2011 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL

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1 For Immediate Release: Monday, August 29, 2011 Week 1 Contact: John McElwain (mcelwain@sunbeltsports.org) 2011 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL STANDINGS Poydras Street, Suite 2355, New Orleans, Louisiana , ext. 215 CONFERENCE RECORD OVERALL RECORD W L For Opp Pct W L For Opp Pct Arkansas State FIU Florida Atlantic Louisiana-Lafayette Louisiana-Monroe Middle Tennessee Troy North Texas WKU UPCOMING GAMES September 1 * North Texas at FIU - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) (1) Kentucky at Western Kentucky - 8:15 p.m. (ESPNU) September 3 Middle Tennessee at Purdue - 11:00 a.m. (Big Ten Network) Arkansas State at Illinois - 2:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network) Louisiana-Monroe at Florida State - 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU) Troy at Clemson - 2:30 p.m. (ESPN3) Florida Atlantic at Florida - 6 p.m. (ESPNU) Louisiana-Lafayette at Oklahoma State - 6 p.m. (Fox Sports) September 9 FIU at Louisville - 6 p.m. (ESPN) September 10 Florida Atlantic at Michigan State - 11 a.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) Houston at North Texas - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Georgia Tech at Middle Tennessee - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Navy at Western Kentucky - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Grambling State at Louisiana-Monroe - 6 p.m. Louisiana-Lafayette at Kent State - 6 p.m. Memphis at Arkansas State - 6 p.m. All times Central (CT) and subject to change; * denotes Sun Belt Conference game; TV carrier in parenthesis (1) denotes game to be played at LP Field - Nashville, Tenn. IT S GAME WEEK! FOOTBALL SEASON IS BACK! Toss out all the preseason chatter and predictions, it s time to play football. The season starts Thursday night with two games as FIU faces North Texas in an early season conference affair and WKU faces instate rival Kentucky in Nashville. In total, there are 15 games scheduled for Thursday night. Thursday s matchup between the Mean Green and Panthers will feature, arguably, the two best and most feared offensive players in the Sun Belt in FIU s T.Y. Hilton and North Texas Lance Dunbar, the 2011 SBC Co- Preseason Offensive Players of the Year. The game is set to be broadcast on ESPN3.com and SUN BELT IN THE BCS The Sun Belt Conference is a BCS Conference. In fact, the Sun Belt Conference is one of just 11 BCS Conferences. The Sun Belt Conference champion will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if that team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS standings or if that team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS standings and its ranking is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the of BCS bowls. In the first 10 years of the BCS arrangement, more than $100 million was distributed to conferences that do not have an annual automatic berth to one of the BCS bowls. Nine percent of the net revenues from the BCS arrangement is guaranteed in aggregate to Conference USA, the Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, and Western Athletic Conferences for their participation in the BCS arrangement. When a team from one of those five conferences plays in BCS bowl game, those conferences receive an additional nine percent of net revenues. When more than one team from those conferences play in a BCS bowl game, those conferences will receive an additional $4.5 million for each additional team. will also be the debut of new North Texas head coach Dan McCarney. Also laying claim to being one of the best offensive players in the Sun Belt is WKU s Bobby Rainey who will be featured in the Thursday night ESPNU broadcast against the Wildcats. The contest will be held at LP Field in Nashville. A full slate of non-conference action is scheduled for Saturday with each game being broadcast for home viewers to enjoy. Arkansas State s Hugh Freeze and Louisiana-Lafayette s Mark Hudspeth will mark their first games as head coaches of their respective programs.

2 AROUND THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE SUN BELT FOOTBALL MEMBERSHIP The Sun Belt Conference is currently comprised of nine football playing members Arkansas State (founding football member in 2001), Florida Atlantic (joined league as football member in 2005), FIU (joined league as football member in 2005), Louisiana-Lafayette (founding football member in 2001), Louisiana- Monroe (founding football member in 2001), Middle Tennessee (founding football member in 2001), North Texas (founding football member in 2001), Troy (joined league as football member in 2004) and Western Kentucky University (joined league as football member in 2009). The league will expand to 10 football playing members when South Alabama enters in SUN BELT CONFERENCE BOWL PARTNERS The Sun Belt Conference is currently in the second year of four year partnerships with the GoDaddy.com Bowl and the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Sun Belt teams will represent the league in the games following the 2011, 2012 and 2013 regular seasons. BOWL GAME WINNING PERCENTAGES SINCE 2005 W L % 1. MWC BIG EAST SEC PAC SUN BELT BIG ACC WAC CUSA BIG TEN MAC Sun Belt Conference Coaches Teleconference Call Contact John McElwain (mcelwain@sunbeltsports.org) for info Conducted every Monday from August 29 to November 28 Schedule of Events (All times Central): 10:30 a.m. -- Announcements 10:32 a.m. -- Howard Schnellenberger, FAU 10:38 a.m. -- Larry Blakeney, Troy 10:44 a.m. Hugh Freeze, ASU 10:50 a.m. Mark Hudspeth, ULL 10:56 a.m. Todd Berry, ULM 11:02 a.m. -- Rick Stockstill, MT 11:08 a.m. Dan McCarney, NT 11:14 a.m. -- Mario Cristobal, FIU 11:20 a.m. Willie Taggart, WKU 11:26 a.m. -- Commissioner Wright Waters Sun Belt Conference Video Feed Contact Travis Llewellyn (llewellyn@sunbeltsports.org) for info. Conducted every Tuesday from August 30 to November 29-2:00 p.m. (CT) Since the 2005 football season the first season following major college football realignment the Sun Belt Conference ranks fifth out of the 11 FBS conferences in postseason bowl game winning percentage. In fact, the Sun Belt Conference ranks ahead of noted Big Six leagues the Big 12, ACC and the Big Ten. Furthermore, the Sun Belt Conference outpaces its non-automatic qualifying BCS partners in the WAC, Conference USA and the MAC. SUN BELT CONFERENCE BOWL APPERANCES SINCE 2005 (6-5 Record) 2005 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Southern Miss 31, Arkansas State R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Troy 41, Rice Motor City Bowl Central Michigan 31, Middle Tennessee R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Florida Atlantic 44, Memphis R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Southern Miss 30, Troy 27 (OT) 2008 Motor City Bowl Florida Atlantic 24, Central Michigan R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Middle Tennessee 42, Southern Miss GMAC Bowl - Central Michigan 44, Troy 41 (OT) 2010 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Troy 48, Ohio Little Caesars Pizza Bowl - FIU 34, Toledo GoDaddy.com Bowl - Miami (Ohio) 35, Middle Tennesee 21 The Sun Belt Conference will provide a weekly video feed of head coach interviews and game highlights each Tuesday during the 2011 football season. The video feed will be made available exclusively through a digital download this season using the website com/. New videos made available on this site will be uploaded on Tuesday of each week by 2 p.m. The videos will also be maintained and archived throughout the season. Members of the media may also find supplementary content on this site such as logos and photos. For login information please contact Travis Llewellyn (llewellyn@ sunbeltsports.org) or John McElwain (mcelwain@ sunbeltsports.org). DUNBAR, RAINEY FEATURED IN USA TODAY The Sun Belt Conference s two most noted running backs, who also happened to be among the national rushing leaders in 2010, were featured in USA Today during the 2011 offseason. Will comparing the two running backs in his August 16 article, Greg Rosentien wrote Dunbar and Rainey both believe they are primed for big senior seasons. But no matter how the two running backs fare this year, one thing is certain: It ll be fun to watch

3 AROUND THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE SCHNELLENBERGER TO RETIRE AT SEASONS END Florida Atlantic University s Head Football Coach Howard Schnellenberger announced Thursday, August 11 that he will retire after the 2011 football season. Schnellenberger, the only head coach in the FAU football program s existence, welcomed the idea of bringing football to FAU in 1998 and has been the driving force behind the Owls. Since 2001, the Owls have had eight All-Americans, three National Player of the Week honorees, two bowl victories, two bowl MVPs, one defensive MVP, one Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, one preseason Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year and one Sun Belt Conference title. An average of 18.7 football players have earned a 3.0+ each semester, and more than 20 players have signed professional contracts, while two were drafted by the NFL. Schnellenberger s career has been highly chronicled throughout the years, from winning the first National Championship as coach at the University of Miami in 1983 to ushering the University of Louisville from near obscurity to a top-20 national ranking. The legendary program-builder has been at the helm for six bowl games and has a perfect 6-0 bowl game record, the most bowl victories for a coach with a perfect record. Schnellenberger is also among the top-10 active coaches in total victories, and one of 10 active coaches who have captured a national title. Schnellenberger has one national title as a head coach and three national titles while an assistant at the University of Alabama under Head Coach Paul Bear Bryant. Schnellenberger also was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins and was a part of the staff that earned a perfect 17-0 season, the only team in the NFL s history to finish the season undefeated and move on to win a Super Bowl championship. NORTH TEXAS, FLORIDA ATLANTIC DEBUT NEW STADIUMS North Texas will open its brand new, state-of-the-art art football stadium on September 10th against Houston. Among the features of the new stadium will be bowl seating close to the field with maximum sight lines, 21 luxury suites tailor-made for comfort and entertainment and a club level with food and beverage service and chair-back seating. Due to open on October 15, FAU Stadium is the final phase of the university s Innovation Village, a multipurpose project which will include four additional apartment-style residence halls and 130,000 square feet of retail shopping space. Two buildings from the Innovation Village, the FAU Alumni Center and the new Recreation and Wellness Center, have recently opened. BLAKENEY, SCHNELLENBERGER IN ACTIVE COACHES TOP TEN Troy s Larry Blakeney and Florida Atlantic s Howard Schnellenberger find themselves in elite company as both rank in the top ten for active career wins by head coaches. The Sun Belt Conference is the only conference with two coaches in the top ten. Yrs. W L T 1. Joe Paterno, Penn State Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech Chris Ault, Nevada Mack Brown, Texas Steve Spurrier, South Carolina Brian Kelly, Notre Dame Dennis Erickson, Arizona State Mike Price, UTEP Larry Blakeney, Troy Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic SUN BELT CONFERENCE DEBUTS THREE NEW COACHES IN 2011 Arkansas State, North Texas and Louisiana-Lafayette all brought in new head coaches during the 2011 offseason. The league has never brought in more than two new coaches in a single season while brining in two new coaches in three seasons (2009, 2002, 2001), one new head coach on four occasions (2006, 2005, 2004, 2003) and twice going through an offseason of no head coaching changes (2008, 2007) Preseason Sun Belt Poll As voted on by the league s nine head coaches. First place votes in parentheses. School Points 1. FIU 75 (5) 2. Troy 66 (2) T-3. Middle Tennessee 54 T-3. Louisiana-Monroe Arkansas State 49 (1) 6. North Texas WKU 28 (1) 8. Louisiana-Lafayette Florida Atlantic 20 Preseason All-Sun Belt Team As voted on by the league s nine head coaches and selected media members. Offense Corey Robinson (Troy, So., QB) Lance Dunbar (NT, Sr., RB) Bobby Rainey (WKU, Sr., RB) Dwayne Frampton (ASU, Sr., WR) T.Y. Hilton (FIU, Sr., WR) Luther Ambrose (ULM, Sr., WR) Ladarius Green (ULL, Sr., TE) Tom Castilaw (ASU, Sr. OL) Caylin Hauptmann (FIU, Jr., OL) Ryan McCaul (ULM, Sr., OL) Matt Tomlinson (NT, Sr., OL) James Brown (Troy, Sr., OL) Wes Jeffries (WKU, Sr., OL) Defense Dorvus Woods (ASU, Sr., DL) Tourek Williams (FIU, Jr., DL) Ken Dorsey (ULM, Sr., DL) Jonathan Massaquoi (Troy, Jr., DL) Demario Davis (ASU, Sr., LB) Winston Fraser (FIU, Jr., LB) Xavier Lamb (Troy, Sr., LB) Kelcie McCray (ASU, Sr., DB) Jonathan Cyprien (FIU, Jr., DB) Marcus Bartels, FAU, Sr., DB) Darius Prelow (ULM, Sr., DB) Special Teams Alan Gendreau (MT, Sr., Kicker) Mickey Groody (FAU, Sr., Punter) T.Y. Hilton (FIU, Sr., Return Specialist) Co - Preseason Offensive Players of the Year T.Y. Hilton (FIU, Sr., WR) Lance Dunbar (NT, Sr., RB) Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Jonathan Massaquoi (Troy, Jr., DL) 3 -

4 Atlantic Coast Clemson Duke Florida State Virginia Tech Big Oklahoma State Big East Louisville Big Ten Illinois Indiana Iowa Michigan State Conference USA Houston Memphis Tulsa UAB UCF Independents/Transitional Army Navy SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AROUND THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE 2011 SUN BELT CONFERENCE PRESEASON AWARDS CANDIDATES The Maxwell Award College Player of the Year: Bobby Rainey, WKU, Sr., RB; The Bednarik Award Nation s Top Defensive Player: Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy, Jr., DE; The John Mackey Award Nation s Top Tight End: Jack Doyle, WKU, Sr., TE and Ladarius Green, Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr., TE; Fred Biletnikoff Award Nation s Top Wide Receiver: Ladarius Green, Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr., TE and Dwayne Frampton, Arkansas State, Sr., WR and T.Y. Hilton, FIU, Sr., WR; Lou Groza Award Nation s Best Placekicker: Jack Griffin, FIU, Jr., K; Bronko Nagurski Award Nation s Top Defensive Player: Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy, Jr., DE; Outland Trophy Nation s Best Interior Lineman: James Brown Troy, Sr., OT; Rimington Trophy Nation s Best Center: Tom Castilaw Arkansas State, Sr., C and Colin Boss Middle Tennessee, Sr., C; Walter Camp College Player of the Year: Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy, Jr., DE; Davey O Brien Award Nation s Best Quarterback: Corey Robinson - Troy, So., QB; Lombardi Award Nation s Lineman of the Year: Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy, Jr., DE; Doak Walker Award Nation s Best Running Back: Lance Dunbar, North Texas, Sr., RB and Alfred Morris, Florida Atlantic, Sr., RB and Bobby Rainey, WKU, Sr., RB; Manning Award Nation s Best Quarterback: Corey Robinson - Troy, So., QB. SUN BELT CONFERENCE SETTING RECORDS FOR TELEVISION BROADCASTS Over the last five years the Sun Belt Conference has seen its television appearances double. In fact, the Sun Belt set a new record for single season telecasts during the season with a total of 72 Sun Belt controlled broadcasts. ESPN has helped with the rise in television numbers as the league saw a record 21 football games feature Sun Belt teams during the 2010 season. That record number of 21 games has already been broken for the 2011 season as 22 games have already been selected to hit the ESPN airwaves - and even more games could be selected for this season. MT S GENDREAU ON LOWE S SENIOR CLASS AWARD LIST Middle Tennessee placekicker Alan Gendreau is one of 30 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) studentathletes who excel both on and off the field selected as a candidate today for the 2011 Lowe s Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release. Gendreau is a two-time First Team All-SBC pick and currently ranks third all-time in field goals made and extra points. The Apopka, Fla., native is the most accurate kicker in school history at 79.1 percent (38-48) which includes a career long 55-yard boot in a win at ULL in Gendreau is a music major who participates in the Schola Cantorum which is designed for upper division voice majors SUN BELT VS. NON-CONFERENCE (0-0) Mid-American Arkron Kent State Mountain West TCU Pacific Arizona Southeastern Arkansas Auburn Louisiana State South Carolina Tennessee Top NOTE: AP Ranking as of time played Football Championship Subdivision Missouri Valley Football Conference Indiana State Southwestern Athletic Conference Grambling Southland Central Arkansas Nicholls State USA Today Coaches Poll (Preseason) Team Record Points Prev. 1. Oklahoma (42) Alabama (13) Oregon (2) LSU (2) Florida State Stanford Boise State Oklahoma State Texas A&M Wisconsin Nebraska South Carolina Virginia Tech Arkansas TCU Ohio State Michigan State Notre Dame NR 19. Auburn Mississippi State Missouri Georgia NR 23. Florida NR 24. Texas NR 25. Penn State NR ORV: Arizona State 158, West Virginia 149, Utah 50, Miami (FL) 49, Iowa 41, Northwestern 30, Arizona 28, UCF 22, Michigan 19, Air Force 15, North Carolina 14, Houston 13, South Florida 9, Hawaii 8, Clemson 7, Tennessee 7, Southern Miss 6, Brigham Young 5, North Carolina State 4, Northern Illinois 4, Oregon State 4, Pittsburgh 3, Washington 3, Nevada 1, Georgia Tech 1, Associated Press Poll (Preseason) Team Record Points Prev. 1. Oklahoma (36) Alabama (17) Oregon (4) LSU (1) Boise State (2) Florida State Stanford Texas A&M Oklahoma State Nebraska Wisconsin South Carolina Virginia Tech TCU Arkansas Notre Dame NR 17. Michigan State Ohio State Georgia NR 20. Mississippi State Missouri Florida NR 23. Auburn West Virginia NR 25. USC NR ORV: Texas 114, Penn State 75, Arizona State 67, Miami (FL) 32, Utah 25, Southern Miss 20, Iowa 19, Brigham Young 15, North Carolina State 15, Air Force 14, Houston 13, Pittsburgh 9, Michigan 7, Tennessee 5, UCF 5, NORIL 4, Hawaii 4, Tulsa 3, Arizona 2, Maryland 2, Nevada 1, Northwestern 1, Washington 1.

5 2011 COMPOSITE SCHEDULE September 1 * North Texas at FIU - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) (1) Kentucky at Western Kentucky - 8:15 p.m. (ESPNU) September 3 Middle Tennessee at Purdue - 11:00 a.m. (Big Ten Network) Arkansas State at Illinois - 2:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network) Louisiana-Monroe at Florida State - 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU) Troy at Clemson - 2:30 p.m. (ESPN3) Florida Atlantic at Florida - 6 p.m. (ESPNU) Louisiana-Lafayette at Oklahoma State - 6 p.m. (Fox College Sports) September 9 FIU at Louisville - 6 p.m. (ESPN) September 10 Florida Atlantic at Michigan State - 11 a.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) Houston at North Texas - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Georgia Tech at Middle Tennessee - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Navy at Western Kentucky - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Grambling State at Louisiana-Monroe - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Louisiana-Lafayette at Kent State - 6 p.m. Memphis at Arkansas State - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) September 17 Louisiana-Monroe at TCU - 1 p.m. (The Mtn.) Arkansas State at Virginia Tech - 3 p.m. (Fox Sports Net) Central Florida at FIU - 5 p.m. (ESPN3) Indiana State at Western Kentucky - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) North Texas at Alabama - 6:30 p.m. (Fox Sports Net) Troy at Arkansas - 6:30 p.m. (CSS) Nicholls State at Louisiana-Lafayette - TBA (Cox4) September 24 * Middle Tennessee at Troy - 3:30 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) * Louisiana-Lafayette at FIU - 5 p.m. (ESPN3) Indiana at North Texas - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Central Arkansas at Arkansas State - 7 p.m. (ESPN3/KATV) Louisiana-Monroe at Iowa - TBA Florida Atlantic at Auburn - TBA October 1 * Arkansas State at Western Kentucky - 3 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) Duke at FIU - 5 p.m. (ESPN3) Memphis at Middle Tennessee - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) North Texas at Tulsa - 6 p.m. * Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Lafayette - TBA (Cox4) UAB at Troy - TBA October 6 * Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee - 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) October 18 * FIU at Arkansas State - 7 p.m. (ESPN2) October 22 * Louisiana-Lafayette at Western Kentucky - 3 p.m. * Louisiana-Monroe at North Texas - 6 p.m. * Middle Tennessee at Florida Atlantic - 7 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) October 25 * Troy at FIU - 7 p.m. (ESPN2) October 29 * Western Kentucky at Louisiana-Monroe - 2:30 p.m. * North Texas at Arkansas State - 6 p.m. * Louisiana-Lafayette at Middle Tennessee - 6:30 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) November 5 Troy at Navy - 2:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) * Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana-Lafayette - 2:30 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) * FIU at Western Kentucky - 3 p.m. Middle Tennessee at Tennessee - TBA * Arkansas State at Florida Atlantic - TBA November 12 - Sun Belt Network Wildcard Week - 12 p.m. Western Kentucky at LSU - 7 p.m. * Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas State - TBA * North Texas at Troy - TBA * Florida Atlantic at FIU - TBA * Middle Tennessee at Louisiana-Monroe - TBA November 19 - Sun Belt Network Wildcard Week - 6 p.m. * Florida Atlantic at Troy - TBA * Arkansas State at Middle Tennessee - TBA (ESPN3) * FIU at Louisiana-Monroe - TBA * Western Kentucky at North Texas - TBA November 26 - Sun Belt Network Wildcard Week - 6:30 p.m. * Troy at Western Kentucky - TBA * FIU at Middle Tennessee - TBA UAB at Florida Atlantic - TBA Louisiana-Lafayette at Arizona - TBA December 3 - Sun Belt Network Wildcard Week - 4:30 p.m. * Louisiana-Monroe at Florida Atlantic - TBA * Troy at Arkansas State - TBA * Middle Tennessee at North Texas - TBA All times Central (CT) and subject to change * denotes Sun Belt Conference game TV carrier in parenthesis - additional TV games to be announced (1) denotes game to be played at LP Field - Nashville, Tenn. October 8 * Florida Atlantic at North Texas - 6:30 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) * Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe - 6 p.m. * Troy at Louisiana-Lafayette - TBA FIU at Akron - 2 p.m. For the last four weeks of the 11 game Sun Belt Network schedule a wild card selection will take place to show that week s most compelling game. October 15 * North Texas at Louisiana-Lafayette - 4 p.m. (Cox4) * Louisiana-Monroe at Troy - 6 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) * Western Kentucky at Florida Atlantic - TBA 5 -

6 THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE AND ESPN Over the last five years the Sun Belt Conference has seen its television appearances double. In fact, the Sun Belt set a new record for single season telecasts during the season with a total of 72 broadcasts. The Sun Belt Conference s incredible rise in television appearances is due in large part to the league s strong relationship with ESPN. The Sun Belt Conference became known as a leader in college sports broadcasting in 1979 by being the first conference to sign a long-term contract with the ESPN cable network. Since that time the Sun Belt Conference has had every men s basketball championship game broadcasted live on ESPN making it the longest partnership between ESPN and any collegiate athletic conference. While men s basketball was the catalyst for the Sun Belt Conference and ESPN s partnership during the early years of both the network and the league, the last decade has seen a number of new opportunities arrive for the Sun Belt Conference to showcase itself on the ESPN family of networks. The Sun Belt Conference and ESPN have agreed to a continuing partnership which has expanded the conference s national television exposure to unprecedented highs. The Sun Belt Conference s two primary bowl partners are also affiliated with ESPN as both the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and the GoDaddy.com Bowl are annually televised. It is always a great opportunity for all of us in the Sun Belt Conference to play in front of the national audience that ESPN provides, said Troy head football coach Larry Blakeney. To be on that grand stage is something that is very exciting for our players and fans. As a coach we look at playing on these national broadcasts as a great recruiting tool. I am personally very excited about having the opportunity to showcase our league. ESPN continues to air the Sun Belt Conference Men s Basketball Championship game and additional appearances for the league s men s basketball programs are available throughout the season. Sun Belt Conference women s basketball, long one of the conference s most successful sports, has also benefited greatly from the partnership with ESPN. Sun Belt Conference women s basketball teams will have a minimum of one game annually as ESPNU will televise either the league s women s basketball championship game or up to two regular season games. Having a chance to be on ESPN is always a big plus for any league and team and we feel our exposure on ESPN enhances the Sun Belt s reputation around the nation, said Middle Tennessee head women s basketball coach Rick Insell. We are thrilled to remain the exclusive national television home for the Sun Belt Conference, said Burke Magnus, 2011 Sun Belt ESPN Schedule September 1 * North Texas at FIU - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) (1) Kentucky at Western Kentucky - 8:15 p.m. (ESPNU) September 3 Louisiana-Monroe at Florida State - 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU) Troy at Clemson - 2:30 p.m. (ESPN3) Florida Atlantic at Florida - 6 p.m. (ESPNU) September 9 FIU at Louisville - 6 p.m. (ESPN) September 10 Florida Atlantic at Michigan State - 11 a.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) Houston at North Texas - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Georgia Tech at Middle Tennessee - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Navy at Western Kentucky - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Grambling State at Louisiana-Monroe - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Memphis at Arkansas State - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) September 17 Central Florida at FIU - 5 p.m. (ESPN3) Indiana State at Western Kentucky - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) September 24 * Louisiana-Lafayette at FIU - 5 p.m. (ESPN3) Indiana at North Texas - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) Central Arkansas at Arkansas State - 7 p.m. (ESPN3) October 1 Memphis at Middle Tennessee - 6 p.m. (ESPN3) October 6 * Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee - 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) October 18 * FIU at Arkansas State - 7 p.m. (ESPN2) October 25 * Troy at FIU - 7 p.m. (ESPN2) November 19 * Arkansas State at Middle Tennessee - TBA (ESPN3) All times Central (CT) and subject to change Additional games may be added * denotes Sun Belt Conference game (1) denotes game to be played at LP Field - Nashville, Tenn. ESPN senior vice president, college sports programming. ESPN s long relationship with the conference will continue to grow with additional coverage across our multiple platforms, including ESPNU. Adding to the strength of the Sun Belt Conference s television coverage is a regional partnership with Comcast Sports Southeast and Cox Sports Television. The partnership known as the Sun Belt Network has resulted in a game of the week for football, men s basketball, women s basketball and baseball. The Sun Belt Network football game of the week will be available in 13 states across the southeast and is often available on ESPN3.com and ESPN GamePlan outside of the CSS and CST markets

7 THE SUN BELT NETWORK About The Sun Belt Network The Sun Belt Conference ventured into a deal with regional sport network partners Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) and Cox Sports Television (CST) in the summer of 2009 to form the Sun Belt Network for regional conference television broadcasts. The 2011 football season will be the third of a four year marketing, promotion and syndication agreement with CSS and CST that goes through the academic year. The agreement between the three parties results in the broadcasting of football, men s basketball, women s basketball, baseball, volleyball, and softball contests throughout the season. Through additional distribution agreements the reach of the Sun Belt Network has expanded in the states of Texas (Texas Channel and Charter Denton), Florida (Bright House) and Kentucky (WKYU). These supplementary distributions beyond CSS and CST provide Sun Belt Network broadcasts to over 15 million households during football season throughout the southeast. Compared to the previous regional television deals, the Sun Belt Network saw a 25% increase in football broadcasts, a 37% increase in men s basketball broadcasts, and a 40% increase in women s basketball broadcasts in only the first year. This coming season the last four weeks of the 11 game slate a wild card selection will take place to show that week s most compelling game. The Sun Belt Network football game of the week will be available in 13 states across the southeast and is often available on ESPN3.com and ESPN GamePlan outside of the CSS and CST markets. About Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast CSS is a 24-hour sports channel carrying a full slate of college sports programming and can only be found on cable. With over 40 live football games including the SEC, Sun Belt, Conference USA, and Gulf South Conferences, the channel offers a comprehensive sports lineup throughout the year. The channel also offers more than 175 men s and women s live college basketball games and over 60 live baseball games, as well as a comprehensive mix of sports news and in-depth sports analysis geared toward fans in the south. About Cox Sports Television The New Orleans based sports network launched on October 28, 2002 in front of 450,000 Louisiana viewers. CST has grown over 400% to nearly 2 million in the seven years since launch, making it one of the fastest growing regional sports networks in the south. CST is currently carried on cable systems in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Virginia and is available to Dish Network subscribers (Channel 421) in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans markets. CST is owned and operated by Cox Communications Louisiana, LLC. Initially targeted to be a Louisiana sports network, CST has secured collegiate, professional and high school events that have expanded the networks reach throughout the south. ALABAMA Birmingham Dothan Huntsville Decatur Mobile Pensacola Montgomery ARKANSAS Little Rock FLORIDA Fort Myers/Naples Gainesville Jacksonville Miami Fort Lauderdale Orlando Panama City Tallahassee Tallahassee Thomasville Tampa St. Petersburg West Palm Beach LOUISIANA Abbeville Alexandria Ascension Parish Baker Bastrop Baton Rouge Belle Chasse Blanchard Bossier City Butte Larose Crowley Denham Springs DeRidder Franklin Patterson Grammercy Houma Jackson/Clinton Jonesboro Kaplan Lafayette Lake Charles Larose Vision Maringo Morgan City Natchitoches Natchitoches New Iberia New Orleans Plaquemine Reserve Ruston St. Martinville CSS Serves the Following Markets GEORGIA Albany Atlanta Augusta Macon Savannah KENTUCKY Bowling Green Lexington Louisville Paducah Cape Girardeau LOUISIANA Monroe New Orleans Shreveport MISSISSIPPI Columbus/Opelika Columbus/Tupelo Hattiesburg/Laurel Jackson Meridian CST Serves the Following Markets Sulphur Winnfield ARKANSAS Arkadelphia Bentonville Berryville Fort Smith Harrison Hot Springs Jonesboro Malvern Monticello Northwest Pocahontas Russellville Springsdale Siloam Springs Batesville Mountain Home Heber Springs TEXAS Athens Bloomburg Bryan Georgetown Gladewater Henderson Jacksonville Paris Sulphur Springs Tyler Winnsboro NORTH CAROLINA Charlotte SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston Charleston-Huntington Columbia Greenville Spartanburg TENNESSEE Chattanooga Jackson Knoxville Memphis Nashville Tri Cities TEXAS Houston WEST VIRGINIA Bluefield Beckley FLORIDA Gainesville Ocala Pensacola Fort Walton VIRGINIA Fairfax County City of Fairfax City of Falls Church Town of Herndon Town of Vienna Town of Clifton Fredericksburg Stafford Spotsylvania GEORGIA Centerville Byron Macon Warner Robins MISSISSIPPI Centreville Gloster Hancock/Pearl River County 7 -

8 THE SUN BELT NETWORK Sun Belt Network Broadcast Team Announced The Sun Belt Conference announced that Joe Davis, Cole Cubelic and Erin Cofiell will serve as the broadcast team for the Sun Belt Network s upcoming football television package. Davis will be on play-by-play duty in the booth this season his first with the Sun Belt Conference. Davis is in his second season as the voice of the Tampa Bay Rays Double-A Affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits. A native of Potterville, Mich., Davis previously worked for IMG College as a studio host for the Baylor Bears Sports Network and as fill-in play-by-play for Troy, Auburn and UAB athletics. His TV credits include play-by-play for the NCAA D-III football and basketball national tournaments, college baseball on CSS, and high school state championship events in both Alabama and Illinois. He got his start in baseball with the Schaumburg Flyers in suburban Chicago. Back for his second season as color analyst on the Sun Belt Network is Cubelic. Cubelic, a former standout at Auburn, currently is the co-host of the Cubelic & the Kid weekday mornings on 97.7 WZZN in Huntsville, AL. At center for the Tigers, Cubelic started Joe Davis 20 games and appeared in 38 despite four surgeries while at Auburn. Cole was named a permanent captain of the 2000 team under head coach Tommy Tuberville and voted to the SEC Good WorksTeam as well. On the sidelines will be Cofiell who recently relocated back to Baton Rouge after spending a year at WJAR in Providence, RI. There she covered Providence College and Cole Cubelic the New England Patriots. No stranger to Louisiana Cofiell, spent two and a half years at WAFB in Baton Rouge. While there, she did a segment called Darin Erin, challenging local athletes at their given talent. She was also a fill in host for Sportsline Friday Nite, a weekly highlight show. This is the third football season of the Sun Belt Network. The Sun Belt Conference entered into partnership with regional sport Erin Cofiell network partners Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) and Cox Sports Television (CST) in the summer of 2009 to form the Sun Belt Network for regional conference television broadcasts. We are pleased to continue our partnership with the Sun Belt Conference again for the 2011 season, said Mark Fuhrman, General Manager for CSS. CSS strives to provide our viewers the very best in collegiate sports in the south and the Sun Belt is an integral part of that strategy Sun Belt Network Football Schedule Date Game Time (Central) Sept. 24 Middle Tennessee at Troy 3:30 p.m. Oct. 1 Arkansas State at Western Kentucky 3 p.m. Oct. 8 Florida Atlantic at North Texas 6:30 p.m. Oct. 15 Louisiana-Monroe at Troy 6 p.m. Oct. 22 Middle Tennessee at Florida Atlantic 7 p.m. Oct. 29 Louisiana-Lafayette at Middle Tennessee 6:30 p.m. Nov. 5 Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana-Lafayette 2:30 p.m. Nov. 12 Sun Belt Network Wildcard Week 12 p.m. Nov. 19 Sun Belt Network Wildcard Week 6 p.m. Nov. 26 Sun Belt Network Wildcard Week 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3 Sun Belt Network Wildcard Week 4:30 p.m. All times Central (CT) Schedule is subject to change 8 -

9 9 - Contact John McElwain (mcelwain@sunbeltsports.org) for login information.

10 ARKANSAS STATE (0-0 SUN BELT, 0-0 OVERALL) 2011 SCHEDULE QUICK FACTS Interim Chancellor... Dr. Dan Howard Faculty Representative... Nonie Wiggins Athletics Director... Dr. Dean Lee SWA... Stacey Willmott Location... Jonesboro, Arkansas Founded Enrollment... 13,239 Nickname... Red Wolves Colors...Scarlet & Black Website... FOOTBALL FACTS Primary Offense...Multiple Primary Defense...Multiple All-Time Record All-Time SBC Record Record SBC Record (Finish) (T-4th) SBC Championships... 0 Bowl Appearances... 7 Bowl Record Lettermen Returning Offense Defense Specialists... 7 Lettermen Lost Offense Defense... 7 Specialists... 1 Starters Returning Offense... 7 Defense... 7 Specialists... 1 Starters Lost... 9 Offense... 4 Defense... 4 Specialists... 1 Date Opponent Location Time (TV) Sept. 3 at Illinois Champaign, Ill. 2:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network) SEPT. 10 MEMPHIS JONESBORO, ARK. 6 P.M. (ESPN3) Sept. 17 at Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Va. 3 p.m. (Fox Sports Net) SEPT. 24 CENTRAL ARKANSAS JONESBORO, ARK. 7 P.M. (KATV) Oct. 1 * at Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky. 3 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) Oct. 8 * at Louisiana-Monroe Monroe, La. 6 p.m. OCT. 18 * FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL JONESBORO, ARK. 7 P.M. (ESPN2) OCT. 29 * NORTH TEXAS JONESBORO, ARK. 6 P.M. Nov. 5 * at Florida Atlantic Boca Raton, Fla. TBA NOV. 12 * LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE JONESBORO, ARK. TBA Nov. 19 * at Middle Tennessee Murfreesboro, Tenn. TBA (ESPN3) DEC. 3 * TROY JONESBORO, ARK. TBA * Denotes Sun Belt game; All times central; Home games in BOLD CAPS RED WOLVES NOTES After enjoying successful stints as both a head and assistant coach at the NCAA FBS, NAIA and high school levels over the last 18 years, Hugh Freeze was named Arkansas State s 27th head football coach on Dec. 2, Arkansas State will kick off off its 97th season of football on Sept. 3 at Illinois. ASU holds a record since the inaugural 1911 season and has played in seven bowl games. Five Arkansas State football players were tabbed Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference, including senior wide receiver Dwayne Frampton, senior center Tom Castilaw, senior defensive lineman Dorvus Woods, senior linebacker Demario Davis and senior safety Kelcie McCray. Senior center Tom Castilaw is on the 2011 Rimington Award Watch List issued annually to the nation s top center, making him the second ASU player to ever earn the preseason recognition. Senior linebacker Demario Davis is the fifth player in school to be named to the Lombardi Award Watch List, issued to the top college lineman at the end of the season. Senior wide receiver Dwayne Frampton is the first player in school history to ever be named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List for the nation s top receiver. The Red Wolves return their leading passer, top five rushers and three of their four most productive receivers from last year s team that finished second in the Sun Belt Conference in total offense and broke nine school records. ASU returns seven starters on defense, including four of its top six tacklers, seven players that accounted for 17.5 of its 27 sacks and five more that recorded eight of its 11 interceptions

11 FLORIDA ATLANTIC (0-0 SUN BELT, 0-0 OVERALL) 2011 SCHEDULE QUICK FACTS President... Dr. Mary Jane Saunders Faculty Representative...Dr. Eric Shaw Athletics Director... Craig Angelos SWA...Melissa Dawson Location...Boca Raton, Fla. Founded Enrollment... 28,000 Nickname... Owls Colors...Blue & Red Website... FOOTBALL FACTS Primary Offense...Pro Set Primary Defense All-Time Record All-Time SBC Record Record SBC Record (Finish) (T-6th) SBC Championships... 1 Bowl Appearances... 2 Bowl Record Lettermen Returning Offense... 8 Defense Lettermen Lost Offense... 9 Defense... 7 Starters Returning Offense... 7 Defense... 7 Starters Lost Offense... 4 Defense... 4 Date Opponent Location Time (TV) Sept. 3 at Florida Gainesville, Fla. 7 p.m. (ESPNU) Sept. 10 at Michigan State East Lansing, Mich. 11 a.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) Sept. 24 at Auburn Auburn, Ala. TBA Oct. 1 * at Louisiana-Lafayette Lafayette, La. TBA Oct. 8 * at North Texas Denton, Texas 6:30 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) OCT. 15 * WESTERN KENTUCKY BOCA RATON, FLA. TBA OCT. 22 * MIDDLE TENNESSEE BOCA RATON, FLA. 7 P.M. (SUN BELT NETWORK) NOV. 5 * ARKANSAS STATE BOCA RATON, FLA. TBA Nov. 12 * at FIU Miami, Fla. TBA Nov. 19 * at Troy Troy, Ala. TBA NOV. 26 UAB BOCA RATON, FLA. TBA DEC. 3 * LOUISIANA-MONROE BOCA RATON, FLA. TBA * Denotes Sun Belt game; All times central; Home games in BOLD CAPS OWL NOTES Florida Atlantic University s football program is coming off an eventful summer. The on-campus football stadium, a $70 million dollar project, is nearly complete with the royal palms decorating the inside of the stadium being installed last week. The view of the Atlantic Ocean from the top-three floors is sure to impress anyone. The stadium is scheduled to open October 15 when the Owls play host to Western Kentucky. Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger also announced during the first week of camp that the 2011 season will be his final campaign. The legendary coach is the only head coach FAU football has known. Schnellenberger came to FAU in 1998 with the mission of exploring the south Florida community on adding another football program. Schnellenberger was named head coach a year later, the team took to the field in 2001, played in the NCAA I-AA play-offs in 2003 and captured bowl victories in 2007 and He will lead the Owls into the on-campus stadium October 15, On the field the Owls have completed camps minus major injuries and will head into the season with several strong weeks of practice. Juniors Graham Wilbert and David Kooi have battled for the start with Wilbert being named the 2011 opening day starter after last Tuesday s practice, August 23. FAU s defense captured the preseason scrimmages pushing the offense to take care of the ball and to limit their mistakes. FAU will open the 2011 season at Florida, September 3, and will face three top-25 teams in the first three weeks of the season in Florida (0-1), Michigan State (0-2) and Auburn (0-0). The Owls will be led offensively by Alfred Morris who will use the 2011 campaign to become the program s all-time back. Like Morris, Marcus Bartels returns for his senior campaign and needs just 23 tackles to become the program s all-time tackle leader for defensive backs. Mickey Groody also returns to special teams after posting top-20 numbers as the team s punter

12 FIU (0-0 SUN BELT, 0-0 OVERALL) QUICK FACTS President... Dr. Mark B. Rosenberg Faculty Representative...Dr. Stephen M. Fain Athletics Director... Pete Garcia SWA...Julie Berg Location...Miami, Fla. Opened Enrollment... 40,455 Nickname... Golden Panthers Colors... Blue & Gold Website... FOOTBALL FACTS Primary Offense...Multiple Primary Defense...Multiple All-Time Record All-Time SBC Record Record SBC Record (Finish) (T-1st) SBC Championships... 1 Bowl Appearances... 1 Bowl Record Lettermen Returning Offense Defense Lettermen Lost Offense... 6 Defense... 8 Specialists... 1 Starters Returning Offense... 8 Defense... 8 Starters Lost... 8 Offense... 3 Defense... 4 Specialists SCHEDULE Date Opponent Location Time (TV) SEPT. 1 * NORTH TEXAS MIAMI, FLA. 6 P.M. (ESPN3) Sept. 9 at Louisville at Louisville, Ky. 6 p.m. (ESPN) SEPT. 17 UCF MIAMI, FLA. 5 P.M. (ESPN3) SEPT. 24 * LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE MIAMI, FLA. 5 P.M. (ESPN3) OCT. 1 DUKE MIAMI, FLA. 5 P.M. (ESPN3) Oct. 8 at Akron at Akron, Ohio 2 p.m. Oct. 18 * at Arkansas State at Jonesboro, Ark. 7 p.m. (ESPN2) OCT. 25 * TROY MIAMI, FLA. 7 P.M. (ESPN2) Nov. 5 * at WKU at Bowling Green, Ky. 3 p.m. NOV. 12 * FLORIDA ATLANTIC MIAMI, FLA. TBA Nov. 19 * at Louisiana-Monroe at Monroe, La. TBA Nov. 26 * at Middle Tennessee at Murfreesboro, Tenn. TBA * Denotes Sun Belt game; All times central; Home games in BOLD CAPS PANTHER NOTES With the start of the 2011 football season, the Panthers embark on their journey towards another Sun Belt Conference championship as they host a Sun Belt rival, the North Texas Mean Green on Thursday, September 1. Thursday s matchup will feature, arguably, the two best and most feared offensive players in the Sun Belt in FIU s T.Y. Hilton and North Texas Lance Dunbar, the 2011 SBC Co-Preseason Offensive Players of the Year. FIU has won the last four meetings against North Texas, including a victory in Denton last year. The Panthers and Mean Green have a history together, as they can both stake claim to being the last two college football teams to play in Miami s historic Orange Bowl. On December 1, 2007 FIU closed out the legendary stadium by beating North Texas to snap a 23 game losing streak. Thursday s game is being broadcast on ESPN3.com, and along with 14 other contests, it is kicking off the football season as tonight marks the first night of college football in For the first time since the program s inaugural season of 2002, and the first time as an FBS (Division I-A) program, FIU will open the 2011 season at home when they host the Mean Green. Back in 02, FIU began its season with a 27-3 victory over St. Peter s College. The Panthers will also play six home games in 2011, marking the first time FIU plays more than five games in The Cage

13 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE (0-0 SUN BELT, 0-0 OVERALL) QUICK FACTS President... Dr. E. Joseph Savoie Faculty Representative... Anita Hazelwood Interim Director of Athletics... Scott Farmer SWA...Sherry LeBas Location...Lafayette, La. Founded Enrollment... 16,763 Nickname... Ragin Cajuns Colors... Vermillion & White Website... FOOTBALL FACTS Primary Offense...Multiple Primary Defense... Hybrid 4-3 All-Time Record All-Time SBC Record Record SBC Record (Finish) (T-6th) SBC Championships... 1 Bowl Appearances... 2 Bowl Record Lettermen Returning Offense Defense Lettermen Lost Offense Defense Starters Returning Offense... 5 Defense... 7 Starters Lost Offense... 6 Defense SCHEDULE Date Opponent Location Time (TV) Sept. 3 at Oklahoma State at Stillwater, Okla. 6 p.m. (Fox College Sports) Sept.10 at Kent State at Kent, Ohio 6 p.m. SEPT. 17 NICHOLLS STATE LAFAYETTE, LA. TBA (COX4) Sept. 24 * at FIU at Miami, Fla. 5 p.m. (ESPN3) OCT. 1 * FLORIDA ATLANTIC LAFAYETTE, LA. TBA (COX4) OCT. 8 * TROY LAFAYETTE, LA. TBA OCT. 15 * NORTH TEXAS LAFAYETTE, LA. 4 P.M. (COX4) Oct. 22 * at Western Kentucky at Bowling Green, Ky. 3 p.m. Oct. 29 * at Middle Tennessee at Murfreesboro, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) NOV. 5 * LOUISIANA-MONROE LAFAYETTE, LA. 2:30 P.M. (SUN BELT NETWORK) Nov. 12 * at Arkansas State at Jonesboro, Ark. TBA Nov. 26 at Arizona at Tucson, Ariz. TBA * Denotes Sun Belt game; All times central; Home games in BOLD CAPS RAGIN CAJUN NOTES The Cajuns must have a new football coach since the season opens at No. 9 Oklahoma State as three of the last four football coaches at ULL have started their career with a game versus the Cowboys. Nelson Stokley s debut began on Sept. 6, 1986 with a tough defeat vs. OSU. Jerry Baldwin replaced Stokley and his first game saw a 24-7 loss at OSU on Sept. 4, Rickey Bustle s first game occurred at Texas A&M, but new head coach Mark Hudspeth gets his feet wet with OSU. These are the only three times the teams have met in a seasonopener. Although ULL has never defeated OSU, the Cajuns led last season s game at the half and led 3-0 after the first quarter in the prior meeting in ULL trailed 7-0 at the half in Mackey and Biletnikoff Award candidate Ladarius Green was named a Top 5 draft-eligible tight end by ESPN.com Insider Mel Kiper, Jr. Green was honored by several major publications as a 2011 Pre-Season All-American following All-American accolades in 2010 by CBSSports.com (2nd Team) and Phil Steele (4th Team). Since the start of the 2008 season, the Cajuns are 13-3 when allowing 30 points or less. ULL is 2-18 when allowing 31 points. The Cajuns saw three different quarterbacks pass for over 250 yards in a game during the 2010 season (Chris Masson three times; Brad McGuire 384 at Ohio; Blaine Gautier 254 at FAU). True freshman running back Aaron Spikes led the Cajuns in scoring during the 2010 season. He scored eight touchdowns six receiving and two rushing The Cajuns posted 14 picks, giving them 30 INTs over the last two seasons.

14 LOUISIANA-MONROE (0-0 SUN BELT, 0-0 OVERALL) QUICK FACTS President...Dr. Nick Bruno Faculty Representative...Kevin Unter Athletics Director... Bobby Staub SWA...Tasha Fisher Location... Monroe, Louisiana Founded Enrollment... 8,858 Nickname...Warhawks Colors... Maroon & Gold Website... FOOTBALL FACTS Primary Offense...Multiple Primary Defense All-Time Record All-Time SBC Record Record SBC Record (Finish) (T-4th) SBC Championships... 1 Bowl Appearances... 3 Bowl Record Lettermen Returning Offense Defense Specialists... 4 Lettermen Lost Offense... 6 Defense... 7 Specialists... 0 Starters Returning Offense Defense... 8 Specialists... 3 Starters Lost... 3 Offense... 0 Defense... 3 Specialists SCHEDULE Date Opponent Location Time (TV) Sept. 3 at Florida State at Tallahassee, Fla. 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU) SEPT. 10 GRAMBLING STATE MONROE, LA. 6 P.M. (ESPN3) Sept. 17 at TCU at Fort Worth, Texas 1 p.m. (The Mtn.) Sept. 24 at Iowa at Iowa City, Iowa TBA OCT. 8 * ARKANSAS STATE MONROE, LA. 6 P.M. Oct. 15 * at Troy at Troy, Ala. 6 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) Oct. 22 * at North Texas at Denton, Texas 6 p.m. OCT. 29 * WESTERN KENTUCKY MONROE, LA. 2:30 P.M. Nov. 5 * at Louisiana-Lafayette at Lafayette, La. 2:30 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) NOV. 12 * MIDDLE TENNESSEE MONROE, LA. TBA NOV. 19 * FIU MONROE, LA. TBA Dec. 3 * at Florida Atlantic at Boca Raton, Fla. TBA * Denotes Sun Belt game; All times central; Home games in BOLD CAPS WARHAWK NOTES Twenty-one freshmen and sophomores are listed on ULM s offensive and defensive two-deep heading into the opener at Florida State. Ten of them are listed as starters; last season ULM also started 10 freshmen and sophomores ULM has the second best winning percentage in the state of Louisiana among FBS schools over the past five seasons The Warhawks have forced at least one turnover in 21-of-24 games under defensive coordinator Troy Reffett -- ULM has forced 42 turnovers in those 21 games Sports Illustrated picked the Warhawks to finish 8-4 overall and 7-1 in the Sun Belt Conference; SI prognosticated a three-way tie for the Belt crown with ULM, FIU and Troy ULM has won 14 of its last 19 home games dating back to the 2007 season Kolton Browning had two of the top six total offense totals in ULM s Sun Belt era last season at Arkansas State (6th) and 409 at FIU (3rd) Linebacker R.J. Young graduated from the University of Arizona in just three years before transferring to ULM this summer Luther Ambrose finished third in the 100m dash at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships; he needs two touchdown receptions, two catches and 497 receiving yards to move into the top 10 in ULM history in each category.

15 MIDDLE TENNESSEE (0-0 SUN BELT, 0-0 OVERALL) QUICK FACTS President...Dr. Sidney McPhee Faculty Representative...Dr. Terry Whiteside Athletics Director... Chris Massaro SWA... Diane Turnham Location... Murfreesboro, Tennessee Founded Enrollment... 26,432 Nickname... Blue Raiders Colors... Royal Blue & White Website... FOOTBALL FACTS Primary Offense...Multiple Primary Defense...4-3/Multiple All-Time Record All-Time SBC Record Record SBC Record (Finish) (3rd) SBC Championships... 2 Bowl Appearances... 7 Bowl Record Lettermen Returning Offense Defense Specialists... 4 Lettermen Lost Offense... 7 Defense Specialists... 0 Starters Returning Offense... 7 Defense... 3 Specialists... 4 Starters Lost Offense... 4 Defense... 8 Specialists SCHEDULE Date Opponent Location Time (TV) Sept. 3 at Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. 11 a.m. (Big Ten Network) SEPT. 10 GEORGIA TECH MURFREESBORO, TENN. 6 P.M. (ESPN3) Sept. 24 * at Troy Troy, Ala. 3:30 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) OCT. 1 MEMPHIS MURFREESBORO, TENN. 6 P.M (ESPN3) OCT. 6 * WKU MURFREESBORO, TENN. 6:30 P.M. (ESPNU) Oct. 22 * at Florida Atlantic Boca Raton, Fla. 6 p.m. (Sun Belt Network) OCT. 29 * LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE MURFREESBORO, TENN. 6:30 P.M. (SUN BELT NETWORK) Nov. 5 at Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. TBA Nov. 12 * at Louisiana-Monroe Monroe, La. TBA NOV. 19 * ARKANSAS STATE MURFREESBORO, TENN. TBA (ESPN3) NOV. 26 * FIU MURFREESBORO, TENN. TBA Dec. 3 * at North Texas Denton, Texas TBA * Denotes Sun Belt game; All times central; Home games in BOLD CAPS BLUE RAIDER NOTES Saturday s game will mark the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between Middle Tennessee and Purdue. It marks the second straight year the Blue Raiders have opened the season against a Big Ten opponent. Middle Tennessee has an overall mark of in season-opening games, including a 1-4 mark under Rick Stockstill, and has won 18 of its last 30. The Blue Raiders have won their opening game just three times since elevating to the FBS level in MT defeated SEC member Vanderbilt in 2001 on the road and then upset Akron on the road in The Blue Raiders also won the 2006 opener at home against Florida International. It s tough to win in college football and even tougher to win games away from home. Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders have performed well on the road by compiling a mark of despite having 15 of the 37 games against the SEC (4), ACC (4), Big East (3), Big 12, and C-USA (3). The Blue Raiders have a mark of 8-6 over their last 14 away games and have won five of their last six road SBC games. Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Stockstill needs one more win to tie Andy McCollum for fourth place on the all-time wins list at Middle Tennessee. Stockstill owns 33 victories and is tied with Frank Faulkinberry for fifth but needs just three wins this year to move past Alfred Miles for third. Charles Murphy ( ) is the all-time winningest coach at Middle Tennessee with a mark of Middle Tennessee has an overall mark of in Sun Belt action all-time, including a record at home and an mark on the road. Middle Tennessee is in league games under Rick Stockstill and 12-7 on the road. The 43 league wins rank as the most victories in Sun Belt history with Troy second at

16 NORTH TEXAS (0-0 SUN BELT, 0-0 OVERALL) QUICK FACTS President...Dr. V. Lane Rawlins Faculty Representative... Dr. Jerry Thomas Athletics Director...Rick Villarreal SWA...Cinnamon Sheffield Location... Denton, Texas Opened Enrollment... 36,206 Nickname...Mean Green Colors... Green & White Website... FOOTBALL FACTS Primary Offense... Spread Primary Defense All-Time Record All-Time SBC Record Record SBC Record (Finish) (T-6th) SBC Championships... 4 Bowl Appearances... 7 Bowl Record Lettermen Returning Offense Defense Specialists... 3 Lettermen Lost Offense Defense Specialists... 0 Starters Returning Offense... 7 Defense... 7 Specialists... 3 Starters Lost... 8 Offense... 4 Defense... 4 Specialists SCHEDULE Date Opponent Location Time (TV) Sept. 1 * at FIU at Miami, Fla. 6 p.m. (ESPN3) SEPT. 10 HOUSTON DENTON, TEXAS 6 P.M. (ESPN3) Sept. 17 at Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Ala. 6:30 p.m. (Fox Sports) SEPT. 24 INDIANA DENTON, TEXAS 6 P.M. (ESPN3) Oct. 1 at Tulsa at Tulsa, Okla. 6 p.m. OCT. 8 * FLORIDA ATLANTIC DENTON, TEXAS 6:30 P.M. (SUN BELT NETWORK) Oct. 15 * at Louisiana-Lafayette at Lafayette, La. 4 p.m. OCT. 22 * LOUISIANA-MONROE DENTON, TEXAS 6 P.M. Oct. 29 * at Arkansas State at Jonesboro, Ark. 6 p.m. Nov. 12 * at Troy at Troy, Ala. TBA NOV. 19 * WESTERN KENTUCKY DENTON, TEXAS TBA DEC. 3 * MIDDLE TENNESSEE DENTON, TEXAS TBA * Denotes Sun Belt game; All times central; Home games in BOLD CAPS MEAN GREEN NOTES North Texas will begin its 96th season of football when it kicks off the 2011 season at FIU on September 1. Since the inaugural season in 1913, North Texas has accumulated a record of , amassed 25 conference championships and played in seven bowl games. The co-preseason Offensive Players of the Year in the Sun Belt Conference will face off in the first week of the season with Mean Green running back Lance Dunbar and FIU wide receiver T.Y. Hilton doing battle. Hilton is the returning Player of the Year in the conference while Dunbar was a first team all-conference selection in North Texas will be opening the season on a Thursday night television game for the second time in three years. In 2009, the Mean Green traveled to Ball State to open the year on a Thursday night game on ESPNU and came away with a surprise victory. This year s opener will be on ESPN3 at FIU, where North Texas is again a decided underdog against the Sun Belt Conference preseason favorite. Ironically, the defensive coordinator for Ball State in that 2009 game was Doug Graber, who is also the analyst for this week s game vs. FIU on ESPN3. For the first time since 1952, North Texas will not be playing its home football games at Fouts Field. The Mean Green is beginning a new era with the opening of its brand-new 30,850-seat Apogee Stadium on Sept. 10, against Houston. Apogee Stadium is the centerpiece of the recently-developed Mean Green Village, which encompasses nearly all of the academic, training and competition facilities for the nearly 400 student-athletes on campus. The stadium was built at a cost of $78 million under the design and construction of award-winning companies HKS and Manhattan Construction. It features 21 luxury suites, 750 club seats, banquet space and a team spirit store. The stadium will feature renewable energy, and is on target to become the first LEED Platinum certified football stadium in the world.

17 TROY (0-0 SUN BELT, 0-0 OVERALL) QUICK FACTS Chancellor...Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. Faculty Representative... Fred Green Athletics Director...Steve Dennis SWA...Sandy Atkins Location...Troy, Alabama Opened Enrollment... 28,225 Nickname...Trojans Colors...Cardinal, Silver, and Black Website... FOOTBALL FACTS Primary Offense... Spread Primary Defense All-Time Record All-Time SBC Record Record SBC Record (Finish) (T-1st) SBC Championships... 5 Bowl Appearances... 5 Bowl Record Lettermen Returning Offense Defense Specialists... 3 Lettermen Lost Offense Defense... 6 Specialists... 0 Starters Returning Offense... 5 Defense... 8 Specialists... 3 Starters Lost Offense... 8 Defense... 3 Specialists SCHEDULE Date Opponent Location Time (TV) Sept. 3 * at Clemson Clemson, S.C. 2:30 p.m. (ESPN3) Sept. 17 * at Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. 6:30 p.m. (CSS) SEPT. 24 MIDDLE TENNESSEE TROY, ALA. 3:30 P.M. (SUN BELT NETWORK) OCT. 1 UAB TROY, ALA. TBA Oct. 8 * at Louisiana-Lafayette Lafayette, La. TBA OCT. 15 * LOUISIANA-MONROE TROY, ALA. 6 P.M. (SUN BELT NETWORK) Oct. 25 * at FIU Miami, Fla. 7 p.m. (ESPN2) Nov. 5 at Navy Annapolis, Md. 2:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) NOV. 12 * NORTH TEXAS TROY, ALA. TBA NOV. 19 * FLORIDA ATLANTIC TROY, ALA. TBA Nov. 26 * at Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky. TBA Dec. 3 * at Arkansas State Jonesboro, Ark. TBA * Denotes Sun Belt game; All times central; Home games in BOLD CAPS TROJAN NOTES The Trojans and Tigers have never met in football, although the Trojans have faced fi ve other members of the ACC. Coach Blakeney has faced Florida State (2006), Georgia Tech (2006), Virginia (2003) Maryland (2001) and Miami (2001) since leading the Trojans into the FBS. Troy has played four other schools from South Carolina, compiling a all-time record in games against Charleston Southern (3-0), Newberry (1-5-1), Presbyterian (2-2) and USC (0-3). The Trojans enter the 2011 season picked to fi nish second in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans earned a share of their fi fth straight league crown in Troy shared the league title with FIU last year. The Panthers are the preseason pick to win the title this year. Troy has an all-time record of in 90 season openers. That record includes a record in road season openers. Coach Larry Blakeney has posted an overall record of 14-6 in season openers, including a 9-6 mark in road season openers. Troy is 3-2 all-time in games played on Sept. 3. The Trojans lost at Bowling Green (2009) in their last game on this date. Coach Larry Blakeney has posted an record during his career in games played in September and he is overall in his career in home games

18 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY (0-0 SUN BELT, 0-0 OVERALL) QUICK FACTS President... Dr. Gary Ransdell Faculty Representative... James Brown Athletics Director...Ross Bjork SWA... Pam Herriford Location... Bowling Green, Kentucky Opened Enrollment... 20,712 Nickname...Hilltoppers Colors... Red & White Website... FOOTBALL FACTS Primary Offense...West Coast Primary Defense All-Time Record All-Time SBC Record Record SBC Record (Finish) (9th) SBC Championships... 0 Bowl Appearances... 2 Bowl Record Lettermen Returning Offense Defense Specialists... 3 Lettermen Lost Offense... 5 Defense... 6 Specialists... 1 Starters Returning Offense Defense... 7 Specialists... 3 Starters Lost... 7 Offense... 4 Defense... 3 Specialists SCHEDULE SEPT. 1 (!) KENTUCKY NASHVILLE, TENN. 8:15 P.M. (ESPNU) SEPT. 10 NAVY BOWLING GREEN, KY. 6 P.M (ESPN3) SEPT. 17 INDIANA STATE BOWLING GREEN, KY. 6 P.M. OCT. 1 * ARKANSAS STATE BOWLING GREEN, KY. 3 P.M. (SUN BELT NETWORK) Oct. 6 * at Middle Tennessee at Murfreesboro, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) Oct. 15 * at Florida Atlantic at Boca Raton, Fla. TBA OCT. 22 * LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE BOWLING GREEN, KY. 3 P.M. Oct. 29 * at Louisiana-Monroe at Monroe, La. 2:30 p.m. NOV. 5 * FIU BOWLING GREEN, KY. 3 P.M. Nov. 12 at LSU at Baton Rouge, La. 7 p.m. Nov. 19 * at North Texas at Denton, Texas TBA NOV. 26 * TROY BOWLING GREEN, KY. TBA * Denotes Sun Belt game; All times central; Home games in BOLD CAPS (!) denotes game to be played at LP Field - Nashville, Tenn. HILLTOPPER NOTES WKU is (62.1%) all time on opening day no score is available for the first game of The Hilltoppers last opened the season on a Thursday night back in 2005, picking up a 63-3 home victory over West Virginia Tech. In fact, since 2000 WKU has played three Thursday night season openers, going 2-1 in those contests. With September 1 marking the official opening night of the 2011 college football season, the matchup between WKU and Kentucky is one of just 15 games on the slate involving football bowl subdivision teams. Hilltopper junior tight end Ryan Wallace knows both sides of the WKU-UK rivalry, as last season he was wearing the blue and white of the Wildcats when the two teams met in Lexington. A Bowling Green native, Wallace transferred home to WKU prior to 2011 spring practice, and received a waiver from the NCAA making him eligible to compete this season. Thanks to a phenomenal end to the 2010 season, senior Bobby Rainey has a chance to make history early in the year. Rainey rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last five games last season tying him with Lerron Moore for the second-longest streak of consecutive 100-yard efforts in WKU history. Antwan Floyd holds the school record with eight straight 100-yard rushing efforts stretched over the 1994 and 1995 campaigns. With a number of underclassmen stepping to the forefront in 2010, the Hilltoppers return nearly all of their offensive numbers from a year ago. In fact, WKU racked up 3,818 yards of total offense a year ago, and the players that accounted for 3,806 of those yards are still on the roster this season. Breaking it down, the Toppers return 99.8 percent of their rushing from last season, 90.1 percent of their receiving yards and 100 percent of their passing yards.

19 Arkansas State 217 Olympic Drive Convocation Center Jonesboro, Ark., Press Box Phone (870) SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA RELATIONS DIRECTORY Jerry Scott, Director Phone...(870) Van Provence, Assistant Phone...(870) Anthony Reynolds, Assistant Phone...(870) Middle Tennessee MTSU Box Greenland Drive Murfreesboro, Tenn., Press Box Phone (615) Mark Owens, Director Phone...(615) Travis Woods, Assistant Phone...(615) Leslie Wilhite, Assistant Phone...(615) Florida Atlantic 777 Glades Road Boca Raton, Fla., Press Box Phone (561) FIU SW 8th Street U.S. Century Bank Arena Miami, Fla., Press Box Phone (305) Paul Dodson, Director Louisiana-Lafayette 201 Reinhardt Drive Lafayette, La., Press Box Phone (337) Louisiana-Monroe 308 Warhawk Way Monroe, La., Press Box Phone (318) Katrina McCormack, Director Phone...(561) Justin Johnson, Assistant Phone...(561) Phone... (305) Ivan Irizarry, Associate (Football Contact) Phone... (305) Mat Ratner, Assistant Phone... (305) Maegan Azpiazu, Assistant Phone... (305) Daryl Cetnar, Director Phone...(337) Matt Hebert, Assistant Phone...(337) Adam Prendergast, Director Phone...(318) Jeremy Stevens, Assistant Phone...(318) North Texas 1301 S. Bonnie Brae Denton, Texas Press Box Phone (940) Troy 5000 Veterans Stadium Drive Troy, Ala., Press Box Phone (334) Western Kentucky E.A. Diddle Arena, Room Avenue of Champions Bowling Green, Ky Press Box Phone (270) Sun Belt Conference 601 Poydras Street, Suite 2355 New Orleans, Louisiana Eric Capper, Director Phone... (940) Steven Bartolotta, Assistant Phone... (940) Stephen Howard, Assistant Phone... (940) Amy Ruggini, Assistant Phone... (940) Ricky Hazel, Director Phone...(334) Todd Stewart, Director Phone... (270) Chris Glowacki, Associate Phone... (270) Michael Schroeder, Assistant Phone... (270) Melissa Anderson, Assistant Phone... (270) John McElwain, Associate Commissioner Phone... (504) ext Travis Llewellyn, Assistant Commissioner Phone... (504) ext. 216 Keith Nunez, Director of Media Relations Phone... (504) ext