2019 Sun Belt Football News and Notes:
Week 13 Release (PDF) | Standings | Composite Schedule | Stats | Championship Game | Media Guide
AROUND #SUNBELTFB
• The Week 13 schedule for Sun Belt Conference football features another Saturday slate of five conference contests set for live coverage on the ESPN family of networks.
• The Sun Belt boasts five bowl-eligible teams in Appalachian State (9-1, 5-1 Sun Belt), Louisiana (8-2, 5-1), Arkansas State (6-4, 4-2), Georgia Southern (6-4, 4-2) and Georgia State (6-4, 3-3) with Troy (5-5, 3-3) just one win away. The Red Wolves are bowl eligible for the ninth-straight season while the Mountaineers are bowl eligible for the fifth-straight season. The Eagles and Ragin' Cajuns are bowl eligible for the second-straight season and the Panthers are bowl eligible for the third time in five seasons.
• Appalachian State is in the midst of a historic season, becoming the first Sun Belt program to earn a College Football Playoff Top 25 in-season ranking (24th in the Nov. 19 release) and also be ranked in both national polls (23rd in the Associated Press Top 25 and 22nd in the Amway Coaches powered by USA Today Sports Top 25 in the Nov. 17 release) at the same time. The Mountaineers earned the highest NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision rankings in the national polls in school and conference history – 20th in both the Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls on Oct. 27. Appalachian State was also ranked in the Oct. 13 (24th in the AP and Coaches), Oct. 20 (21st in the AP and 22nd in the Coaches) and Nov. 10 (24th in the Coaches) polls. The Mountaineers have received votes in 16 straight weeks of the AP Top 25 dating back to last year.
• Appalachian State, as an FBS program, is the:
- First team to win a bowl game in each of its first two years of FBS bowl eligibility (2015-16)
- First team to win a bowl game in each of its first three years of FBS bowl eligibility (2015-17)
- First team to win a bowl game in each of its first four years of FBS bowl eligibility (2015-18)
- First team to host and win a Sun Belt Championship Game (2018)
- First Sun Belt team to be ranked in the Top 25 on in two different seasons (2018, 2019)
- First Sun Belt team to win as a Top 25 team in the College Football Playoff rankings (2019)
- First Sun Belt team to win as a Top 25 team in the national polls (2019)
- First Sun Belt team to be ranked in the College Football Playoff Top 25 in consecutive weeks (2019)
- First Sun Belt team to be ranked in the national polls in consecutive weeks (2019)
- First Sun Belt team to be ranked in the Top 20 in the AP Poll (2019)
- First Sun Belt team to start a season 7-0 (2019)
- First Sun Belt team to defeat two Autonomy Five conference teams in one season (2019)
- First Sun Belt team to receive a College Football Playoff in-season ranking (2019)
• Louisiana, with eight points in this week's Amway Coaches Poll, can clinch the West Division crown and spot in the Sun Belt Football Championship Game with a win over Troy. The Ragin' Cajuns received points in the Coaches Poll for the second-straight week after receiving one point in the Nov. 10 Coaches Poll.
• The Sun Belt is building on its non-conference success from a year ago with 22 wins and the third-best winning percentage among the Group of Five conferences so far this season.
1. American - 33-14 (.702)
2. Mountain West - 29-18 (.617)
3. Sun Belt - 22-18 (.550)
4. Conference USA - 23-31 (.426)
5. Mid-American - 18-30 (.375)
• So far this season, the Sun Belt has received numerous in-season honors, including:
- Arkansas State redshirt senior wide receiver Omar Bayless is among the semifinalists for the 2019 Biletnikoff Award.
- Troy senior quarterback Kaleb Barker was named a Manning Award “Star of the Week” on Nov. 18.
- Appalachian State and Louisiana were two of five programs earning honorable mention recognition for the Joe Moore Award, which honors the top offensive line the FBS, on Nov. 18.
- Arkansas State junior defensive end William Bradley-King was added to the Ted Hendricks Award’s updated Watch List, which honors the top defensive end in college football on Nov. 18.
• Several Sun Belt players continue to climb the conference’s career lists, including:
- Georgia Southern senior cornerback Monquavion Brinson is the Sun Belt all-time leader in career passes defended with 39, surpassing the previous mark of 36 by Arkansas State’s Blaise Taylor from 2014-17.
- Appalachian State junior placekicker Chandler Staton (143 of 143 made) and Troy junior placekicker/punter Tyler Sumpter (124 of 124 made) rank tied for first in career PAT percentage at 100.0 percent.
• 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
Kaleb Barker, Troy (Sr., QB, Decatur, Ala.)
Troy senior quarterback Kaleb Barker continued his storybook season with a school-record six touchdown passes in the Trojans' win over Texas State. Barker's touchdown tally was also the second most in Sun Belt history and the third most in the FBS this season. He had passed for 363 yards and five touchdowns passes by halftime.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Shaun Jolly, Appalachian State (So., DB, Stone Mountain, Ga.)
Appalachian State sophomore defensive back Shaun Jolly locked down Georgia State’s wide receivers in the Mountaineers' 56-27 win in Atlanta. Jolly posted his first career multiple-interception game, second career pick-six and a career-high three pass breakups. His 30-yard return for a touchdown in the second quarter put Appalachian State ahead for good, 28-21.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Anthony Beck II, Georgia Southern (Fr., P, Guyton, Ga.)
Georgia Southern freshman punter big game punting ix times for an average of 48.5 yards. He had three punts downed inside the 20-yard line and had two punts of 50+ yards and even had one punt fumbled that was recovered by the Eagles that eventually led to a touchdown.
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
October 28: Tra Barnett, Georgia State
November 4: Wesley Kennedy III, Georgia Southern
November 11: Caleb Evans, ULM
November 18: Kaleb Barker, Troy
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
October 28: Nathan Page, Arkansas State
November 4: Darreon Jackson, Arkansas State
November 11: Marcus Webb, Troy
November 18: Shaun Jolly, Appalachian State
Special Teams Player
September 2: Massimo Biscardi, Coastal Carolina
September 9: Tyler Bass, Georgia Southern
September 16: Monquavion Brinson, Georgia Southern
September 23: Joshua Rowland, Texas State
September 30: Cody Grace, Arkansas State
October 7: Cody Grace, Arkansas State
October 14: Rhys Byrns, Louisiana
October 21: Tyler Sumpter, Troy
October 28: Wesley Kennedy III, Georgia Southern
November 4: Blake Grupe, Arkansas State
November 11: Hutch White, Texas State
November 18: Anthony Beck II, Georgia Southern
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 23
*South Alabama at Georgia State (ESPN+), 1 p.m.
*Texas State at No. 24 Appalachian State (ESPN+), 1:30 p.m.
*Georgia Southern at Arkansas State (ESPN+), 2 p.m.
*Coastal Carolina at ULM (ESPN3), 4 p.m.
*Troy at /RV Louisiana (ESPN+), 4 p.m.
*Sun Belt Conference contest
All Times Central and Subject to Change