Sun Belt Football

James Madison University accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference, a move that'll be completed no later than July 1, 2023.

The Dukes are a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and field an FCS football program, which will transition to the FBS level in the Sun Belt.

JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne released a statement about the decision:

The Sun Belt Conference presents the right opportunity at the right time for James Madison Athletics. Our department has achieved at a tremendously high level over the last seven years and even further throughout our entire history. We have demonstrated an increased ability to succeed at the national level, and this move to the Sun Belt further enhances that to an even greater degree as we move forward. JMU is committed to providing the best student-athlete experience in the nation, and this move ensures that our focus resides on our student-athletes and balancing their competitive and off-the-field success.

James Madison's impending arrival increases the Sun Belt's projected size to 16 as part of the nationwide collegiate sports realignment jump-started by Oklahoma and Texas announcing their plans to leave the Big 12 for the SEC in July.

The Sun Belt's 12 current members—Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Arkansas Little Rock, Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy and UT Arlington—will be joined by JMU, Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Mississippi by 2023. In football, the conference will move from 10 to 14 teams. 

Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill commented on the Dukes' arrival:

We are thrilled to welcome James Madison University to the Sun Belt Conference. This move brings another strong brand and passionate fanbase into the Sun Belt and elevates the Dukes' storied football program to the highest level of NCAA competition. I am grateful to JMU president Jonathan Alger and athletics director Jeff Bourne for their leadership during this process and look forward to working closely with them moving forward.

The CAA is a Division I conference in most sports, so it'll be a lateral transition for most of the men's and women's programs at James Madison, which is located in Virginia, and an elevation for the football program.

JMU football has reached the FCS National Championship Game in three of the past five years, highlighted by a national title in 2016.

The Dukes own a 7-1 record this season, and the announcement of their future move to the Sun Belt comes as part of homecoming weekend. They'll face Campbell at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

In all, James Madison is home to 18 varsity sports programs that will join the Sun Belt.

Georgia Southern nose tackle Gavin Adcock was suspended indefinitely after chugging a beer atop a moving team bus prior to Saturday's 28-20 loss to Louisiana.

Adcock also released a statement and apologized for his "foolish actions":

The redshirt senior had one tackle against Louisiana.

The reverberations from Adcock's stunt extended beyond his suspension. 

Georgia Southern fired head coach Chad Lunsford after falling to 1-3. Addressing the move Monday, athletic director Jared Benko said the administration did consider the video of Adcock when making a final decision about Lunsford.

Benko told the Savannah Morning News' Nathan Dominitz he undertook a "comprehensive evaluation" of Lunsford and the football program after taking over as AD in March 2020.

"If you look at how we started the year, 1-3 is not the start anybody wanted," he said. "You're looking at everything from what the result was, how the guys played. You're looking at overall team camaraderie. You're looking at everything in totality."

In addition to his suspension, Benko said Adcock is also subject to discipline as a student of Georgia Southern.

After redshirting the 2017 season, the Watkinsville, Georgia, native made 23 appearances over the past three years.

Georgia Southern is back in action Saturday against Arkansas State. The Eagles have eight games remaining in the regular season, and they're facing an uphill battle to earn their fourth straight bid to a postseason bowl.

Louisiana-Monroe quarterback Rhett Rodriguez is in intensive care with a lung injury, per Heather Dinich of ESPN.

The quarterback, who is the son of former West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez, suffered the injury during Saturday's 29-16 win over Troy.

His father thanked those who had offered their well wishes:

The elder Rodriguez is the associate head coach and offensive coordinator for Louisiana-Monroe this season.

Rhett started his collegiate career at Arizona and is a graduate transfer this year. He won the starting quarterback job and has led the Warhawks to a 2-1 record to start their season. Their only loss came to the SEC's Kentucky in the season opener.

He was 10-of-16 passing for 131 yards and one touchdown in Saturday's win.

Next up for Louisiana-Monroe is a game against No. 16 Coastal Carolina on Saturday.

Georgia State football head coach Shawn Elliott didn't hold back when speaking with reporters postgame following a heartbreaking 34-24 loss at Auburn on Saturday.

Specifically, Elliott implied that the SEC officiating crew favored Auburn when it upheld a catch that appeared to be incomplete en route to the Tigers' game-winning touchdown.

"They had a little bit of help on that review where the ball was incomplete," Elliott said, per ESPN's Alex Scarborough.

"It should have been put back on the 30-yard line. But you know when you play in the SEC you gotta take the hits. And they gave us a real gut punch on that call. So we appreciate that."

Auburn was losing 24-19 when it earned a 1st-and-10 from the Georgia State 30-yard line with 1:13 remaining. Tigers quarterback T.J. Finley then fired a pass to John Samuel Shenker for a first down at the Georgia State 11-yard line.

The play went to review, and it appeared that the ball deflected off the grass before Shenker controlled the pass. Patrick Greenfield of AL.com provided a replay of the controversial sequence.

The call on the field stood, however. Four plays later, Finley found Shedrick Jackson on a 4th-and-9 for the game-winning touchdown and 25-24 lead.

Auburn got the two-point conversion for the 27-24 edge, but Georgia State still had a shot with 45 seconds left. It wasn't meant to be, though, as Smoke Monday returned an interception for a touchdown and the eventual 34-24 win.

It was undoubtedly a gut-punch of a loss for Georgia State, but the Panthers still played an incredible game. Elliott was proud of his team's effort and specifically praised the defense.

"They controlled the line of scrimmage," Elliott said. "They controlled the passing attack. What a great defensive performance."

He added: "I hurt for them because they put so much energy and effort into it. It's a gut-wrenching thing."

The No. 23 Tigers improved to 3-1 with the win. Georgia State fell to 1-3.

Joe Bradshaw, a freshman wide receiver at Charleston Southern, died on Thursday at the age of 19. 

The school said in a statement that Bradshaw died off-campus and authorities are still in the process of gathering information.

Buccaneers head coach Autry Denson included a statement in the school's announcement:

"On behalf of the Charleston Southern Football ministry, we offer our condolences to the Bradshaw and Edwards' family regarding the untimely passing of an exceptional young man, Joe 'Jo Jo' Bradshaw. It is imperative that we not judge or allow circumstances to define who Joe was as a person. Not only would that in and of itself be a tragedy, but it also would not accurately portray who Joe really was. Jo Jo was a phenomenal young man, son, student, and teammate.  He was a computer engineering major. His position on the field was as a wide receiver, but that huge smile and big heart influenced every one of his teammates and coaches."

Denson noted that Bradshaw recently had wrist surgery, but "was spotted in the parking lot (on the same day as his procedure) attempting to attend a team meeting that he was excused from."

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of FCS programs delayed the start of the 2020 football season until the spring. The Buccaneers played their first game of the season on March 13, a 24-19 loss to Kennesaw State. 

Bradshaw, who was a walk-on receiver, didn't appear in that game. He did record 51 receptions during his senior year at Nease High School. 

Charleston Southern said it will hold a memorial service for Bradshaw at a later date to be determined. 

The one-sentence recap of Texas State's 2021 recruiting class is jarring. While some time remains in the cycle, the Sun Belt program has signed zero high school players.

Instead, the Bobcats have added 11 transfers.

Nine arrived from other FBS teams, one departed an FCS school and one is a junior college product. Technically, only the JUCO signee—defensive end DeOnte Washington—counts as a prospect. As a result, Jake Spavital's team has the 187th-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

That begs the obvious follow-up question: Why?

Although context is valuable, every raised eyebrow is reasonable. Adding zero freshmen to a program with a 15-57 record over the last six seasons may seem antithetical to a sound plan—even foolish.

But the logic is fascinating.

In 2020, Texas State's underclassmen-heavy roster included only 13 seniors. And because of the coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA didn't count the 2020 season as a year of eligibility. Although 12 players elected to transfer, everyone else could return in the same classification.

However, the much-needed rule to protect eligibility would actually be an obstacle for Texas State's long-term future.

After the 2021 season, the limit of 85 scholarships per team may be a hard restriction again. Adjustments are possible, yet uncertain. Had the Bobcats signed 20 high schoolers, they would have risked limiting their options in future years.

Not everyone on the roster has a scholarship, but Texas State could have had 65-75 designated for freshmen and sophomores next season. And without changes to how scholarships are counted post-pandemic, some players could've been invited to "explore other opportunities." While that isn't a new development in college football, it also isn't ideal.

So, the Bobcats turned to a plan B: focus on older talent.

Seven of the 11 additions are listed as "graduate" players, so they aren't long for San Marcos. In theory, that both protects future flexibility and bolsters the roster in 2021.

"You're not gonna get a developmental kid with the transfer portal; you're gonna get a guy that comes in and adds to the size and the depth and should be ready to play immediately," Spavital said in a video released by the school.

Most notably, the Bobcats added offensive lineman Liam Dobson—an FCS All-American at Maine—along with Cal receiver Jeremiah Hawkins and Utah State safety Troy Lefeged Jr. Among the additions, they should be key players for Texas State in 2021.

While waiting to see whether this pays off, it's reasonable to say the strategy is rational and worth a shot.

The pandemic led to many recruiting changes: no official visits, no on-campus contact during unofficial trips, no spring or winter evaluation periods or summer camps. Every program had to react and adjust, yet only Texas State took this route.

Given the uniqueness of an eligibility freeze, to suggest Spavital and Texas State can reshape the perceived value of the transfer portal is a stretch.

On a smaller scale, however, the Bobcats may become an example for Group of Five rosters that need a jolt. Developing an under-recruited prospect into a star is great, but pairing them with experienced transfers could provide a quicker path to competitiveness.

Sustaining success via the portal would be challenging. For a program that hasn't topped three wins in six seasons, though, a little bit of creativity might be the spark Texas State needs.

Sure, your glass might be half-empty on this effort. But even if it fails and Spavital is gone within a few years, at least he won't leave the Bobcats in a scholarship mess as well.

All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from NCAA.com, cfbstats.com or B/R research. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell was named the 2020 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year in college football, per Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic.

Chadwell led the Chanticleers to an 11-0 record during the regular season that included quality wins over BYU and Louisiana-Lafayette, helping the team peak at No. 9 in the Associated Press poll.

The squad earned a bid to the Cure Bowl but suffered a 37-34 loss to Liberty.

It was still a dominant season for Coastal Carolina, which finished just inside the top 20 in the country in both points scored (37.2) and points allowed (20.2) per game.

The program has only been at the FBS level since 2017, producing losing records in each of the first three seasons.

Chadwell led the squad to a 5-7 record in 2019, his second at the South Carolina school, going just 2-6 in the Sun Belt.

The massive turnaround was enough to put Coastal Carolina on the college football map while earning Chadwell a Coach of the Year honor.

Cincinnati's Luke Fickell, Indiana's Tom Allen and Iowa State's Matt Campbell were among the other top candidates for the award, which is voted upon by the Football Writers Association of America.

After leading Coastal Carolina to an undefeated regular season, head coach Jamey Chadwell has been named the Associated Press college football coach of the year for 2020. 

Per Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press, Chadwell received 16 first-place votes and a total of 88 points to beat out Tom Allen from Indiana (14 first-place votes, 66 points), Luke Fickell from Cincinnati (five first-place votes, 44 points) and Nick Saban from Alabama (eight first-place votes, 42 points).

Chadwell is just the second head coach from a Group of Five school to win the AP coach of the year award since its inception in 1998. Scott Frost was the first to do it when he led Central Florida to a 13-0 record in 2017. 

The Chanticleers were one of the most pleasant surprises in college football this season. The program went a combined 13-23 in its first four FBS seasons and had never been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. 

In 2020, Chadwell led Coastal Carolina to 11 straight wins in the regular season and a ninth-place ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. It also climbed all the way up to 12th in the final College Football Playoff rankings. 

ESPN's Bill Connelly projected Coastal Carolina to finish last in the Sun Belt's Eastern division with a 5-7 record in his preseason prediction column. 

"I knew we weren't as bad as people were going to pick us to be," Chadwell told Russo. "I thought we were going to be pretty good. I knew we were going to be better."

The Chanticleers' quest for a perfect season fell short when they were upset by Liberty 37-34 in overtime in the Cure Bowl on Dec. 26. Their 11 wins were the most in a single season for the program since going 12-2 in 2014. 

Chadwell finished his second season as Coastal Carolina's full-time head coach. He previously served as the interim coach in 2017 when Joe Moglia went on leave for medical reasons. The Tennessee native has gone 19-17 in three seasons with the Chanticleers.

The Georgia State Panthers have won the second bowl game in program history after their 39-21 victory over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the 2020 LendingTree Bowl on Saturday. 

Since moving up to football's bowl subdivision prior to the 2013 season, the Panthers have made four bowl appearances. Their only previous victory was also against Western Kentucky in the 2017 Cure Bowl. 

Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott has led the program to three winning seasons in the past four years.

Western Kentucky entered the bowl game riding a three-game winning streak after a 2-6 start. The Hilltoppers' 5-7 overall record marks their third losing season in the past four years.

The storyline coming into the matchup was if Western Kentucky would be able to keep up its recent offensive surge. The Hilltoppers only averaged 18.8 points per game for the season, but they scored 75 points combined in the last two games of the regular season. 

Georgia State's high-powered offense averaged 36.8 points per game during the regular season, but its defense gave up 32.9 points. 

The Panthers ultimately prevailed because their defense was able to force two first-half interceptions that led to 14 points for the offense. 

Notable Game Stats

• Cornelious Brown IV, QB (GA State):16-of-30, 232 yards, 3 TD, INT; 10 carries, 40 yards
• Destin Coates, RB (GA State): 23 carries, 117 yards, TD
• Cornelius McCoy, WR (GA State): 5 receptions, 88 yards, TD
• Tyrrell Pigrome, QB (Western Kentucky): 17-of-33, 180 yards, 2 INT
• Gaej Walker, RB (Western Kentucky): 8 carries, 31 yards, TD; 2 receptions, 30 yards
• Joshua Simon, TE (Western Kentucky): 4 receptions, 84 yards

Brown, Coates Lift Panthers to Victory

Freshman quarterback Cornelious Brown IV has had an up-and-down season with 14 touchdown passes and nine interceptions coming into Saturday. 

The LendingTree Bowl included some of the bad moments that Brown is capable of. He only completed 53.3 percent of his attempts, but his completions counted with three first-half touchdown passes. 

Brown had some help on his third touchdown pass when Cornelius McCoy laid out for an eight-yard catch with 2:07 remaining in the second quarter:

In addition to Brown's success through the air, Destin Coates ran through the heart of Western Kentucky's defense. 

After his team fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter, Coates got the Panthers on the board with an 11-yard touchdown. He had 40 of the team's 75 yards on the 11-play drive that took four minutes, seven seconds off the clock. 

The second quarter saw the floodgates open for Georgia State's offense. It went on a run of three consecutive touchdown drives of at least 11 plays and 77 yards. 

In between those scoring drives, the Panthers defense held Western Kentucky to a total of four yards on seven plays over three possessions. The game went from being tied to a 27-7 advantage for Georgia State at intermission. 

That turned out to be more than enough for the Panthers to get the victory. The defense allowed 21 points and 284 yards against Western Kentucky. 

Elliott has built Georgia State into a solid program in just his fourth year. He's still trying to find consistency on both sides of the ball to challenge teams like Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt Conference, but the Panthers are trending in the right direction after wrapping up another winning season. 

Pigrome's Mistakes Cost Hilltoppers

While no one would ever put Western Kentucky's offense among the nation's elite, the unit was great all season at protecting the football. 

Quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome entered the bowl game with zero interceptions on 264 attempts. Clemson's D.J. Uiagalelei was the only other FBS quarterback with at least 100 attempts and no interceptions. 

The first quarter was following Western Kentucky's formula for success. Both teams exchanged punts on the first two drives, followed by Devon Key picking off Brown in the end zone to give the Hilltoppers possession. 

Pigrome led the offense on a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to take a 7-0 lead. 

That wound up being the high point of the game for the offense, as the wheels came off in the second quarter. 

Pigrome threw his first two interceptions of the season on back-to-back possessions. Georgia State turned both of those picks into touchdowns. 

Western Kentucky did come out of the intermission strong. Pigrome and running back Gaej Walker engineered a 64-yard scoring drive to help cut the Hilltoppers' deficit to 27-14. 

After the defense forced a punt, Travis Collier had the ball knocked out of his hands and Georgia State recovered. The Panthers settled for a field goal, but any semblance of momentum Western Kentucky built on that first drive evaporated. 

Its next three drives resulted in two turnover on downs and one punt. Georgia State opened up a 39-14 lead before Western Kentucky got back into the end zone with a C.J. Jones touchdown run in garbage time. 

Saturday was a familiar story for Western Kentucky, unfortunately. The offense has been so limited all year that it can't afford to make any miscues. 

Pigrome has been so good at avoiding big mistakes all season, but he was finally forced into making two against Georgia State. 

The result is indicative of the work that head coach Tyson Helton still has to do filling out this roster. This was only his second season with the Hilltoppers, and they have played in bowl games both years, so there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic.