Sun Belt Sports Fans

WEEK TWO REVIEW

SCORES

FloridaInternational 24,Louisville17

MichiganState44,FloridaAtlantic 0

Navy 40,Western Kentucky14

Houston48,North Texas23

ArkansasState47,Memphis3

Louisiana-Lafayette 20,KentState12

Georgia Tech 49, MiddleTennessee21

Louisiana-Monroe 35,GramblingState7

The centerpiece of week two in the Sun Belt Conference was clearly Florida International’s ability to seize the national stage when a lot of eyeballs were watching. Friday night, FIU playedLouisvillein a nationally-televised game on ESPN. No other Football Bowl Subdivision teams were playing at the time, giving the Golden Panthers a full audience without any competition. This was definitely a showcase for the program and a chance to build recruiting momentum. The Golden Panthers didn’t waste their golden opportunity. Coach Mario Cristobal guided Florida International to an authoritative win that felt a lot more decisive than the final seven-point spread. FIU took a 21-3 lead late in the second quarter, built a 24-10 lead in the fourth quarter, and held off the Cards by recovering a late onside kick. The star for FIU was its meal-ticket, do-everything wide receiver and kick returner, T.Y. Hilton. The skilled speed merchant got behindLouisville’s secondary for one long touchdown, and he caught a slant pass at just the right angle, turning the play into a long catch-and-run touchdown. Hilton was by far the best player on the field, and in showcase games – this was definitely one such creature for the Golden Panthers – their number one man needs to do the heavy lifting. Florida International did benefit from the diminutive stature ofLouisville’s quarterback, Will Stein, but FIU was good enough to take advantage of that fact. The Golden Panthers were smart enough to get their hands in the air to bat down a number of Stein’s passes. FIU, when given certain advantages over the course of 60 minutes, was opportunistic enough to maximize its leverage and put the Cards behind the eight-ball. This win will only make Cristobal an even more desirable coaching commodity come early December.

So, maybe this win wasn’t entirely good news for the FIU program (we jest… mostly).

The other happy story to emerge from the Sun Belt in week two wasArkansasState’s 44-point demolition ofMemphis. Sure, Memphis is one of the five worst teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, but for Arkansas State to beat anyone in the FBS by 44 points is an eye-opening achievement.ArkansasStatecoach Hugh Freeze is creating a legitimate amount of buzz inJonesboro,Arkansas; we’ll see how far ASU can go this season, thanks to its new and highly-regarded sideline sultan.

A third positive development in the league – albeit on a smaller level – was Louisiana-Lafayette’s eight-point win overKentState. Mark Hudspeth, ULL’s first-year coach, won a battle of rookie coaches by turning back the Golden Flashes of the Mid-American Conference and their own new boss, Darrell Hazell.KentStatehas its own share of struggles, but this was a roadie for the Ragin’ Cajuns, a program that has slipped on the banana peel many times before. Maybe the win wasn’t such a big deal (though we’d disagree), but then consider the fallout that would have crashed upon the ULL program if the Cajuns hadn’t come through in the state ofOhio.

It wasn’t all good news for the Sun Belt in week two. MiddleTennesseetook it on the chin from Georgia Tech at home. Georgia Tech struggled through a flatly miserable 2010 season and stood on very shaky ground entering 2011. For the Yellow Jackets to waltz intoMurfreesboro,Tennessee, and win by 28 points says a lot about the Blue Raiders’ deficiencies. MiddleTennesseeexcelled in 2009, but ever since last year’s face-plant following nine-win expectations, it’s as though the MTSU program hasn’t regained its swagger.

WEEK THREE PREVIEW

MATCHUPS

Louisiana-Monroe at TCU

Central Florida atFloridaInternational

NichollsStateat Louisiana-Lafayette

North Texas atAlabama

ArkansasStateat Virginia Tech

IndianaStateatWestern Kentucky

TroyatArkansas

The headliner in this list of games is Florida International’s game against defending ConferenceUSAchampionCentral Florida. If Mario Cristobal can get a win in this game, his coaching stock will rise even more, but what’s even more important is that FIU can stamp itself as a destination program in the Sun Belt. Recruits will flock toMiamiif the Golden Panthers can knock off the Golden Knights, who are based inOrlando. This is one of the non-BCS games of the year in the Football Bowl Subdivision.Central Floridais the clear favorite, but Florida International has so much to gain.

As is clear from looking at the schedule, other Sun Belt teams are playing paycheck games against elite foes who should gobble them up.ArkansasStatewill go from playingMemphis, one of the worst teams in the FBS, to a road date at Virginia Tech, one of the best teams in all of major college football. That will be a tough transition for the Red Wolves, to say the very least.Troywill travel toArkansasto take on the high-powered Razorbacks, a few weeks after making a trek to Clemson. The Trojans are likely to get pounded, but they’re definitely hoping that these immensely difficult contests will help them in Sun Belt competition.North Texasis the other Sun Belt school that will venture into the belly of a very bad, bold beast. The Mean Green won’t look so mean when they stare across the line of scrimmage and see the fearsomely formed, man-eating linemen and linebackers of the Alabama Crimson Tide.Alabama’s defense is beginning to look like the 2009 version that won a national title for head coach Nick Saban.North Texasand new coach Dan McCarney will try to use this game as a teaching tool for the rest of 2011. The Mean Green are likely to learn a whole host of lessons.

Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer