The Mountaineers (4-1, 2-0 Sun Belt) pitched a shut out in the second half and rolled to an easy win over Arkansas State (3-3, 0-2) on the first Tuesday game of the season.
Zac Thomas threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score. Darrynton Evans led the way for Appalachian State on the ground with 16 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown. The Mountaineers picked off Justice Hansen three times, but were only able to turn those into seven points.
The Red Wolves were led by Blake Grupe's three field goals, including one from 47 yards out.
Appalachian State hosts Lousiana (3-3, 2-1) next while Arkansas State hosts Georgia State (2-4, 1-1) on Thursday Oct. 18.
A safety toward the beginning of the second half proved to be two very important points for the Eagles (5-1, 3-0 Sun Belt) as they held off a late rally by the Bobcats (1-5, 0-3).
It was all Georgia Southern early in the game on Thursday as they jumped out to a 10-0 halftime lead on a Wesley Fields 5-yard run and a Tyler Bass 24-yard field goal. Even with the Eagles winning, they certainly weren't dominating the Texas State defense. The Bobcats nearly gave points away early in the third quarter after fumbling a punt, but they were able to force a fumble of their own with the Eagles in the red zone.
The two teams would trade punts after that point, but a Magill Bauerle punt pinned Texas State at their own 5-yard line. That led to a safety just one play later and Georgia Southern turned the short field after the free kick, into a field goal for a 15-0 lead.
The Bobcats needed just three plays to respond as Keenan Brown burst through the Eagles defense for a 61-yard run and then scored two plays later on a 3-yard touchdown run. The punters would be very active until Texas State's final drive.
They moved down the field quickly, needing just two plays to get into Georgia Southern territory. The Eagles stopped the Bobcats on a fourth and four, but a costly pass interference call kept the drive alive. On the very next play, Tyler Vitt hooked up with Jeremiah Haydel for a 29-yard touchdown with 2:20 left to play. Texas State was forced to go for two and came up short to still trail 15-13. The Eagles recovered the onside kick and the Bobcats had no timeout to stop the clock and prevent Georgia Southern from bleeding the clock.
The Eagles will hit the road next for a showdown against former Sun Belt foe New Mexico State(2-5) while Texas State head to Louisiana Monroe(3-4, 1-2).
Louisiana Monroe 45-Coastal Carolina 20The Warhawks (3-4, 1-2 Sun Belt) came out firing and didn't stopped as they coasted to an easy win over the Chanticleers (3-3, 1-2).
Caleb Evans threw for a touchdown and ran for two more while Derrick Gore tacked on 147 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns to lead Louisiana Monroe. Malcolm Williams and Marcus Outlaw were responsible for the two rushing touchdowns for Coastal Carolina.
The Warhawks will host Texas State (1-5, 0-3) next while the Chanticleers go out of conference to head to UMass (2-5).
Liberty 22-Troy 16The Flames (3-3) rallied late in the fourth quarter to stun the Troy Trojans (5-2).
The Trojans got on the board first when Deondre Douglas hauled in a 23-yard touchdown from Sawyer Smith. They fell behind 14-10 at the half, but two Tyler Sumpter field goals, including one from 50 yards, gave Troy a 16-14 lead in the fourth quarter.
However, Liberty would get a late score with 2:23 left to play as Stephen Calvert found B.J. Farrow and then Farrow caught the two point conversion to make it a six point game. The Trojans would get the ball twice more, but would turn it over on downs and lose to the clock.
Troy will now get more than a week to prepare for South Alabama (2-5, 1-2 Sun Belt) as they'll face the Jaguars on Tuesday, Oct. 23.
Louisiana 66-New Mexico State 38The Ragin' Cajuns (3-3) lit up the scoreboard on Saturday as they took it to former Sun Belt foe New Mexico State (2-5).
Andre Nunez had a big day throwing the football as he finished with 315 yards and five touchdowns while completing 19 of his 25 attempts. Elijah Mitchell added 107 yards on 12 carries with three touchdowns for the Ragin' Cajuns. Earnest Patterson had three catches for 114 yards and a score while Jarrod Jackson was on the receiving end of two TDs.
Louisana will now return to conference play to take on first place Appalachian State (4-1, 2-0 Sun Belt).
South Alabama (2-5) took a break from the FBS and feasted on Alabama State (2-4) from the FCS.
The Jaguars defense limited the Hornets to just 219 total yards of offense and 11 first downs. Tra Minter had a big day with a rushing touchdown and a punt return for a score. Evan Orth also added a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown as well for South Alabama.
The Jaguars return to conference play next week as they'll try to hand Troy (5-2, 3-0 Sun Belt) their first Sun Belt loss.
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