No. 16/16 Coastal Carolina, App State, Louisiana top divisions following week 5 action

Published 10:18 am Monday, October 4, 2021

App State and No. 16/16 Coastal Carolina showcased why they were dubbed preseason co-favorites in the Sun Belt Conference East Division with dominant victories in their conference openers Saturday, while Sun Belt Conference West Division preseason pick Louisiana knocked off previously unbeaten South Alabama.

The Mountaineers downed Georgia State, 45-16, to move to 8-0 in the all-time series. A 79-yard touchdown connection from graduate student quarterback Chase Brice to super senior wide receiver Corey Sutton midway through the third quarter commenced a run of 31-straight points for the Mountaineers. Brice completed 20-of-28 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.

In front of a record crowd of 18,674 at Brooks Stadium, the Chanticleers ran their home winning streak to 11-straight contests with a 59-6 win over ULM. The win was Coastal Carolina’s 10th-straight against conference opposition and its first-ever over the Warhawks. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Grayson McCall was 13-for-13 for 212 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. The nationally-ranked Chanticleers are off to a 5-0 start for the second-straight season and the fifth time in program history (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2020).

For the second-straight week, a Sun Belt team took an SEC foe to the wire. After Georgia State gave No. 23/23 Auburn all it could handle on homecoming on Sept. 25, Troy nearly unseated South Carolina Saturday. Despite the Trojan defensive unit holding South Carolina to just 102 yards rushing, Troy could not overcome four turnovers, allowing the Gamecocks to escape with a 23-14 victory.

In the first game under interim head coach Kevin Whitley, Georgia Southern outlasted Arkansas State in a shootout, 59-33. The Eagles rushed for 503 yards and seven touchdowns, led by a 208-yard, two-touchdown effort from redshirt senior running back Logan Wright. Defensively, Georgia Southern tallied six sacks and four interceptions, including a pick-six by redshirt junior linebacker Quin Williams.

Louisiana jumped out to a 20-0 lead over previously unbeaten South Alabama by the 11:22 mark in the second quarter and hung on for a 20-18 victory over the Jaguars. South Alabama scored 18-straight, but saw a potential go-ahead field goal sail wide right with 1:06 remaining to seal its fate. With the victory, the Ragin’ Cajuns move to 8-2 in the all-time series, including a run of six-straight wins.

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SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 5 RESULTS
App State def. Georgia State, 45-16
No. 16/16 Coastal Carolina def. ULM, 59-6
South Carolina def. Troy, 23-14
Georgia Southern def. Arkansas State, 59-33
Louisiana def. South Alabama, 20-18

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