Sun Belt makes statement in Week 2
In the first two weeks of the season, some teams in the Group of 5 have made some major noise.
One conference in particular has caused trouble for some of the top teams in the country. The Sun Belt was the beneficiary of three major upsets during Week 2. With two of these upsets coming against teams ranked in the top 10.
Appalachian State
After Appalachian State’s near-comeback against North Carolina in Week 1, it was clear that this team is very dangerous. Still, not many thought that the Mountaineers had a legit chance against No. 6 Texas A&M.
The Aggies are rich in talent, as their last three recruiting classes ranked in the top 10 classes in the country. Conversely, Appalachian State hasn’t assembled a top 70 recruiting class in the last three years.
But, perhaps the biggest story of the week is that Appalachian State’s defense limited A&M to just 186 total yards and 14 points. This was just enough for quarterback Chase Brice and the rest of the Mountaineers offense to sneak by the No. 6 Aggies by a final score of 17-14.
Marshall
After Notre Dame put up a good fight against Ohio State in Week 1, Marshall was mostly written off as a stepping stone for a rising Notre Dame team.
The Herd’s consistency in the run game prevailed as senior running back Khalan Laborn rushed for 163 yards on 31 carries. On the other hand, the Fighting Irish offense struggled to maintain drives, as both quarterbacks combined for three interceptions, and couldn't find a rhythm in the run game. This resulted in a Marshall victory over No. 8 Notre Dame with a final score of 26-21.
This was a disaster for Notre Dame’s first-year head coach Marcus Freeman, but is a major statement win for Charles Huff and his Marshall team.
Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern faced off against Nebraska on Saturday in a barrage of points.
Neither team’s defense was up to stopping the run, resulting in 490 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns combined.
The passing game wasn’t slowed down either, with over 700 passing yards combined in this game, including Eagles quarterback Kyle Vantrease throwing for 409 yards.
Not much defense was played besides a pair of picks thrown from Vantrease.
Georgia Southern defeated the Cornhuskers 45-42 and simutaneously ended the Scott Frost era in Nebraska, as the head coach was fired shortly after the game.
Patrick McCaw is a third-year majoring in Broadcast Journalism, to contact him, email prm5306@psu.edu.
