Sun Belt Football Preview 2016
#1 Appalachian State Mountaineers
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Coach: Scott Satterfield
Offensive Coordinator: Frank Ponce Defensive Coordinator: Nate Woody Stadium: Kidd Brewer Stadium (24,050) 2015 Record: 11-2 The Breakdown Offense: Appalachian State will field the conferences best offense. Last season they were 23rd in the country in scoring average with 36.7 ppg. With QB Taylor Lamb and RB Marcus Cox back there is no doubt they can do it again. Marcus Cox has done nothing but dominate since starting at App State. In two years he has 2838 rushing yards and 28 TD. When Cox isn’t out there, Jalin Moore and Terrence Upshaw hold their own. Handing the ball off to Cox and Co is Taylor Lamb. A starter since arriving on campus in his first two seasons he has 48 TD. When it is all said and done he should be on the greatest Mountaineers of all-time. The offensive line returns everyone but the center. Senior LG Parker Collins, LT Beau Nunn and R Colby Gossett all have first team Sun Belt talent. Tobias Edge-Campbell looks to earn the starting center role as a sophomore. Biggest question mark for the Mountaineers offense? Receiving core. Sheadon Meadors is the team’s top returnee. Two players that everyone should be talking about to emerge in Boone, NC are Mock Adams and Zy Letman. Both former 3 star recruits. Defense: Last year’s defense was stout. They gave up over 30 points just three times last season. Eight starters are back from that team and depth should be even better across the board. Two key losses might keep App State from repeating what they did last season. The loss of DE Ronald Blair to the NFL and Latrell Gibbs being academically ineligible this season. Gibbs as a sophomore had 7 INT and 2 for TD. Tae Hayes started as a freshman at corner. Hayes role will be bigger with the loss of Gibbs. The depth is there in the secondary which is a positive in this negative situation. Alex Gray and A.J. Howard will be at the safety spots. It doesn’t get much better than App State’s LB core. All four starters are back. Eric Boggs went over the century mark in tackles last season. John Law returns with a team best 9.5 TFL. Devan Stringer and Kennan Gilchrist combined for 122 tackles from their OLB spots. Caleb Fuller and Okon Godwin and Antonious Sims will try to fill the void of Ronald Blair. Tyson Fernandez and Nate Norwood enter their senior seasons ready to prove they can make the first or second team all conference list. Special Teams: Michael Rubino is the front runner for the open kicking spot. This is a huge question mark coming into the season. A struggle here come cost them a game or two. Bentlee Critcher is one of the top punters in the league. Overview: Appalachian State just missed a Sun Belt championship last season. The offense will have plenty of firepower and the defense is stacked with talent. Miami comes in to Boone, NC on September 17th. A win over the Hurricanes will take this season into another level. The Sun Belt schedule has it’s challenges with road games at Georgia Southern, Troy and Louisiana. |
Passing Taylor Lamb, SO, QB 13 G, 283 ATT, 170 COMP, 60.1 PCT, 2387 Yards, 31 TD, 9 INT, 160.71 Rating Rushing Marcus Cox, JR, RB 12 G, 243 ATT, 1423 Yards, 9 TD Receiving Shaedon Meadors, SO, WR 11 G, 21 REC, 439 REC, 3 TD Defense: Interceptions: Eric Boggs, SO, LB 12 G, 3 INTs Sacks: Eric Boggs, SO, LB 12 G, 4 Sacks Tackles: Eric Boggs, SO, LB 12 G, 54 Solo, Asst 50, 104 Tackles Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 11-2 2014 7-5 2013 NA 2012 NA 2011 NA App State Schedule
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#2 Georgia Southern Eagles
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Coach: Tyson Summers
Offensive Coordinator: David Dean and Rance Gillespie Defensive Coordinator: Zo Costantini Stadium: Paulson Stadium 2015 Record: 9-4 The Breakdown Offense: Matt Breida finished 10th in yards rushing last season in the nation. Out of the top 10 he had the least amount of carries 203. The next closest? 240 carries. If Breida gets around 250 carries and averages 7.92 carries again this season, he might be number one on the list. With the new system that new HC Tyson Summers is bringing in, fans have questions. The good news is they have both Kevin Ellison and Favian Upshaw back to run the offense. Ellison threw 89 passes compared to Upshaw’s 48. How often they go to the air in the new formation is still up in the air but it has to be a slight concern since the two combined for 10 INT last season. Both QB’s are capable of running as they combined for 1,295 yards and 14 TD. The line has three players coming back. Andy Kwon is back at center, the best in the conference. The guard spots posses youth. A concern going forward for the Eagles. While the offense didn’t throw all that often last season, it may factor in more this year. BJ Johnson led the team in receiving yards averaging 16.60 yards per catch. Defense: The front seven looks to be in really good shape for the Golden Eagles 4-3 defense. Last season they had the top rush defense in conference and 26th in the country. The front four brings back all four starters plus several experienced players in the rotation. Jamal Johnson and Ryan George who may be on the 2nd line totaled 10.5 TFL last season. Bernard Dawson returns after posting a team high 4 sacks last season. Jay Ellison is back at NT and Darrius Sapp will hold down the other tackle spot. Linebacker has plenty of experience as well. Ironhead Gallon (great name) is the man in the middle of the linebackers. With 81 tackles last season, he should eclipse 100 this season. Chris DeLaRosa enters his junior season after a sophomore season that ended with him 5th on the team in tackles. Florida State transfer Ukeme Eligwe looks to be in the mix for an OLB spot. While there's plenty of known talent and depth in the front seven, the back four leaves us with question. Darius Jones Jr. has the most experience out of all of them. Former QB Vegas Harley moves to safety time will tell if that move will payoff. Special Teams: Younghoe Koo will have full reigns of the kicking duties this season. Last season, in nine attempts he made seven. Matt Flynn also will see full time work this season at punter. Return duties are up in the air since Derek Keaton has graduated. Overview: The offense returns plenty of key players so there shouldn’t be too much of a concern about how well the offense will play. The major concern for the team is in the secondaries inexperience. A true test for the secondary will come in week 4 when the Eagles travel to Western Michigan. Georgia Southern faces a tough Sun Belt slate with both Appalachian State and Arkansas State. Also, ending the season with Louisiana, at Georgia State and Troy. |
Top Returners:
Offense: Passing Kevin Ellison, JR, QB 11 G, 89 ATT, 40 COMP, 44.9 PCT, 597 Yards, 4 TD, 5 INT, 104.88 Rating Rushing Matt Breida, JR, RB 13 G, 203 ATT, 1608 Yards, 17 TD Receiving BJ Johnson, JR, WR 9 G, 15 REC, 249 Yards, 0 TD Defense: Interceptions: Darius Jones, JR, DB 13 G, 2 INT, 0 TD Sacks: Bernard Dawson, JR, DE 13 G, 4.0 Sacks Tackles: Ironhead Gallon, JR, LB 13 G, 41 Solo, 40 Assisted, 81 Total Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 9-4 2014 9-3 2013 NA 2012 NA 2011 NA Georgia Southern Schedule
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#3T Arkansas State Red Wolves
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Coach: Blake Anderson
Offensive Coordinator: Buster Faulkner Defensive Coordinator: Joe Cauthen Stadium: Centennial Bank Stadium (30,964) 2015 Record: 9-4 The Breakdown Offense: The offense has lost several of it’s key pieces from the top scoring offense in the Sun Belt. Let’s start with the loss of Fredi Knighten. Knighten was the key to the success of the program the past two seasons, his replacement, will likely be Justice Hansen, a dual threat JUCO QB. In a long line of effective QB Hansen hopes to continue that trend. Hansen will miss out on having on Michael Gordon to hand the ball off to. He will find trust in Warren Wand and Johnston White. White and Wand both averaged over 6 yards per carry last season. The WR core is thin after the departures of three of the top four receivers. Dijon Paschal is top team's top returning receiver with 28 catches. The thin core will get help from transfers Christian Booker, Kendall Sanders and Cameron Echols-Luper. The good news for Arkansas State offense? The best offensive line in the conference is back. Jemar Clark, Devin Mondie and Colton Jackson has first team all-conference capabilities. Defense: Some of the numbers the defensive put up last season was something you would see on a video game. The Red Wolves had a total of 26 interceptions, 77 passes defended. Being number one in conference in turnover margin will be important this season. The departure of Rocky Hayes (6 INT) will be tough to replace. Cody Brown, Chris Humes, Bo Sentimore and Money Hunter form the safety positions. Blaise Taylor returns at corner and should be in for a breakthrough season. The defensive line gets a boost with the addition of Alabama transfer Dee Liner. You might remember him as the player who went viral from showing a bunch of cash on social media. Liner is beyond that and looking for a fresh start at Arkansas State. Ja’Von Rolland totaled 8.5 sacks as a sophomore DE. Waylon Roberson returns a NG. He posted 38 tackles in 2015. Teams will not like facing the linebackers at ASU. Khari Lain totaled 78 tackles last season 51 of those solo. The team's second leading tackler Xavier Woodson-Luster returns. Tajhea Chambers will likely hold the open LB spot. Playing in just two games he was tied for third for sacks. Special Teams: The Red Wolves have a dangerous return man, Blaise Taylor. Taylor will be a threat to take it to the house every return. He took to for 6 points last season. J.D. Houston will look to control both kicking and punting duties. Houston proved to be one of the better kickers in conference but has yet to punt a ball at the collegiate level. Overview: Arkansas State went 8-0 in Sun Belt play which included an impressive win over Appalachian State on the road. The defense should be special this season, think 2011 Arkansas State. The offense might struggle to get their footing early on but should be fine by the end of the season. The conference schedule is manageable. They don’t have to face App State and get Georgia Southern at home. |
Top Returners:
Offense: Passing Cameron Birse, SO, QB 8 G, 4 ATT, 4 COMP, 100 PCT, 37 Yards, 0 TD, 0 INT 177.70 Rating Rushing Warren Wand, FR, RB 13 G, 117 ATT, 707 Yards, 5 TD Receiving Dijon Paschal, SO, WR 28 REC, 541 Yards, 3 TD Defense: Interceptions: Money Hunter, JR, DB 13 G, 3 INT, 2 TD Sacks: JaVon Rolland-Jones, SO, DE 13 G, 8.5 Sacks Tackles: Khari Lain, SO, LB 13 G, 51 Solo, 27 Assisted, 78 Total Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 9-4 2014 7-6 2013 8-5 2012 10-3 2011 10-3 Arkansas State Schedule
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#3T Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
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Coach: Mark Hudspeth
Offensive Coordinator: Jorge Munoz Defensive Coordinator: Charlie Harbison and Melvin Smith Stadium: Cajun Field (36,900) 2015 Record: 4-8 The Breakdown Offense: Elijah McGuire is back for his final season. McGuire has been a key factor in the Ragin’ Cajuns offense for the past three seasons. Despite getting over 200 carries his numbers were down from 2014. This will be a bounce back season for him, count on that. QB play will need to be better after several QB got a shot last season. Jordan Davis is the frontrunner for the starting role. Jalen Nixon who has the most experience at QB on the roster has moved to RB. Last seasons top WR target Jamal Robinson is gone. It is time for Al Riles and Gabe Fuselier to make a jump in production this season. 13 receiving TD will land them back towards the bottom of the league again, improvement is key. Elijah McGuire is a threat to catch balls out of the backfield. With a young QB he will be a nice outlet. Offensive line play has always been solid in Lafayette. This year depth is the main concern even with three starters back. Defense: Melvin Smith is hoping year two is much better than year one. Not much went right for Louisiana, they gave up 420.8 YPG. Seven starters return plus several JUCO transfers. One spot where the Ragin’ Cajuns succeeded? The red zone. They ranked 17th in the nation in conversions allowed. The secondary looks to be a positive for the Cajuns. Simeon Thomas who got some run as a freshman CB is back after a 2 year hiatus. Louisiana’s top JUCO recruit, Denarius Howard will look to make an impact right away. Travis Crawford and Savion Brown both started last season in the secondary. The line will be strong a focus this year. With the top 3 players in sacks gone, the line will have to get after the QB and open things up for the LB unit as well. Mario Osborne is the newcomer to the starting lineup. Osborne totaled 2 sacks last season as a freshman in nine games. Tracy Walker is the team's top tackler. He will fill his NB role again this season. Otha Peters is the team's leading TFL returnee. He will have to play a huge role at getting in the backfield with Dominique Tovell gone. Special Teams: Year two must be better for Steve Artigue. The sophomore kicker went 8-15 and missed two PAT. Steven Coutts had a better freshman season than Artigue. Coutts was middle of the pack with an avg. of 41.68 per punt. Overview: You can bet that Mark Hudspeth won’t allow another team to go 4-8. If Jordan Davis can make an impact and not turnover the ball good things should happen on offense. The defense is likely to improve after a down year. Outside of Georgia Southern the Sun Belt road schedule is very manageable. |
Top Returners:
Offense: Passing Jalen Nixon, JR, QB 11 G, 142 ATT, 76 COMP, 53.5 PCT, 828 Yards, 7 TD, 5 INT, 111.73 Rating Rushing Elijah McGuire, JR, RB 12 G, 209 ATT, 1047 Yards, 13 TD Receiving Al Riles, JR, WR 11 G, 46 REC, 477 Yards, 4 TD Defense: Interceptions: Savion Brown, JR, DB 3 INT, 101 Yards, 1 TD Sacks: Dominick Jones, JR, DB 9 G, 2.0 Sacks Tackles: Tracy Walker,JR, DB 54 Solo, 20 Assisted, 74 Total Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 4-8 2014 9-4 2013 9-4 2012 9-4 2011 9-4 Louisiana Schedule
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#5 Troy Trojans
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Coach: Neal Brown
Offensive Coordinator: Kenny Edenfield and Matt Moore Defensive Coordinator: Vic Koenning Stadium: Veterans Memorial Stadium (30,000) 2015 Record: 4-8 The Breakdown Offense: A lot rides on the arm of Brandon Silvers. This should be the year where Silvers goes off. He has the experience now it is time to put it to work. He managed from turning the ball over a lot with only seven interceptions on 330 ATT. 20 TD is not bad but we will need to see around 30 for Troy to have success. Silvers top targets are all gone but Emanuel Thompson and John Johnson could be his next to top targets. Thompson had 28 receptions in 2015 and Johnson had 23. Several JUCO WR have arrived on campus. Dominic Walker is the top of the group. The running game needs to pose a threat for the passing game to open up a bit more. Jordan Chunn is back after missing the 2015 season. Chunn has always been in a backfield with split carries. That may change this season. The offensive line is in really good shape with 4 starters back and some depth. With a solid line this should be all positives for the offense taking a step forward this season. Defense: Seven players return to a Troy defense that improved by 8 points and was ranked third in points allowed last season. Linebackers Demetrius Cain and William Lloyd came in last season and changed things for Troy. The two combined for 117 tackles. Justin Lucas finds himself at the middle linebacker spot so expect his production to go up. Replacing Tyler Roberts on the line won’t happen with just a single player. Terris Lewis will fill some of the void by moving to defensive end. He was third on the team in tackles a year ago. Rashad Dillard had 7 sacks last season and will be on the opposite end of Lewis. The secondary has two starters back in JaQuadrian Lewis and Josh Marshall. Troy only totaled 6 interceptions last season so forcing more would be a major plus this season. Safety Kris Weatherspoon should be in the immediate picture coming in as a JUCO. Special Teams: Ryan Kay will hold down both the punter and kicking duties in his final season. Troy fans will miss seeing Teddy Ruben return kicks. Overview: This is the year that Troy bounces back. The offense should take a step in the right direction. Silvers has the experience and with a veteran line they should give him plenty of time to pick apart defenses. The defense was one of the better ones in the Sun Belt last season. With 7 starters back and a influx of talent they should be even better in 2016. If they can hang with Southern Miss early in the season, Troy will be on every Sun Belt team's radar. |
Top Returners:
Offense: Passing Brandon Silvers, SO, QB 11 G, 330 ATT, 202 Comp, 61.2 PCT, 2378 Yards, 20 TD, 7 INT, 137.50 Rating Rushing Andre Flakes, SO, RB 12 G, 66 ATT, 243 Yards, 3 TD Receiving Emanuel Thompson, SO, WR 12 G, 28 REC, 299 Yards, 3 TD Defense: Interceptions: Justin Lucas, LB, JR 12 G, 1 INT Sacks: Rashad Dillard, JR, DE 12 G, 7 Sacks Tackles: Williams Lloyd, JR, LB 12 G, 46 Solo, 27 Assisted, 73 Total Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 4-8 2014 3-9 2013 6-6 2012 5-7 2011 3-9 Troy Trojans Schedule
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#6T Georgia State Panthers
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Coach: Trent Miles
Offensive Coordinator: Jeff Jagodzinski Defensive Coordinator: Jesse Minter Stadium: Georgia Dome (28,155) 2015 Record: 6-7 The Breakdown Offense: Nick Arbuckle did a lot of great things for the Georgia State program like giving them their first win vs an FBS opponent. Georgia State would go on to win a total of 6 games and play in a bowl in 2015. Bad news, Nick Arbuckle is gone, good news, best receiving core in the conference is back. Robert Davis is back after posting 61 receptions and nearly 1,000 yards. Who can forget the emergence of Penny Hart as a freshman? Hart had a team highs in receptions (71), yards (1099) and TD (8). The Panthers have one of the better TE in the league in Keith Rucker. Todd Boyd is a player that could improve on his 25 receptions a year ago. Enough on all the greatness surrounding the WR core. Who will get the ball to them? It is hard to tell at this point and the starting spot might not have a player named until the first game. Three players are getting a look. Emiere Scaife a sophomore QB who has been in the system the longest. Conner Manning who transferred from Utah will have a good shot at starting this season. Red shirt freshman Aaron Winchester had the best spring. Who separates themselves in fall camp? Time will tell. The GSU ground game will likely be more of a focus this season. Lots of players had carries last season so look for a committee approach unless something changes this fall. Three starters are back for Georgia State which game up 33 sacks last season. With a new QB, that will have to improve. Defense: A lot of credit should go to defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter, who helped turn around a defense that was giving up an average of 40 points between 2013 and 2014 seasons. With nine starters back he will look on improving on the 28.3 points per game they gave up last season. One way to improve that will be by getting to the QB more. GSU only had 18 sacks a season ago. DE Mackendy Cheridor led the team with three. All three starters are back on the line. Shawayne Lawrence will be the key to the success of the line. Alonzo McGee gave this team a boost after transferring from UAB. McGee led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss. Kaleb Ringer and Bobby Baker both had 70 or more tackles from their linebacking spots. In his freshman season Michael Shaw added 36 tackles. Georgia State has one of the top three secondaries in the Sun Belt. Bobby Baker is the team's top returning tackler with 76. Baker has first team all Sun Belt potential. Chandon Sullivan, Jerome Smith and Antreal Allen got a lot of good experience last season and should be improved this season. Special Teams: Marquan Greene took one to the house as the GA State kick returner. Greene only had 16 opportunities last year so in 2016 he could have an even bigger impact. Wi Lutz will be a tough player to replace since he handle all the kicking and punting duties. As of now it looks like those jobs will be held by Brandon Wright. Overview: Georgia State has the makeup of a team that could compete for a Sun Belt title. Then you look at the QB situation, which to this point is relatively unknown. Defensively they could be one of the best in the league if the offense doesn’t put them in bad spots. After the week one game vs Ball State the schedule gets challenging with games at Wisconsin, at Air Force and at Appalachian State. A trip back to a bowl game is within grasp if QB play and O-line hold up. |
Top Returners:
Offense: Passing Emiere Scaife, FR, QB 3 G, 8 ATT, 0 COMP, 0 PCT, 0 Yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 0.00 Rating Rushing Glenn Smith, SO, WR 13 G, 89 ATT, 356 Yards, 1 TD Receiving Penny Hart, FR, WR 13 G, 71 REC, 1099 Yards, 8 TD Defense: Interceptions: Bobby Baker, JR, DB 13 G, 3 INT, 0 TD Sacks: Mackendy Cheridor, SO, DL 13 G, 3.0 Sacks Tackles: Bobby Baker, JR, DB 13 G, 53 Solo, 23 Assisted, Total 76 Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 6-7 2014 1-11 2013 0-12 2012 N/A 2011 N/A Georgia State Schedule
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#6T Idaho Vandals
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Coach: Paul Petrino
Offensive Coordinator: Kris Cinkovich Defensive Coordinator: Mike Breske Stadium: Kibbie Dome (16,000) 2015 Record: 4-8 The Breakdown Offense: Matt Linehan is putting his name in the top QB in the Sun Belt conversation this season. He showed great improvement across the board in 2015. The next step is to go over the 3,000 yard mark which he only missed by 8 yards last season. His protection will be better this season with four of the five starters coming back. Last season the gave up a total of 29 sacks, that should be improved this season. Running behind the line will be several different contenders. The player who will get most of the carries is Aaron Duckworth. If the Vandals can find a nice committee of back and get their average around 160 yards the offense will be clicking. The receiving core has plenty of options despite the loss of Dezmon Epps. The Vandals have one of the top TE in the league in Buck Cowan. He has 48 receptions and 624 yards under his belt going into this season. Callen Hightower will be a top target for Linehan. Deon Watson led the team in TD with seven. Idaho’s top recruit WR Jassiem Wills may get some run this season. Defense: When you have an average of 273.3 YPG given up on the ground, wins come very seldom. The Vandals however still totaled 4 wins.Experience is at a premium due to so many injuries last season but will that improve this teams overall defense? Kaden Elliss showed a lot of promise in his freshman season playing linebacker. He totaled 83 tackles and had 7.5 TFL. The three man line will have to do a better job stopping the run this season. Finding the right NT will go a long way in doing that. The deepest and most talented group is the secondary. Three starters are back and plenty of seniors and juniors make up the two deep roster. If Idaho can get their turnover margin to even this team has a chance to make a splash in the Sun Belt. Special Teams: Here’s where the Vandals excel, punting and kicking. Austin Rehkow handles both duties and has the advantage of playing in a dome but he makes the best of it. This guy is a threat for the Ray Guy award ever single season. Overview: Idaho could have one of the top 4 offenses this season. The defense however is where the Vandals make you cringe. If they can improve ever so slightly positive things will happen in Moscow this season. The schedule sets up for Idaho to get wins but will it be enough to get bowl eligible? |
Top Returners:
Offense: Passing Matt Linehan, SO, QB 11 G, 391 ATT, 248 COMP, 63.4 PCT, 2992 Yards, 16 TD, 11 INT, 135.58 Rating Rushing Aaron Duckworth, SO, RB 11 G, 71 ATT, 249 Yards, 3 TD Receiving Callen Hightower, JR, WR, 11 G, 57 REC, 749 Yards, 2 TD Defense: Interceptions: Russell Siavii, JR, DB 11 G, 2 INT Sacks: Kaden Elliss, FR, LB 12 G, 1 Sack Tackles: Kaden Elliss, FR, LB 57 Solo, 26 Assisted, 83 Total Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 4-8 2014 1-10 2013 1-11 2012 1-11 2011 2-10 Idaho Schedule
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#8 New Mexico State Aggies
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Coach: Doug Martin
Offensive Coordinator: Doug Martin Defensive Coordinator: Frank Spaziani Stadium: Aggie Memorial Stadium (30,343) 2015 Record: 3-9 The Breakdown Offense: Larry Rose III does it all for the New Mexico State Aggies. Rose totaled 1,651 yards on the ground and found the end zone 14 times. As a sophomore he proved that he was one of the most talented guys in the league last season. He contributed 30 receptions and 283 yards through as well. Tyler Rogers was showing positive signs last season until he went down with an injury. As a sophomore he threw for 23 interceptions. If he shows any signs of becoming turnover prone again look for Southern Miss. transfer Tyler Matthews to emerge. The offensive line has some concerns with depth as well as LT. Two players who are in the running for the LT spot are freshman Sebastian Anderson and Sage Doxater. The receiving core is better than you would think. Tyrian Taylor and Teldrick Morgan are solid options for the Aggies. Gregory Hogan put in a solid 2015 season with 5 touchdowns as a sophomore. Defense: This is where all the main concerns are, defense. You can’t give up 522.3 YPG and 45 PPG and expect to win games. Even ULM who averaged 21 ppg last season put 42 points up against them. Frank Spaziani is in as defensive coordinator. One interesting note about the Aggies, they had three fumble recoveries last season and all of them went for touchdowns. Let’s start with the strength of the defense, linebacker. All three linebackers return. Derek Ibekwe had a monster sophomore season with 93 tackles. Rodney Butler and Terrill Hanks will cover the OLB spots. On the line Noah Brown proved to be a force for the Aggies. He led the team in sacks and tackles for loss. Their top recruit this season is Darius Anderson a DT. JUCO transfer DeShawnte Lloyd will figure into the mix this season. The secondary needs a lot of work. The two starting safeties return. Jacob Nwangwa was second on the team in tackles last season from his FS position. As a whole they were able to total 12 INT so that will need to be achieved again this season. Special Teams: Payton Theisler comes in as a true freshman to be the Aggies punter. Kicking game was mediocre as Parker Dawson went 10-17. The return game is about as bad as it gets. Any upgrade here will be welcomed. Overview: The defense has a long way to go for this team to contend in the Sun Belt. New Mexico offers some nice pieces on offense. Larry Rose III is one of the most exciting players to watch in the league. The Sun Belt schedule is unforgiving this season. Three wins might be hard to match again this season. |
Top Returners:
Offense: Passing Tyler Rogers, JR, QB 4 G, 135 ATT, 72 COMP, 53.3 PCT, 974 Yards, 7 TD, 3 INT, 126.61 Rating Rushing Larry Rose III, SO, RB 240 ATT, 1651 Yards, 14 TD Receiving Tyrain Taylor, JR, WR 12 G, 39 REC, 691 Yards, 4 TD Defense: Interceptions: Jacob Nwangwa, SO, DB 12 G, 3 INT, 1 TD Sacks: Noah Brown, JR, DE 12 G, 3.5 Sacks Tackles: Derek Ibekwe, SO, LB 12 G, 41 Solo, 52 Assisted, 93 Total Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 3-9 2014 2-10 2013 2-10 2012 1-11 2011 4-9 New Mexico St. Schedule
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#9T South Alabama Jaguars
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Coach: Joey Jones
Offensive Coordinator: Richard Owens and Bryant Vincent Defensive Coordinator: Kane Wommack Stadium: Ladd Peebles (33,500) 2015 Record: 5-7 The Breakdown Offense: The offense was bad last season. Finding a QB will be key to turning the team around. Dallas Davis is the favorite to win the starting role as he was the backup last season. Two transfer QB’s will come into play, Evan Orth (UAB) and Cole Garvin (Marshall). The offensive line returns all of the left side but will lose out on center Joseph Scelfo who transferred to NC State. The line will be blocking for RB’s Xavier Johnson and Tyreis Thomas who form a great duo. Look for South Alabama to give these two the ball more often this season. One thing that USA does have going for them? Gerald Everett is the best tight end in the conference. He led the team receptions, yards and TD. He will be the top target for whomever starts at QB. Defense: The defense gave up 37.5 points per game last season. If you can find a positive in that let me know. Kane Wommack will want to change things around in year one and he is already making moves. Roma Buchanan, Kalen Jackson and Jeremy Reaves have new spots on defense. Linebacker is where Buchanan and Jackson will play this season. Both players were top 5 in tackles last season. If the front four don’t improve then this season is down the tubes. If you are going with a four man front you have to produce sacks from the line. Only 4.5 sacks are back from the line that totaled 11 last season. USA should use the early part of the season to find what works best for them and hope they can provide some sort of push up front. The team’s top returning tackler has moved to corner. A bit of a head scratching move but if Reaves fits what new coordinator Wommack wants then we will see what happens. Special Teams: Aleem Sunanon had a great year going 16-of-19 on FGS. Punting duties will be settled in fall camp as Sunanon, Corliss Waitman and Brandon McKee all have a shot. Return game could fall in the hands of several players. Xavier Johnson was the guy last season but with him being a focal point is it worth having him return kicks? Overview: Joey Jones is having an uphill battle at USA right now. Getting back to 5-7 will be a challenge. The non-conference schedule is loaded with two SEC teams and San Diego State. The Sun Belt schedule is one of the toughest in conference. With so many close games going in the Jaguars favor they will need that type of magic this season to stay afloat. |
Top Returners:
Offense: Passing Dallas Davis, FR, QB 6 G, 23 ATT, 11 COMP, 47.8 PCT, 108 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 92.93 Rating Rushing Xavier Johnson, SO, RB 12 G, 145 ATT, 956 Yards, 7 TD Receiving Gerald Everett, JR, TE 12 G, 41 REC, 575 Yards, 8 TD Defense: Interceptions: Kalen Jackson, JR, LB 12 G, 2 INT Sacks: Tre Alford, SO, NT 12 G, 2.0 Sacks Tackles: Jeremy Reaves, SO, DB 12 G, 65 Solo, 31 Assisted, 96 Total Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 5-7 2014 6-7 2013 6-6 2012 2-11 2011 NA South Alabama Schedule
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#9T Texas State Bobcats
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Coach: Everett Withers
Offensive Coordinator: Brett Elliott Defensive Coordinator: Randall McCray Stadium: Bobcat Stadium (30,000) 2015 Record: 3-9 The Breakdown Offense:Texas State biggest problem in 2016? Skill positions. The WR core losses 8 of their top 9 players from last season. Demun Mercer is one of the few players with experience and he only had 19 catches last season. A few players to keep your eyes on are Elijah King, Justin Gamble and Tyler Watts. The most experienced part of the roster is the O-line. Three senior returning starters are back. Running behind the line will be several players. Tyler Siudzinski is the team's top returning RB with 59 carries last season. A lot of Bobcat fans want to see what they can get from freshman RB Tyler Tutt. Tyler Jones has been the guy under center for the past two years. Jones is a dual threat player who has a total of 52 touchdowns the past two years. The Bobcats have to give Jones the first team to start. Two QB that are vying for his spot are Eddie Printz and L.G. Williams. Defense: Will the change to a 3-4 defense be successful for a team that gave up over 520 yards a game last season? The good people of San Marcos can only hope. Only four starters are back from last season. The secondary holding two of the spots. Getting more turnovers out of the secondary will be very important. The Bobcats ranked 105th in turnover margin. The front three will set the tone for Texas State. Dallas McCarty will hold the NT spot. Ramon Readus a true freshman could see time there as well. Another freshman that could see time is Hal Vinson. Vinson a linebacker who was recruited by Louisville and Colorado State could be what the Bobcats need in the 3-4 scheme. This year's defense will be all about finding the right players for the future. Special Teams: Lumi Kaba is one of the best punters in the Sun Belt. His place kicking abilities however were a work in progress last season. Texas State will need him to be at his best at both spots this season. Brandon McDowell can get fans out of their seats at Bobcat Stadium for his return skills. Overview: The skill spots are so poor it may not matter who plays at QB. The defense has too many questions to be reliable. The Bobcats will bring Houston to town this season but they are not ready to handle an elite QB. Games at New Mexico State and UL Monroe will be huge. |
Top Returners:
Offense: Passing Tyler Jones, JR, QB 12 G, 382 ATT, 223 COMP, 58.4 PCT, 2517 Yards, 14 TD, 10 INT, 120.58 Rating Rushing Tyler Jones, JR, QB 12 G, 139 ATT, 583 Yards, 10 TD Receiving Demun Mercer, SO, WR 12 G, 19 REC, 235 Yards, 2 TDS Defense: Interceptions: Stephan Johnson, SO, DB 12 G, 2 INT, 0 TD Sacks: Karee Berry, SO, DL 12 G, 3.0 Sacks Tackles: Damani Alexcee, JR, DB 12 G, 61 Solo, 18 Assisted, 79 Total Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 3-9 2014 7-5 2013 6-6 2012 4-8 2011 NA Texas State Schedule
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#11 Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
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Coach: Matt Viator
Offensive Coordinator: Matt Kubik Defensive Coordinator: Mike Collins Stadium: Malone Stadium (30,427) 2015 Record: 2-11 The Breakdown Offense: The hope is the returning starters for the Warhawks will be a good thing. They get QB Garrett Smith back who will need to work on his ability to get the ball down field and complete balls at a higher clip than 57.4 PCT. He will have some good targets to throw too though. Ajalen Holley and Marcus green are both back after big 2015 seasons. Green burst on the scene in his rookie season with 63 catches and a team high 7 TD. Finding a deep threat will key for the Warhawks in 2016. The running attack didn’t exist last season. Garrett Smith had the most carries and only averaged 2.31 yards per carry. ULM only totaled 7 tds via run. Tyler Cain can hopefully give them a jolt with his speed this season. Defense: As hopeful as you can be about the defense there seems to be no hope for the defense. Only two starters return. A change in alignment from a 3-3-5 to 4-2-5 by Mike Collins might be a positive. The secondary is the only spot you can feel comfortable with since Tre Hunter and Lenzy Pipkins are back. But still keep in mind this a team that was -16 in TO Margin. The youth movement will have to make a huge impact on the front six or else this team is a lock to be in the bottom in defense this season. In the two deep you will see 13 players getting in the rotation that are sophomores or freshman. Special Teams: Walk-on Alex Prince seems to be the man for the job at punter. Craig Ford attempted only 14 FGs last season as a freshman. Both punt and kick return were in the bottom half of the Sun Belt. Overview: Matt Viator is taking over a big rebuild at ULM. If they don’t win game vs. Southern the struggle will be real this season. The best case scenario for the Warhawks is stay out of last and see promise for the future. |
Top Returners:
Offense: Passing Garrett Smith, FR, QB 10 G, 333 ATT, 191 COMP, 57.4 PCT, 2033 Yards, 17 TD, 11 INT, 118.88 Rating Rushing Ben Luckett, FR, RB 13 G, 94 ATT, 509 Yards, 2 TD Receiving Ajalen Holley, JR, WR 12 G, 60 REC, 709 Yards, 6 TD Defense: Interceptions: Tre’ Hunter, JR, DB 12 G, 2 INT Sacks: Caleb Tucker, SO, LB 13 G, 2.5 Sacks Tackles: Tre’ Hunter, JR, DB 12 G, 36 Solo, 19 Assisted, 55 Total Last Five Year Win Totals 2015 2-11 2014 4-8 2013 6-6 2012 8-5 2011 4-8 Louisiana-Monroe Schedule
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