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Sun Belt Week 9 Preview: Major implications
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- Sun Belt Week 9 Preview: Major implications
| Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor
Last week, two very surprising results occurred in the Sun Belt. James Madison lost its first game of the season, and Troy lost at home to the then-winless Louisiana-Monroe. Now those two teams will face off and look to get back in the win column.
While that matchup carries weight, there are other games that will have significant implications in the conference standings. Let's look at some of these key games and what these teams need to do to win.
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Sun Belt Week 9 Preview
Troy at James Madison
Troy travels to Virginia to face James Madison, and these are two teams that want to put tough losses behind them. The Dukes lost a close game to a good Appalachian State team, where there isn't much shame in that. The Trojans, on the other hand, lost to ULM who was 0-6, one of the worst teams in college football.
What makes it worse is that the Trojans were up 14-3 with under four minutes, and gave up 18 unanswered. In that loss, the Trojans were inept offensively, as they only recorded 47 passing yards and 153 rushing yards, but on 3.3 yards per carry.
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That loss dropped the Trojans to 1-2 in the conference, putting them in a position that could have easily been avoided had they closed the deal against probably the worst team in the conference.
A factor that will negatively impact the Dukes is the loss of George Pettaway , who will be out due to injury. Pettaway has had a monster season, leading the entire Sun Belt in rushing yards with 824. His injury will mean an increased workload for Nick Herman and Seth Cromwell in the backfield.
With no Pettaway, that will mean Camden Coleman and the passing game will have to be more formidable than they've been. Coleman has been a little quieter as of late, but a lot of that was because of the emergence of Pettaway. With him out, that'll probably mean Coleman will have more chances with the ball in his hands.
With the Dukes potentially throwing the ball more, that'll mean they really need to key in on defensive end Donnie Smith . The Trojans' pass rusher is third in the conference in sacks with six. Not allowing him to cause havoc will be important for the Dukes.
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While Smith and the defense can keep the game close, it'll come down to the offense and their ability to execute and put points on the board. The offense has been one of the worst in the conference, and has more games scoring fewer than 20 points than games scoring more than 20.
Quarterback Goose Crowder , who has been dealing with a shoulder injury the last few weeks, is listed as probable. Crowder really struggled against the Warhawks, completing 6 of 14 passes for 50 yards and an interception. That will need to improve substantially or else they will walk away with another loss.
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Kickoff: Thu., Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET
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Where to watch: ESPN2
Louisiana Tech at South Alabama
Louisiana Tech enters this game against South Alabama riding a four-game winning streak and sitting atop the Sun Belt West Division. South Alabama is currently second in the division, so this is a very important matchup for both teams.
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This should be a very entertaining offensive game, as both teams average over 30 points per game.
For the Jaguars to have a better chance of winning this game, they will have to be much better defensively than they've been. They give up over 32 points per game, ranking towards the bottom of the nation, and aren't very good against the pass or the run.
This opens up opportunities for Blake Baker to connect with Jalen Mickens and Eli Finley through the air. Mickens is tied for second in catches and first in receiving yards while Finley is fourth in catches and receiving yards, showing the damage they can do.
While the Jaguars have been great offensively, they do enter this matchup coming off a poor outing against Marshall. Quarterback Jared Hollins had a rough night, and the running backs were held in check.
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Despite that, Keenan Phillips and PJ Martin are an excellent duo out of the backfield. The third running back, Trae'von Dunbar , has had some games when he has been a threat. Limiting that backfield and forcing Hollins to be the focal point should be the game plan for the Bulldogs defense.
The offensive woes from last game for the Jaguars have a chance to continue as the Bulldogs have been playing great defensively, with two straight shutouts. Now some of that can be attributed to facing Old Dominion and ULM, the two worst offenses in the conference. The Jaguars are much better offensively than those teams despite the issues against the Thundering Herd.
This game will go a long way in who will win the West Division so both teams will bring their A game and look to take that first-place spot.
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Kickoff: Sat., Oct. 31 at 3:00 p.m. ET
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Where to watch: ESPN+
Appalachian State at Georgia Southern
Appalachian State and Georgia Southern come into this matchup, and this is a big swing game for both of these teams. Both teams are 2-1 against the conference, tied for second in the East.
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The Mountaineers are riding a high as they were the first team to knock off James Madison this season.
The Mountaineers will continue to rely on Malachi Singleton and his arm, his ability to be efficient and find dynamic receivers like Sam Pickett III and Nate Branch .
The Mountaineers' offense will be in for a tough matchup against that Eagles defense, which performs in all aspects. They get after the quarterback, which helps their secondary make plays, and they stop the run.
The Mountaineers also have a good defense, but they are a little more prone to giving up chunk plays in the passing game. The Eagles are more of a pass-based offense, as Max Johnson has the second most pass attempts in the conference. They aren't a heavy run team and don't have a standout player running the football, so Johnson has to perform well every week.
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Johnson this season has done a great job protecting the football as he has only thrown two interceptions. That'll be incredibly important this game as the Mountaineers have recorded 10 interceptions as a team.
While the Mountaineers create turnovers with interceptions, the Eagles have done a great job forcing fumbles with eight on the season. So ball protection will be imperative for both teams in this one, and whoever can limit the turnovers sets themselves up best for success.
This is an important matchup for two teams that are trying to keep up with James Madison who still leads the division.
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Kickoff: Sat., Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET
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Where to watch: ESPN+
Main Image: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images
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