Offensive Player of the Midseason
– Omar
Haugabook, QB Troy
Defensive Player of the Midseason – Keyonvis Bouie, LB FIU
Ten best Sun Belt players in the first half of the season
1. Keyonvis Bouie, LB FIU
2. Kevin Payne, S/P, UL Monroe
3. J.K Sabb, LB MTSU
4. Omar Haugabook, QB Troy
5. Jerry Babb, QB UL Lafayette
6. Calvin Dawson, RB UL Monroe
7. Antwan Barnes, LB FIU
8. Lionell Singleton, DB/KR FIU
9. Jamario Thomas, RB North Texas
10. Gary Banks, WR Troy
Biggest
Surprise
– UL
Lafayette’s 31-28 win over Houston
The Sun Belt wasn’t as awful as usual in non-conference play
over the first part of the season with several close calls and a
few nice performances, but UL Lafayette’s win over Houston on
October 7th was a shocker that was the type of strong
win, following a blowout of Eastern Michigan, to bring the
league a little bit of respect.
Biggest
Disappointment –
FIU’s inability to close.
Possibly the most talented team in the league, FIU lost five
games by a grand total of 14 points to go along with a humbling
31-6 home blasting by Arkansas State. Expect a good second half
season, after getting pasted by Miami and Alabama, that will be
too little, too late.
The Sun Belt
Champion will be ...
Troy.
The schedule works out nicely with UL Lafayette and Arkansas
State coming to Movie Gallery, while QB Omar Haugabook has
provided the spark needed to get past the stingier defenses in
the league.
Best Game of
the First Half
North Texas 25 ... FIU 22 7OT, Oct. 7
It took an NCAA record tying seven
overtimes for North Texas to finally put away FIU on a 34-yard
field goal from Denis Hopovac. With the game tied at 16 after
regulation, the two teams traded field goals until FIU's Dustin
Rivest pushed a 35-yard shot wide right allowing North Texas to
come up with the game-winning score. FIU thought it had the game
won in the fifth OT, but an apparent touchdown pass to Jeremy
Dickens was reviewed and reversed. The ball was put on the one,
and the Golden Panthers ended up settling for a field goal.
Second Best Game – South Florida
21 ... FIU 20, Sept. 9
Third Best Game – South Florida
21 ... FIU 20, Sept. 16
Worst Game of
the First Half
Texas 56 ... North Texas 7, Sept. 2
Texas scored 14 points in each quarter with QB Colt McCoy
throwing three touchdown passes and running for another. Limas
Sweed started off the scoring with a 60-yard touchdown grab and
added a 29-yard scoring catch midway through the third quarter.
Selvin Young ran for two shore scores in the second quarter with
a five-yard run making it 28-0 just seconds before halftime.
North Texas managed a 12-yard touchdown pass from Woody Wilson
to Brandon Jackson.
Coach of the Midseason
–
Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee
Despite the loss of just about everyone, the defense has been
able to stay strong despite blowout losses to Louisville and
Oklahoma. In Sun Belt play, the Blue Raiders will be hard to
move on, while the offense is slowly going to start coming
around. Stockstill has been an injection of energy to the
program.
Player who'll step up in the second half
–
Eugene Gross, RB Middle Tennessee
The ultra-quick back is great against mediocre run defenses, and
he’ll face a slew of them in the second half of the year. It’s
taking a little while but look for the MT offense to get on
track with Gorss turning into a top scorer.
Best performance so far -
UL Lafayette QB
Jerry Babb completed 17 of 21 passes for 202 yards and two
touchdowns and ran ten times for 31 yards and a score in the
33-14 win over Eastern Michgan.
Top Freshman – Reggie Arnold, RB Arkansas State
Who was going to be the next back to step in and shine in the
Indian offense? Arnold has fit the bill leading the Sun Belt in
rushing by a large margin showing off a tremendous blend of
speed and power. He’ll be a good one for years to come.
Coach who needs to have a big second half – Darrell
Dickey, North Texas
While not on any sort of hot seat, Dickey’s team is in the midst
of a second straight disappointing season after dominating the
league for years. Considering how much the league has improved
from top to bottom, if the Mean Green doesn’t finish strong, the
glory days will be long gone.
Player who needs to have a big second half – Corey
Leonard and Travis Hewitt, QBs Arkansas State.
The Indians will be in the mix for the Sun Belt title all season
long, but they need their two-headed quarterback tandem to play
up to snuff in big games. They can both run and they can both
move the offense. Now they need to prove they can outplay teams
with solid, veteran quarterbacks.
Best remaining conference game – UL Lafayette at Arkansas
State, Nov. 25
Troy and Middle Tennessee will have some big games in the mix,
but the season-ender between the Ragin’ Cajuns and the Indians
will have the biggest overall impact on the final Sun Belt
picking order if ASU beat Troy the week before..
Team Mid-Season MVPs & Predictions
Arkansas State – RB Reggie Arnold
predicted wins: North Texas, at Florida Atlantic
predicted losses: at Memphis, at Auburn, at Troy, at UL
Lafayette, MTSU
predicted record: 5-7
Florida Atlantic – QB Sean Clayton
predicted wins: Southern Utah
predicted losses: UL Lafayette, Arkansas State, at Middle
Tennessee, Troy, at North Texas, at FIU
predicted record: 1-11
FIU – LB Keyonvis Bouie
predicted wins: UL Monroe, UL Lafayette, at Florida
Atlantic, Troy
predicted losses: at Miami, at Alabama
predicted record: 4-8
MTSU – LB J.K. Sabb
predicted wins: at UL Monroe, Florida Atlantic, at
Arkansas State
predicted losses: at UL Lafayette, at South Carolina,
Troy
predicted record: 6-6
North Texas – RB Jamario Thomas
predicted wins: Florida Atlantic
predicted losses: at Arkansas State, at Troy, Louisiana
Tech, at UL Lafayette, at UL Monroe
predicted record: 3-9
Troy – QB Omar Haugabook
predicted wins: UL Monroe, North Texas, UL Lafayette, at
Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee
predicted losses: at FIU
predicted record: 7-5
UL Lafayette – RB Tyrell Fenroy
predicted wins: at Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee,
North Texas, Arkansas State, UL Monroe
predicted losses: at Troy, at FIU
predicted record: 8-4
UL Monroe – S/P Kevin Payne
predicted wins: North Texas
predicted losses: at Troy, Middle Tennessee, vs.
Arkansas, at FIU, at Kentucky, at UL Lafayette
predicted record: 2-10
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