2019 Sun Belt Football News and Notes:
Week 9 Release (PDF) | Standings | Composite Schedule | Stats | Championship Game | Media Guide

AROUND #SUNBELTFB
• The Week 9 slate for Sun Belt Conference football has four games set for live coverage on the ESPN family of networks.

• Appalachian State continues to make school and Sun Belt history this season, receiving rankings of 21st in the Associated Press and 22nd in the Amway Coaches powered by USA Today Sports Top 25 polls for Oct. 20. The rankings eclipse last week's No. 24 ranking in both polls as the highest NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision rankings in school and conference history. Prior to being ranked, the Mountaineers appeared among the teams receiving votes in both polls every week this season and for 12 straight weeks dating back to last season.

• Also among its list of firsts, Appalachian State is the first Sun Belt school to:

- Be nationally ranked on multiple occasions.
- Receive a Top 25 ranking in consecutive weeks.
- Earn a win as a Top 25 team.

• Appalachian State's 12-game winning streak is the third-longest active streak in the FBS behind Clemson (22) and Ohio State (13). The Mountaineers are one of 10 FBS teams still unbeaten and one of just two schools, with SMU (7-0) being the other, among the Group of Five conferences without a loss.

• Appalachian State is the first Sun Belt team this season to become bowl eligible with its sixth win, a 52-7 victory over ULM on Oct. 19.  The Mountaineers are bowl eligible for the fifth-straight season.

• With identical 5-2 records, Georgia State and Louisiana sit just one win away from joining the Mountaineers in bowl eligibility. The Panthers are off to their best start as an FBS program, while the Ragin' Cajuns are off to their best start in conference play (2-1) since 2017.

• The Sun Belt is building on its non-conference success from a year ago with 20 wins and the third-best winning percentage among the Group of Five conferences so far this season.

1. American - 32-13 (.711)
2. Mountain West - 27-17 (.614)
3. Sun Belt - 20-18 (.526)
4. Conference USA - 22-29 (.431)
5. Mid-American - 18-30 (.375)

• So far this season, the Sun Belt has received several in-season honors, including:

- Georgia Southern junior running back/return specialist was named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for Week 8 on Oct. 21.

- Appalachian State and Louisiana as two of the 24 programs included on the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll on Oct. 22. The award annually recognizes the best offensive line unit in college football.

• Among the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision statistical leaders entering the week:

- Arkansas State redshirt senior wide receiver Omar Bayless leads the nation in receiving yards per game (140.5) and receiving yards (843) and ranks tied for first in receiving touchdowns (10). 

- The Sun Belt boasts five of the top 30 running backs in the nation in rushing yards per carry – Louisiana redshirt junior Trey Ragas (1st, 8.42), ULM redshirt junior Josh Johnson (14th, 6.63), South Alabama senior Tra Minter (19th, 6.40), Appalachian State junior Darrynton Evans (21st, 6.38) and Georgia State senior Tra Barnett (27th, 6.13).

- The Sun Belt is home to four of the top 20 rushing offenses – Louisiana (4th, 286.9), Georgia State (13th, 238.3), Georgia Southern (16th, 236.0) and Appalachian State (18th, 232.7).

• Several Sun Belt players continue to climb the conference’s career lists, including:

- Georgia Southern redshirt junior quarterback Shai Werts ranks fifth in career rushing yards as a quarterback with 1,866 yards. He ranks behind Appalachian State’s Taylor Lamb with 2,008 career rushing yards from 2014-17.

- Georgia Southern redshirt senior placekicker Tyler Bass ranks fourth in career field goal completion percentage at 81.0 percent (47 of 58 made). The conference’s all-time leader is Louisiana’s Brett Baer at 90.0 percent (45 of 50 made) from 2009-12.

• The 2019 Sun Belt Football Championship Game pits the East and West Division champions with the best conference winning percentages on Saturday, Dec. 7. The second edition of the league’s football title game is slated for live coverage on ESPN or ESPN2 at 11 a.m. CT/Noon ET.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Raymond Calais, Louisiana (Sr., RB, Breaux Bridge, La.)
Louisiana senior running back Raymond Calais came up huge for the Ragin' Cajuns, accounting for 144 of the teams 315 rushing yards and scoring two of the team's five touchdowns on the ground in the win at Arkansas State. His highlight came when he broke out an 80-yard rush for a touchdown, tied for the 12th-longest scoring rush in program history. His two scores were his third and fourth of the season and the 12th and 13th of his career. His two-score outing was his second of the season and the third of his career. Calais also returned three kicks for 82 yards, averaging 27.3 yards per return, including a game-high, 47-yard return in the fourth quarter.
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Trajan Stephens-McQueen, Georgia State (Jr., LB, Charlotte, N.C.)
Georgia State junior linebacker Trajan Stephens-McQueen recorded a school-record 20 tackles to lead a gutty performance in the Panthers' 28-21 victory over Army West Point. Playing against Army's tough triple-option that held the ball for more than 38 minutes, Stephens-McQueen played all 72 snaps on defense with 10 solo stops and 10 assists. His play helped the defense overcome the loss of two starters, including fellow inside linebacker and captain Ed Curney, who went down with injuries in the first half.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tyler Sumpter, Troy (Jr., PK/P, Hoover, Ala.)
Troy junior placekicker/punter Tyler Sumpter scored 13 points with three field goals and four extra points in the Trojans' victory over South Alabama.
 
2019 Weekly Award Winners
Offensive Player
September 2: Dan Ellington, Georgia State
September 9: Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State
September 16: Kaleb Barker, Troy
September 23: Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana
September 30: Omar Bayless, Arkansas State
October 7: Dan Ellington, Georgia State
October 14: Zac Thomas, Appalachian State
October 21: Raymond Calais, Louisiana
 
Defensive Player
September 2: Carlton Martial, Troy
September 9: Chandler Kryst, Coastal Carolina
September 16: Rashad Byrd, Georgia Southern
September 23: Demetrius Taylor, Appalachian State
September 30: Jacques Boudreaux, Louisiana
October 7: Raymond Johnson III, Georgia Southern
October 14: Akeem Davis-Gaither, Appalachian State
October 21: Trajan Stephens-McQueen, Georgia State

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Saturday, October 26    
*No. 21/22 Appalachian State at South Alabama (ESPNU), 11 a.m.
New Mexico State at Georgia Southern (ESPN3), 2 p.m.
*Texas State at Arkansas State (ESPN+), 6 p.m.
*Troy at Georgia State (ESPN+), 6 p.m.

*Sun Belt Conference contest
All Times Central and Subject to Change