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ARKANSAS STATE: The Red Wolves were obvious underdogs heading into their
season opener against SEC power Auburn on Saturday, and they fell by a 52-26
final. Ryan Aplin connected on 28-of-42 passes for 278 yards and one touchdown
for the Red Wolves (0-1), who posted a 4-8 record last season, their worst
showing since going 3-8 in 2004. Derek Lawson and Jermaine Robertson each ran
for a score. Dwayne Frampton caught eight passes for 74 yards and a touchdown,
while Allen Muse tallied 80 receiving yards on four catches. The Tigers had
608 yards of total offense, so a large portion of the blame for the loss has
to be pinned on the Red Wolves' defense. Up next for Arkansas State is a Sun
Belt Conference clash with Louisiana this upcoming weekend.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC: FAU is flying high because of a thrilling 32-31 victory over
UAB on the road to open the season on Thursday. A blocked field goal on the
final play of the game secured the win. The Owls were paced by Jeff VanCamp
who converted 14-of-24 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns, while his
favorite target, Lester Jean, reeled in a game-high nine passes for 164 yards
and two TDs. The victory for FAU was in response to the team's 56-29 loss to
UAB last year on the road. The Owls will attempt to carry the momentum into
this Saturday's clash with Michigan State at Ford Field, home of the Detroit
Lions.
FIU: The Golden Panthers will begin their season on September 11th against
Rutgers of the Big East Conference.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE: The Ragin' Cajuns faced an uphill battle against Georgia in Athens
to open the season, and that game ended in a painful 55-7 defeat. Chris Masson
started the game at quarterback for Louisiana (0-1) and threw for 77 yards
with one touchdown. Ladarius Green was his main target, pulling in four balls
for 87 yards and a score. The Cajuns are coming off a 6-6 finish for the
second straight season, and while the failure to be competitive on Saturday
was a bit disappointing, the level of competition was extremely high. The
Bulldogs outgained the Cajuns 377-128 and were 8-of-17 on third downs compared
to a 3-of-16 showing by Louisiana. Sun Belt Conference play begins this
weekend for Louisiana against Arkansas State.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE: The Blue Raiders put forth a solid effort against Minnesota
in Thursday's season opener, but the result of that game was a 24-17 loss.
Middle Tennessee was paced by Logan Kilgore who converted 13-of-18 for 172
yards through the air, leading to one touchdown and one interception in the
setback. The defeat snapped a seven-game win streak that the school used to
closed out the 2009 campaign. It is staggering to see that Minnesota kept
possession of the football for more that 45 minutes, as MTSU was just 1-of-8
on third down conversion attempts. The competition level decreases for the
Blue Raiders this upcoming weekend as Austin Peay comes to town.
NORTH TEXAS: On Saturday, the Mean Green opened the 2010 season against
Clemson in Death Valley and fell by a 35-10 final. Nathan Tune threw for 240
yards and one touchdown in the loss for North Texas (0-1), but he also threw
two interceptions. The Mean Green's rushing attack was led by Lance Dunbar,
who netted 116 yards on 23 carries. North Texas actually finished the game
with 25 first downs, 10 more than Clemson, and outgained the Tigers by a
margin of 462-423 in total yardage. Unfortunately, those stats don't tell the
true story of the game. Up next for the Mean Green is a clash with Rice in
Denton on September 11th.
TROY: The Trojans began the season against Bowling Green at home on Saturday
and treated the crowd to a thrilling 30-27 victory, as Michael Taylor
connected on a 34-yard field goal with just four seconds remaining. Corey
Robinson threw for 252 yards and a touchdown to lead the way in the win. The
Trojan signal-caller completed 25-of-37 passes during the contest, but also
threw a pair of interceptions. Shawn Southward ran for 74 yards and a score on
just 14 carries in the win, while Jerrel Jernigan added 58 yards on the ground
as well to go with a touchdown of his own. Troy will face a stiff test this
weekend against Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
UL-MONROE: The Warhawks were idle during the first week of the 2010 season and
will get their campaign underway on September 11th against Arkansas in Little
Rock.
WESTERN KENTUCKY: Starting the season with a road game in Lincoln, Nebraska is
a difficult draw for any team. That was the situation for the Hilltoppers on
Saturday, and they were throttled by a 49-10 final. Bobby Rainey racked up 155
yards on 30 rushes and scored the lone touchdown for the Hilltoppers (0-1),
who went without a win in their first season as a full-time FBS member last
year. WKU has the nation's longest losing streak at 21 games. Western Kentucky
had 299 yards of total offense, a total that simply won't get the job done
against top level competition. Another road game awaits the Hilltoppers this
upcoming weekend as they take on Kentucky of the SEC.