogee Stadium like he had so many others over the years.
What happened on that play and over the rest of the day probably says as much about the freshman receiver and his future at North Texas as what has transpired all year.
Harris stuck his hand up to call for a fair catch. The nearby official — and just about everyone else there — saw that signal. Gabe Loper didn’t.
The South Alabama defensive back was running at Harris with a full head of steam and timed it perfectly, leveling Harris right as he caught the ball.
“I didn’t see him at all because I was focusing on the ball,” Harris said. “I’ve never been hit like that before. I wasn’t really upset by it. I was just shocked.”
What wasn’t a shock to Harris’ coaches and teammates was the way he responded after drawing a penalty for kick catch interference — a 15-yard personal foul — on arguably the biggest hit of the year at Apogee.
http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20121114-football-harris-shows-mettle-after-taking-hard-hit.ece

South Alabama:
MOBILE, Alabama -- If he wanted, running back Ellis Hill could have another season of college football, another season to wear the South Alabama uniform, another season to play a game he describes as the love of his life.
South Alabama running back Ellis Hill has decided to forego his final year of eligibility with the Jags and he will be recognized with 14 other players on Senior Day prior to Saturday's kickoff against Middle Tennessee at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The Tuscaloosa native has rushed for 253 yards and a touchdown in his South Alabama career.
Instead, the 5-foot-9, 205-pounder from Tuscaloosa who is a senior academically but a junior in football eligibility, has declared this will be his final season with the Jaguars. As such, Hill will be recognized along with 14 others in pregame ceremonies Saturday prior to the start of the Jaguars' game against Middle Tennessee at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/11/ellis_hill_proud_of_his_time_a.html

Troy:
MOBILE, Alabama -- The Troy Trojans recognize the challenges ahead. They've been here before.
Arkansas State, the team atop the Sun Belt Conference standings, visits Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday to face Troy in a 2:30 p.m. game. With the Trojans at 5-5 overall, they not only would like to knock off the 5-1 Red Wolves, but they need a win in one of their two final games to become bowl eligible. Of course, they would prefer two wins to enhance their bowl berth possibilities.
But Arkansas State is the first matter at hand and that, head coach Larry Blakeney said, is plenty to deal with for the moment.
"Well, I'd like to get it period,'' he said of the sixth overall win. "This week would take a little pressure off. I'm not putting any pressure on our guys. We're playing for the right reasons I think and it's for Troy. The bowl will take care of itself.
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/11/troy_faces_sun_belt_leader_ark.html

Western Kentucky:
Want to get away? Western Kentucky might.
The Hilltoppers (6-4, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) have been nothing short of road warriors under Willie Taggart, and given their recent woes inside Houchens-Smith Stadium, another business trip to a conference foe could be just what WKU needs.
“I guess the pressure of playing at home gets to us sometimes,” senior defensive tackle Jamarcus Allen said.
Under Taggart, Western Kentucky is 10-7 on the road and 4-1 in 2012. Against the Sun Belt, Taggart’s Tops are 9-2 in road games.
They’ve also won seven straight Sun Belt games away from home, last falling Nov. 27, 2010, at Troy, and the program’s 26-game losing streak ended in 2010 when WKU won 54-21 – at Louisiana-Lafayette.
“I guess we feel like we got the world against us,” junior safety Kiante Young said. “Just us against the world, so we just go out and play.”
The Western Kentucky defense is allowing 22 points per game on the road this season and 15 per conference road game. Quarterback Kawaun Jakes has thrown three of his nine interceptions on the road, and running back Antonio Andrews has scored five of his eight rushing TDs away from home.
http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/hilltoppers-fine-with-road-games/article_5a2f5060-2f44-11e2-9513-001a4bcf887a.html