Sun Belt Week 10 Takeaways: Reality Sets In

Photo Courtesy of Louisiana Tech Football | Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Kate Pearson Halyburton, EditorWeek 10 was a week of reality for the Sun Belt. Certain teams realized that any hopes of potentially winning the Sun Belt Championship are pretty much finished. James Madison bounced back big time after back-to-back losses; Louisiana Tech continues to roll while Louisiana and South Alabama went down to the final minutes.Overall, the standings for the most part remain the same, with the top teams holding onto their spots.Sun Belt Week 10 RecapJames Madison at Southern MissAfter two tough and close losses, James Madison responded dominantly, defeating Southern Miss 54-23.Camden Coleman had been the team’s starter for most of the season, but after some recent struggles, JC Evans got the nod and made the most of the opportunity. Evans completed 19 of 26 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, he rushed for 47 yards and three touchdowns. Coleman wasn’t completely benched. He completed all four of his passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.Evans does give the Dukes a dynamic from the quarterback position that Coleman doesn’t. Evans can make plays with his legs, and with the Dukes missing their top running back, it made sense to give Evans the start.Speaking of the running back, without George Pettaway, the Dukes didn’t necessarily have one person carry the load running the football. Last week, Seth Cromwell rushed for 135 yards. This week they rushed for 175 yards, but three players ran for more than 45 yards, giving them great balance.The shift from Coleman to Evans seemed to spark the Dukes offensively in a way they didn’t in the previous two games.The Golden Eagles benched quarterback Landry Lyddy after a couple of mediocre performances, despite the wins. John White started in his place and did the best he could against a James Madison defense that got after him all night.This win wasn’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things for the Dukes. With Georgia Southern beating Marshall, the Dukes still trail the Eagles in the division.This loss could be an unofficial season-ender for the Golden Eagles. Their chances of catching Louisiana Tech are slim. The best bet for the Golden Eagles is to win their last three games to become bowl eligible.The Dukes improve to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Sun Belt. The Golden Eagles fall to 3-6 and 2-3.Photo Courtesy of JMU FootballLouisiana Tech at TroyAnother week, another Louisiana Tech victory. This week it comes at the expense of Troy. The Bulldogs used a dominant second half to defeat the Trojans 41-17.This game could have gone sideways for the Bulldogs early in the third quarter. Blake Baker was sacked and fumbled the ball, which the Trojans recovered and returned for a touchdown. Baker left the game and didn’t return.Trey Kukuk was pretty effective in backing up Baker. He completed 8 of 10 passes for 68 yards, a touchdown, and 26 yards on the ground.The Trojans had no answer for Marcus Calwise Jr. In a game where Jalen Mickens was a nonfactor and Eli Finley was quiet, Calwise Jr. had a career game. He caught 9 passes for 137 yards. Both numbers were career highs.For the Trojans, the offense struggled. Quarterback Tucker Kilcrease in particular didn’t have a good game. He completed 18 of 33 passes for 215 yards, one interception, and lost two fumbles. The Trojans turned it over five times.This is trending towards the Bulldogs representing the West Division in the Sun Belt Championship. The Bulldogs are now on a six-game winning streak, the second-longest winning streak by a Sun Belt team. With the results from this week’s games, it is looking less likely that anyone will catch them.Just like Southern Miss, this loss effectively ended the Trojans’ hopes of winning the West again. Their biggest goal is to win two out of their next three games to become bowl eligible.The Bulldogs improve to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in conference play. They remain the only team that hasn’t lost a conference game. The Trojans fall to 4-5 and 2-3.South Alabama at LouisianaIn an exciting finish where both teams are competing to keep their season alive, Louisiana protected its home field and defeated South Alabama 28-26.This game came down to the Ragin’ Cajuns doing what they do best, and that’s being a physical running team. They ran for 312 yards. JJ Garner led the way with 136 yards on 10 carries. Quarterback Lunch Winfield added 97 rushing yards, while also throwing for 147 yards.After a few bad games from Jared Hollins, the Jaguars turned back to Bishop Davenport. Davenport hadn’t played since Sept. 12 due to an undisclosed injury. In those first two games, Davenport looked really good, and he had a solid return game. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 210 yards and an interception. That interception was costly because it came with under two minutes remaining. They were driving to at least get in field-goal range.This is a big win for the Ragin’ Cajuns, as they try to keep pace with Louisiana Tech. They still trail the Bulldogs by two games, but with the outcomes of this week, the Ragin’ Cajuns are now in sole possession of second in the West.The Jaguars’ best bet is to be bowl-eligible, but this is a disappointing outcome considering how they were playing a month ago. Before the bye week, they were 4-2 and had won their first two conference games. Now they are competing to keep their season alive.The Ragin’ Cajuns improve to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the Sun Belt. The Jaguars, now on a three-game losing streak, fall to 4-5 and 2-3.Other Sun Belt ScoresOld Dominion 21, Coastal Carolina 8Georgia State 39, Appalachian State 23ULM 19, Arkansas State 17Georgia Southern 49, Marshall 13Related College Football ContentBig Plays Define Washington’s Loss to Penn StateWake Forest Hammers Merrimack, 77-0