Braxton, Marshall beat Louisiana-Lafayette 31-3, win Sun Belt Conference title

By The Associated Press

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Braylon Braxton threw two touchdown passes and Jordan Houston had 117 yards rushing, including a 9-yard TD, to help Marshall beat Louisiana-Lafayette 31-3 and win the Thundering Herd’s first Sun Belt Conference Championship. Marshall (10-3) has double-digit wins for the first time since the 2015 campaign. Braxton hit Tychaun Chapman in the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown to make it 7-3 in the first quarter and take the lead for good. Freshman Daniel Beale replaced starter Chandler Fields midway through the second quarter and completed 10 of 25 for 96 yards with an interception for Louisiana. Fields became the starter when Ben Wooldridge — the conference’s offensive player of the year — suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a loss to South Alabama on Nov. 16