2019 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game
College football game
The 2019 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 7, 2019, at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina , to determine the 2019 champion of the Sun Belt Conference . The game, the conference's second championship game, featured the East division champions Appalachian State and the West division champions Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns .[ 2]
Previous season
The 2018 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game featured East Division champion Appalachian State against West Division champion Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns for the first title game for the conference. The Mountaineers defeated the Ragin' Cajuns by a score of 30–19.[ 3]
Teams
The 2019 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game was contested by the Appalachian State Mountaineers , East Division champions, and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns , West Division champions. The teams had met 7 times previously, with the Mountaineers holding a 7–0 edge in the series. The teams' most recent meeting was earlier in the 2019 season ; Appalachian State won, 17–7. Louisiana had yet to win in the series, since they first met in 2014 [ 4] This was the teams' second meeting in the Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game, a rematch from the previous year.
Appalachian State
Appalachian State clinched its spot in the Championship Game after its November 23 win over Texas State .[ 5] The Mountaineers secured hosting rights on November 29 with a 48–13 win over Troy .[ 6] This is Appalachian State's second consecutive and overall appearance in the Championship Game. App State running back Darrynton Evans was named the championship game MVP for the second year in a row.[ 7]
Louisiana
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns earned their spot after clinching the West Division title on November 23 with a win over Troy.[ 8] This will be the Ragin' Cajuns' second consecutive and overall appearance in the Championship Game.
Game summary
Game information
First Quarter
(13:02) APP – Zac Thomas 58 yard pass to Darrynton Evans , Chandler Staton kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:58; Appalachian State 7–0 )
(9:38) APP – Darrynton Evans 8 yard rush, Chandler Staton kick (Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 2:00; Appalachian State 14–0 )
(1:43) APP – Zac Thomas 5 yard pass to Darrynton Evans, Chandler Staton kick (Drive: 14 plays, 76 yards, 6:42; Appalachian State 21–0 )
(0:25) LA – Levi Lewis 37 yard pass to Peter LaBlanc, Stevie Artigue kick (Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 1:12; Appalachian State 21–7 )
Second Quarter
(13:27) APP – Marcus Williams Jr. 29 yard rush, Chandler Staton kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:58; Appalachian State 28–7 )
(8:13) LA – Levi Lewis 1 yard pass to Elijah Mitchell , Stevie Artigue kick (Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 5:14; Appalachian State 28–14 )
(4:13) APP – Daetrich Harrington 25 yard rush, Chandler Staton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:00; Appalachian State 35–14 )
(0:03) LA – Stevie Artigue 53 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 1:06; Appalachian State 35–17 )
Third Quarter
(5:57) APP – Josh Thomas 16 yard interception return, Chandler Staton kick (Appalachian State 42–17 )
(2:41) LA – Levi Lewis 2 yard pass to Ja'Mar Bradley , Stevie Artigue kick (Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 3:16; Appalachian State 42–24 )
Fourth Quarter
(8:12) APP – Chandler Staton 35 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 4:41; Appalachian State 45–24 )
(4:18) LA – Elijah Mitchell 1 yard rush, Stevie Artigue kick (Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 3:54; Appalachian State 45–31 )
(1:19) LA – Levi Lewis 38 yard pass to Peter LaBlanc, Stevie Artigue kick (Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 1:09; Appalachian State 45–38 )
Statistics
Statistics
LA
APP
First downs
31
20
Plays–yards
84–513
68–416
Rushes–yards
38–159
51–267
Passing yards
354
149
Passing: comp –att –int
24–46–1
9–17–0
Time of possession
29:49
30:11
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Louisiana
Passing
Levi Lewis
24/46, 354 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Elijah Mitchell
18 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Peter LaBlanc
3 receptions, 118 yards, 2 TD
Appalachian State
Passing
Zac Thomas
9/17, 149 yards, 2 TD
Rushing
Daetrich Harrington
9 carries, 89 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Darrynton Evans
2 receptions, 63 yards, 2 TD
See also
References
^ "Louisiana vs. Appalachian State - Game Summary - December 7, 2019 - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved December 7, 2019 .
^ McElwain, John. "Sun Belt, ESPN Announce Updates to 2019 Football Schedule" . sunbeltsports.org . Retrieved November 13, 2019 .
^ "Louisiana vs. Appalachian State - Game Summary - December 1, 2018 - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved November 13, 2019 .
^ "Winsipedia - Appalachian State Mountaineers vs. Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football series history" . Winsipedia . Retrieved November 23, 2019 .
^ "Evans scores 3 TDs, No. 23 App State tops Texas State 35-13" . ESPN . November 23, 2019.
^ "Thomas, No. 22 Appalachian State rout Troy 48-13" . ESPN.com . Associated Press. November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019 .
^ "Appalachian State 45-38 Louisiana (Dec 7, 2019) Game Recap" . ESPN . Retrieved December 5, 2023 .
^ Stephenson, Creg (November 23, 2019). "Louisiana hands Troy most-decisive Sun Belt loss in school history, 53-3" . AL.com .
Division I FBS Division I FCS
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons