2019 Sun Belt Football News and Notes:
Week 5 Release (PDF) | Standings | Composite Schedule | Stats | Championship Game | Media Guide
AROUND #SUNBELTFB
• The second season for Sun Belt Conference football gets underway in earnest this Saturday with four league matchups on the schedule. All five games this week are slated for live coverage on the ESPN family of networks.
• Appalachian State remained listed among the teams receiving votes in both the Associated Press and Amway Coaches powered by USA Today Sports Top 25 polls this week. The Mountaineers received 24 points in the AP Poll and 27 points in the Amway Coaches Poll. Appalachian State has appeared among the teams receiving votes in both polls every week so far this season. The Mountaineers earned the Sun Belt’s second-ever Top 25 ranking last season – 25th in the Oct. 21, 2018 AP Poll. Appalachian State’s ranking tied the highest-ever ranking for a Sun Belt team with Troy’s ranking of 25th in the Nov. 13, 2016 AP Poll.
• Appalachian State's nine-game winning streak is the nation's third-longest active streak behind Clemson (19) and Ohio State (10).
• The Sun Belt has recorded three wins against Autonomy Five conference opponents in the same season for the first time in conference history. This season, Georgia State’s win at Tennessee was its first over a Southeastern Conference opponent and first against an Autonomy Five opponent in the program’s 10-year history. Coastal Carolina’s win at Kansas was its first over a Big 12 Conference opponent and first in eight tries against an Autonomy Five opponent in the program’s 17-year history. Appalachian State's win at North Carolina was its first win against an Autonomy Five opponent since the victory at Michigan in 2007 when the Mountaineers were an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision program.
• Appalachian State's win at North Carolina marked the conference’s 11th win over an Autonomy Five opponent in the last 10 seasons (2011-19). Nine of the league’s 11 Autonomy Five wins during that span have been on the road.
• The Sun Belt is building on its non-conference success from a year ago with 18 wins and the third-best winning percentage among the Group of Five conferences through the first four weeks this season.
1. Mountain West - 25-13 (.658)
2. American - 24-13 (.649)
3. Sun Belt - 18-16 (.529)
4. Conference USA - 19-25 (.432)
5. Mid-American - 16-26 (.381)
• So far this season, the Sun Belt has received several in-season honors:
- Following Georgia State’s upset win at Tennessee, the Panthers were the fourth team in Sun Belt history to receive Reveal Suits National Team of the Week honors by the Football Writers Association of America and head coach Shawn Elliott was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, in conjunction with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
- Troy senior quarterback Kaleb Barker was one of three players named the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Week for his performance during the Trojans' opener against Campbell. Barker is now eligible for the 2019 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award, which is presented by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), The Associated Press and the Fiesta Bowl.
- Arkansas State football head coach Blake Anderson was named a nominee for the 2019 Capital One Orange Bowl-Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Courage Award following the Red Wolves' game at Georgia on Sept. 14. Anderson lost his wife, Wendy, on Aug. 19 after a two-year battle with breast cancer. He returned to the sidelines on Sept. 7 for his team’s game at UNLV.
- Arkansas State redshirt junior quarterback Logan Bonner received honorable mention recognition on the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week award for Week 4 games on Sept. 24.
- Appalachian State junior defensive end Demetrius Taylor earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor, as selected by the FWAA, for games ending the weekend of Sept. 21 after creating 2.5 sacks, forcing two fumbles – returning one for a touchdown – and an interception that keyed the Mountaineers' 34-31 win at North Carolina.
- Eckrich National Team of the Week powered by Pro Football Focus – Appalachian State junior running back Darrynton Evans, Arkansas State senior cornerback Jeremy Smith and Louisiana redshirt junior linebacker Chauncey Manac (Week 2) and Troy sophomore linebacker Carlton Martial (Week 3).
• Among the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision statistical leaders entering the week:
- Troy senior quarterback Kaleb Barker ranked sixth in passing yards per game (333.3).
- Appalachian State junior running back Darrynton Evans ranked tied for second in kickoff return touchdowns (1) and points per game (16.0), tied for third in rushing touchdowns (7) and fourth in all-purpose yards per game (171.67).
- Arkansas State redshirt senior wide receiver Omar Bayless ranked tied for second in receiving touchdowns (6), third in receiving yards (476) and fifth in receiving yards per game (119.0).
- Appalachian State junior defensive end Demetrius Taylor ranked tied for first in forced fumbles per game (1.0) and tied for eighth in sacks per game (1.17).
- Coastal Carolina redshirt senior cornerback Chandler Kryst ranked tied for first in interceptions (3).
• As the National Football League moves into the heart of its 2019-20 season, the Sun Belt presence remains strong with 21 former standouts on active rosters, 10 on practice squads and three on reserved lists, as of Sept. 23. The conference's 34 players are sprinkled across 21 different teams. Appalachian State continues to lead the league in players on 53-man active rosters with five with Georgia State and Troy just behind with four each.
• 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
Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana (Jr., RB, Erath, La.)
Louisiana junior running back Elijah Mitchell was dominant in Louisiana's big road win at Ohio, carrying the ball 17 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns. The 143 yards were a season best and his performance on Saturday marked the fourth time in his career where he had three touchdowns in a game. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in his career. Mitchell has now had at least two scores in back-to-back games.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Demetrius Taylor, Appalachian State (Jr., DL, Miami, Fla.)
Appalachian State junior defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor had a career performance in the Mountaineers' 34-31 win at UNC, totaling a career-high 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, while scoring his first career touchdown and snagging his first career interception. He's the first FBS player since at least 2000 with 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception in the same game. Taylor was a force in the Tar Heel backfield all game long, starting with his first-quarter strip sack that he located, scooped and returned 20-yards for a touchdown. That gave App State its first lead of the game (13-7) that it would never relinquish. Taylor's next big play was an interception that he tipped to himself and returned 19 yards to set up another Mountaineer score that put the Black and Gold ahead 20-7. In addition to those two takeaways, he forced another fumble on second strip sack and broke up a pass at the line of scrimmage.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Joshua Rowland, Texas State (Sr., PK, Madison, Miss.)
Texas State senior placekicker Joshua Rowland scored 13 points in Texas State's 37-34 triple-overtime victory over Georgia State. He kicked a season-long 45-yard field goal in the first quarter for the first points in the game and also kicked a 35-yard field goal in the third overtime to clinch the victory for Texas State. Rowland averaged 63.7 yards on six kickoffs with four touchbacks.
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
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
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
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Saturday, September 28
*Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State (ESPN+), 2:30 p.m.
*Louisiana at Georgia Southern (ESPN+), 5 p.m.
*Arkansas State at Troy (ESPN+), 5 p.m.
*South Alabama at ULM (ESPN+), 6 p.m.
Nicholls at Texas State (ESPN3), 6 p.m.
*Sun Belt Conference contest
All Times Central and Subject to Change