Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - ARKANSAS STATE: The Red Wolves were out of action this past week after suffering a 29-17 setback at Memphis on September 27th. After opening the season with two straight wins, ASU has dropped two of its last three outings. The one win during that stretch however, came against Middle Tennessee in the program's conference opener.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC: The Owls began defense of their SBC title on a down note, as they were nipped, 14-13, by Middle Tennessee on September 30th. FAU surrendered two touchdowns in the final five-plus minutes of the contest, including a the game-deciding score on a 32-yard pass as time expired. It was a heart-breaking finish for FAU, which has now dropped three straight contests. DiIvory Edgecomb paced the Owls in defeat by rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Quarterback Rusty Smith, however, continued to struggle, as he completed 16-of-27 pass attempts for 210 yards, but with two interceptions. Now at 1-4 overall, FAU will try to rebound against Troy on October 7th.
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL: Paul McCall threw for 234 yards and four touchdowns, as the Panthers crushed North Texas, 42-10, this past weekend. His main target was T.Y. Hilton, who grabbed three balls for 145 yards and two touchdowns. A'mod Ned toted 12 times for 56 yards and a score, as FIU won its second straight game following an 0-3 start to the season. The Panthers, who forced four turnovers and scored on a blocked punt, will do battle with Middle Tennessee this weekend.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE: Joe Craddock threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Beyah as time expired, lifting MT to a thrilling 14-13 victory over Florida Atlantic this past week. After being held scoreless for the first three quarter, the Blue Raiders struck twice in the final 5:22 to snap a two-game slid and pick up their first conference win in three tries. Craddock converted 24-of-35 throws for 268 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the triumph, while Patrick Honeycutt hauled in nine balls for 113 yards and a score. The Blue raiders, who now sit at 2-3, will kick off a three-game road trip this weekend at Florida International.
NORTH TEXAS: The Mean Green were once again manhandled, suffering a 42-10 setback to Florida International this past weekend. North Texas has now allowed 41 points or more in all five games this season and has lost each contest by at least 30 points. Giovanni Vizza completed 32-of-43 pass attempts for 274 yards last weekend, but he was intercepted three times. Casey Fitzgerald led the team with 10 receptions for 120 yards, while Alex Lott had seven catches for 69 yards. The Mean Green will take another crack at trying to get into the win column this weekend against UL-Lafayette.
TROY: Following a bye week, the Trojans are ready to return to action at Florida Atlantic on October 7th. After opening the 2008 season with back-to- back wins, Troy has suffered two consecutive losses, including a 55-24 defeat at Oklahoma State on September 27th. Troy, however, did win its only prior conference game of the season, defeating Middle Tennessee by a 31-17 score.
UL-LAFAYETTE: The Ragin' Cajuns set school records with 728 total yards and 556 rushing, as they outlasted UL-Monroe, 44-35 in their conference opener this past weekend. The Cajuns averaged 15.0 yards per carry in the game and scored on six plays longer than 50 yards in the win. Tyrell Fenroy headed the charge for ULL with a school-record 297 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. Quarterback Michael Desormeaux added 149 yards and a score on 10 totes and he also threw for 172 yards and another touchdown on 15-of-23 tosses. Wide out Jason Chery even scored on an 87-yard run and that was in addition to catching six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Winners of two of their last three games, the Cajuns will return to action against North Texas this weekend.
UL-MONROE: In their league opener, the Warhawks were exploited for 728 total yards by UL-Lafayette in a 44-35 setback over the weekend. ULM gave up 556 yards on the ground to ULL, which scored on six plays over 50 yards. Despite all of that, the Warhawks had a chance to tie the game late in he fourth quarter but were unable to capitalize on a two-point conversion following an 11-yard touchdown run by Frank Goodin that brought the score to 37-35. Goodin finished the game with two rushing touchdowns and 73 yards on 17 carries. Starting quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster posted 72 rushing yards on 14 carries and he also passed for 115 yards on 10-of-19 attempts. Trey Revell also saw time under center, passing for 27 yards and rushing for a team-high 92 yards on six carries. Losers of two straight and four of five this season, the Warhawks will tussle with Arkansas State this coming weekend.
