SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP POSTGAME NOTES: App State 45, Louisiana 38
App State won a Sun Belt Conference title for the fourth straight year and is 2-for-2 in winning the Sun Belt Championship Game. Oklahoma won its fourth straight Big 12 title on Saturday, and the only other FBS program with four straight titles at this point is Clemson, which was going for a fifth ACC championship in a row Saturday night.
App State became the first in-state FBS program or Sun Belt program to post a 12-win season. Of the 10 instances of an in-state program winning 11 games in a season, App State is responsible for three of them (in the Mountaineers' six FBS seasons). App State is responsible for three of the four 11-win seasons in Sun Belt history.
App State posted its fourth win this season against a team ranked in the top 45 of ESPN's FPI (Football Power Index). It's the only ranked G5 team with two wins over P5 teams (both on the road) or three road wins over ESPN FPI top 50 teams.
App State is 43-7 in its 50 games against Sun Belt teams, and it improved to 8-0 in the series with Louisiana.
Since the 2015 season began, App State is No. 5 nationally in win percentage (81.5) and tied for No. 5 in total wins with its 53-12 record. The win total trails only Clemson (68-4), Alabama (65-6), Ohio State (61-6) and Oklahoma (60-9), with Georgia sitting at 53-15.
App State fifth-year seniors
Akeem Davis-Gaither,
Desmond Franklin,
Victor Johnson,
Collin Reed and
Josh Thomas finished their careers at The Rock with a 27-4 home record.
App State increased its season total to 69 touchdowns to tie the Sun Belt's single-season record. Arkansas State also had 69 in 2015.
OFFENSE
Darrynton Evans has played in two Sun Belt Championship Games and won two MVP belts. After putting up 218 all-purpose yards in the 2018 title game, he had 162 more Saturday with 73 rushing, a career-high 63 receiving and 26 on kick returns.
Darrynton Evans increased his season total to 23 touchdowns (17 rushing, five receiving, one via a kickoff return). The Sun Belt record for single-season touchdowns is 24 (Middle Tennessee's Dwone Hicks in 2001), and Evans' total of 23 ranks second in App State history with one game remaining. Kevin Richardson scored 31 touchdowns as App State won the 2006 FCS title with a 14-1 record.
Darrynton Evans had two touchdown catches in the same game for the first time, and his previous single-game high for receiving yards was 41 against ULM on Oct. 19.
Daetrich Harrington, playing his second game since returning from an injury that sidelined him for four straight games, led the team in rushing for the second time this season. He had 71 yards against Coastal Carolina and a team-best 89 yards on just nine carries Saturday.
Marcus Williams Jr., one of four active Sun Belt players with three straight seasons of 500-plus rushing yards, went over 75 rushing yards against a Sun Belt opponent for the fourth time this season.
DEFENSE
Seniors accounted for every role in the three turnovers forced by App State.
E.J. Scott recovered a fumble that he forced,
Desmond Franklin recovered a fumbled forced by
Noel Cook and
Josh Thomas returned an interception for a touchdown.
It was App State's fourth pick-six touchdown of the season. That's one behind the FBS lead of five from Louisiana Tech.
Demetrius Taylor recorded his seventh sack of the season.
App State defenders with career highs for tackles included
Shemar Jean-Charles (eight),
Shaun Jolly (seven) and
E.J. Scott (seven). Scott's previous high was three.
