3 Things we learned from the Sun Belt: Week 2

It was a quality showing for the Fun Belt this weekend.

Sun Belt squads went 7-2 with one win, and one achingly-close loss against Power-5 opponents.

Georgia State survived a letdown against Furman and the moment of the week was easily Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson walking into a team meeting before blasting UNLV, but these were the top three takeaways from the weekend in drama-filled 3-2-1 order...

3. Coastal gets their signature ‘W’

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Standing ovation for the Coastal Carolina defense.

(waits for ovation to finish)

Well done.

The Chanticleer defense held the Big XII foe to 280 total yards and seven points as Coastal Carolina notched its first ever win against a Power-5 team.

Running back CJ Marable looked efficient chipping away at first downs and eventually compiling 148 yards and a pair of scores.

Kansas is the runt of the P-5 litter, but to win on the road is no small task. Cornerback Chandler Kryst has two interceptions.

As a storyline to continue following: the Bryce Carpenter vs. Fred Payton competition for snaps under center continues into the third week of the season.

2. ULM heartbreak, but plenty of promise emerges

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About the time Jacob Meek’s extra point attempt was pulled wide of the uprights, most of the College Football Universe seemed to explode with the same sentiment...

Matt Viator...why did you NOT go for two??

It’s fair. The Warhawks were marching the ball up and down the field on Florida State late in the game.

On the other hand, one could argue they would get the ball in triple OT first, probably score again and put even more pressure on the FSU offense, who were wobbly at best down the stretch.

Regardless, ULM showed an immense amount of grit. They put up 31 second half points. Quarterback Caleb Evans looked calm in all the pressure-packed moments and running back Josh Johnson is the Numero Uno back fans in Monroe would hope to see emerge.

1. Darrynton takes the lead

The Charlotte defense is never going to confused for the ‘85 Bears.

That said, Appalachian State running back Darrynton Evans served up the best single-game performance on the early season.

Evans sprinted for 234 yards rushing on only 19 carries and three scores, including taking the first play from scrimmage 87 yards for a touchdown, and book-ended that with a 45-yard touchdown return after the 49ers cut the App State lead to one possession with about three minutes to play.

His 333 yards leads all of FBS in rushing.

It’s hard to crown a conference player of the year before September even hits double digits on the calendar, but Evans is the leader in the clubhouse for Player of the Year.