# 2009 Sun Belt Conference football season

The 2009 Sun Belt Conference football season was an NCAA football season that was played from September 3, 2009, to January 6, 2010. The Sun Belt Conference consists of 9 football members: Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Troy, and Western Kentucky who becomes a full-time member in 2009 after 2 seasons as an independent and conditional member who played a limited Sun Belt schedule after transitioning from the Football Championship Subdivision. Troy won the Sun Belt Championship and played in the GMAC Bowl where they lost in two overtimes to Central Michigan. Middle Tennessee was the only other Sun Belt member to be invited to a bowl game, the New Orleans Bowl, where they defeated Southern Mississippi.

## Previous season

Troy (8–5) were the Sun Belt champions and lost to Southern Mississippi in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl 30–27.
Three other Sun Belt teams, Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, and Louisiana-Lafayette, were bowl eligible with records of 6-6, but only Florida Atlantic was invited to a bowl game, the Motor City Bowl defeating Central Michigan 24–21.

## Preseason
### Preseason poll

The 2009 Sun Belt coaches preseason poll was announced during a two-day media web-based event on July 20 and 21. Defending champion Troy was selected as the favorite to win the conference.

#### Sun Belt Coaches Poll

* Troy – 72 (5)
* Arkansas State – 69
* Florida Atlantic – 61 (1)
* Middle Tennessee – 52
* Florida International - 43 (1)
* Louisiana-Lafayette – 39 (1)
* Louisiana-Monroe – 34 (1)
* North Texas – 18
* Western Kentucky - 17

### Award watch lists

| Award | School | Player |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Troy | Brandon Lang |
| Dave Rimington Trophy | Florida International | Brad Serini |
| Dave Rimington Trophy | Louisiana-Lafayette | Chris Fisher |
| Dave Rimington Trophy | Middle Tennessee | Mark Thompson |
| Dave Rimington Trophy | Troy | Danny Franks |
| Lombardi Award | Arkansas State | Alex Carrington |
| Lombardi Award | Louisiana-Lafayette | Brad Bustle |
| Lombardi Award | Louisiana-Lafayette | Chris Fisher |
| Lombardi Award | Louisiana-Monroe | Cardia Jackson |
| Lombardi Award | Troy | Danny Franks |
| Lombardi Award | Troy | Brandon Lang |
| Lombardi Award | Troy | Boris Lee |
| Lombardi Award | Troy | Cameron Sheffield |
| Lombardi Award | Troy | Bear Woods |
| Manning Award | Arkansas State | Corey Leonard |
| Manning Award | Florida Atlantic | Rusty Smith |
| Manning Award | Troy | Levi Brown |
| Lou Groza Award | Arkansas State | Josh Arauco |
| Lou Groza Award | Troy | Sam Glusman |
| Outland Trophy | Louisiana-Lafayette | Chris Fisher |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Florida Atlantic | Cortez Gent |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Florida International | T. Y. Hilton |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Troy | Jerrel Jernigan |
| Walter Camp Award | Florida Atlantic | Rusty Smith |
| Doak Walker Award | Arkansas State | Reggie Arnold |
| Doak Walker Award | Middle Tennessee | Phillip Tanner |
| Doak Walker Award | Troy | DuJuan Harris |
| Davey O'Brien Award | Florida Atlantic | Rusty Smith |

## Regular season

* Index to colors and formatting
* Sun Belt member won
* Sun Belt member lost
* Sun Belt teams in bold
All times reflect the local time for that team (Central Time-Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, North Texas and Troy. Eastern Time- Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Western Kentucky). Conference games times are that of the home team.
Rankings reflect that of the USA Today Coaches poll for that week until week eight when the BCS rankings will be used.

### Week One

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Troy | Bowling Green | Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH | | L 31-14 | 14,514 |
| September 3 | 6:30 p.m. | North Texas | Ball State | Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN | ESPNU | W 20-10 | 16,054 |
| September 5 | 12:20 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Tennessee | Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN | | L 63-7 | 98,761 |
| September 5 | 5:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Clemson | Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC | | L 37-14 | 75,000 |
| September 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Mississippi Valley State | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | | W 61-0 | 21,056 |
| September 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Southern | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | | W 42–19 | 41,357 |
| September 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | #2 Texas | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | FSN | L 59-20 | 101,096 |
| September 5 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | #22 Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE | FSN | L 49-3 | 85,719 |

### Week Two

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 12 | 11:20 a.m. | Troy | #1 Florida | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL | | L 56-6 | 90,349 |
| September 12 | 1:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | #18 Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE | FSN | L 38-9 | 85,035 |
| September 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Kansas State | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | | W 17-15 | 16,431 |
| September 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Texas Southern | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | | W 58-0 | 9,330 |
| September 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Memphis | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN | | W 31-14 | 28,105 |
| September 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Ohio | North Texas | Fouts Field • Denton, TX | | L 31–30 in 2OT | 16,674 |
| September 12 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida International | #4 Alabama | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | | L 40-14 | 92,012 |
| September 12 | 7:30 p.m. | South Florida | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | ESPNU | L 35-13 | 20,568 |

### Week Three

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 19 | 12:20 p.m. | North Texas | #4 Alabama | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | SEC Network | L 53-7 | 92,012 |
| September 19 | 2:30 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Maryland | Byrd Stadium • College Park, MD | | W 32-31 | 43,167 |
| September 19 | 2:30 p.m. | Alabama-Birmingham | Troy | Movie Gallery Stadium • Troy, AL | | W 27-14 | 21,182 |
| September 19 | 5:00 p.m. | Florida International | Rutgers | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | | L 23-15 | 45,273 |
| September 19 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Louisiana State | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | ESPNU | L 31-3 | 92,443 |
| September 19 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | South Carolina | Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC | | L 38-16 | 72,017 |
| September 19 | 7:00 p.m. | Central Arkansas | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | | L 28-7 | 19,044 |
| September 19 | 9:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | Arizona State | Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ | FSN | L 38-14 | 43,780 |

### Week Four

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Troy | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | CST | TROY 30-27 | 23,641 |
| September 26 | 4:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | Florida Atlantic | Lockhart Stadium • Ft. Lauderdale, FL | | ULM 27-25 | 14,229 |
| September 26 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | #24 Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE | FSN | L 55-0 | 86,304 |
| September 26 | 6:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | North Texas | Fouts Field • Denton, TX | | MTSU 37-21 | 22,346 |
| September 26 | 6:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | | L 38-22 | 29,009 |
| September 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Toledo | Florida Atlantic | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | | L 41-31 | 11,047 |

### Week Five

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 3 | 11:00 a.m. | Arkansas State | #17 Iowa | Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA | ESPN2 | L 24-21 | 67,989 |
| October 3 | 2:30 p.m. | Florida International | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | Sun Belt Network | ULM 48-35 | 17,610 |
| October 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Wyoming | Florida Atlantic | Lockhart Stadium • Ft. Lauderdale, FL | | L 30-28 | 15,744 |

### Week Six

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 6 | 7:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Troy | Movie Gallery Stadium • Troy, AL | ESPN2 | TROY 31-7 | 17,108 |
| October 10 | 6:00 p.m. | North Texas | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajan Field • Lafayette, LA | Sun Belt Network | ULL 38-34 | 12,141 |
| October 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida International | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries - L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | | FIU 37-20 | 13,574 |

### Week Seven

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | ESPN2 | ULM 16-10 | 14,378 |
| October 17 | 11:30 a.m. | Mississippi State | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee | ESPNU | L 27-6 | 23,882 |
| October 17 | 5:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | | ULL 30-22 | 11,919 |
| October 17 | 6:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | North Texas | Fouts Field • Denton, TX | Sun Belt Network | UNT 40-44 | 23,319 |
| October 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Troy | Florida International | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | | TROY 42-33 | 10,142 |

### Week Eight

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 24 | 2:30 p.m. | North Texas | Troy | Movie Gallery Stadium • Troy, AL | TROY 50-26 | 20,032 |
| October 24 | 2:30 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee | MTSU 62-24 | 17,787 |
| October 24 | 4:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | FAU 51-29 | 21,135 |
| October 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Florida International | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | ASU 27-10 | 18,779 |
| October 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | Kentucky | Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY | L 36-13 | 68,203 |

### Week Nine

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 31 | 12:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Florida International | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | | FIU 20–17 in OT | 8,593 |
| October 31 | 2:30 p.m. | Arkansas State | Louisville | Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY | | L 21-13 | 21,497 |
| October 24 | 3:15 p.m. | Western Kentucky | North Texas | Fouts Field • Denton, TX | Sun Belt Network | UNT 68-49 | 11,214 |
| October 31 | 4:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Florida Atlantic | Lockhart Stadium • Ft. Lauderdale, FL | | MTSU 27-20 | 15,568 |
| October 31 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | Troy | Movie Gallery Stadium • Troy, AL | | TROY 42-21 | 17,106 |

### Week Ten

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 7 | 2:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Alabama Birmingham | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | | L 56-29 | 17,283 |
| November 7 | 2:30 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | Sun Belt Network | ULL 21-18 | 16,215 |
| November 7 | 3:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | North Texas | Fouts Field • Denton, TX | | ULM 33-6 | 12,167 |
| November 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Florida International | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee | | MTSU 48-21 | 17,808 |
| November 7 | 5:00 p.m. | Troy | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | | TROY 40-20 | 16,747 |

### Week Eleven

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | | ULM 21-18 | 16,229 |
| November 14 | 3:15 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee | Sun Belt Network | MTSU 34-17 | 16,411 |
| November 14 | 4:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | Florida Atlantic | Lockhart Stadium • Ft. Lauderdale, FL | | FAU 35-18 | 16,218 |
| November 14 | 6:30 p.m. | Troy | Arkansas | Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR | | L 56-20 | 66,442 |
| November 14 | 7:00 p.m. | North Texas | Florida International | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | | FIU 35-28 | 11,128 |

### Week Twelve

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 21 | 12:30 p.m. | Florida International | #1 Florida | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL | | L 62-3 | 90,473 |
| November 21 | 3:00 p.m. | Army | North Texas | Fouts Field • Denton, Texas | | L 17-13 | 23,647 |
| November 21 | 3:15 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Troy | Movie Gallery Stadium • Troy, AL | | TROY 47-21 | 16,638 |
| November 21 | 3:30 p.m. | Arkansas State | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee | Sun Belt Network | MTSU 38-14 | 19,111 |
| November 21 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | | ULL 21-17 | 8,689 |

### Week Thirteen

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 28 | 2:00 p.m. | North Texas | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | ARST 30-26 | 8,754 |
| November 28 | 3:30 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | MTSU | 11,896 |
| November 28 | 4:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Florida Atlantic | Lockhart Stadium • Ft. Lauderdale, FL | FAU 29-23 | 14,671 |
| November 28 | 6:00 p.m. | Troy | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | TROY 48-31 | 12,245 |

### Week Fourteen

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| December 3 | 7:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries - L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | | ARST 24-20 | 4,513 |
| December 5 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Florida International | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | | FAU 28-21 | 10,108 |

## Bowl games

| Bowl Game | Date | Stadium | City | Television | Matchup/Results | Attendance | Payout (US$) |
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | December 20, 2009 | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, LA | ESPN | Middle Tennessee 42, Southern Miss 32 | 30,228 | $325,000 |
| GMAC Bowl | January 6, 2010 | Ladd–Peebles Stadium | Mobile, AL | ESPN | Central Michigan 44, Troy 41 2OT | 34,486 | $750,000 |

## Players of the Year

2009 Sun Belt Player of the Year awards
| Award | Player | School |
| Player of the Year | Levi Brown | Troy |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Levi Brown | Troy |
| Defensive Players of the Year | Cardia Jackson Chris McCoy | Louisiana-Monroe Middle Tennessee |
| Freshman of the Year | Shawn Southward | Troy |
| Coaches of the Year | Rick Stockstill Larry Blakeney | Middle Tennessee Troy |

## All-Sun Belt Team

Coaches All-Conference Selections
| Position | Player | Class | Team |
| First Team Offense ||||
| QB | Levi Brown | SR | Troy |
| RB | Alfred Morris | SO | Florida Atlantic |
| RB | Lance Dunbar | SO | North Texas |
| WR | LaGregory Sapp | SR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| WR | Jerrel Jernigan | JR | Troy |
| TE | Jason Harmon | SR | Florida Atlantic |
| OL | Brad Bustle | SR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| OL | Chris Fisher | SR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| OL | Mark Thompson | SR | Middle Tennessee |
| OL | Danny Franks | SR | Troy |
| OL | Tyler Clark | JR | Troy |
| First Team Defense ||||
| DL | Alex Carrington | SR | Arkansas State |
| DL | Aaron Morgan | SR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| DL | Chris McCoy | SR | Middle Tennessee |
| DL | Brandon Lang | SR | Troy |
| LB | Cardia Jackson | SR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| LB | Boris Lee | SR | Troy |
| LB | Bear Woods | SR | Troy |
| DB | Greg James | SR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| DB | Jeremy Kellem | JR | Middle Tennessee |
| DB | Alex Suber | SR | Middle Tennessee |
| DB | Marcus Udell | SR | Middle Tennessee |
| First Team Special Teams ||||
| PK | Alan Gendreau | SO | Middle Tennessee |
| P | Spencer Ortego | JR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| RS | T. Y. Hilton | SO | Florida International |
| AP | Jerrel Jernigan | JR | Troy |
| Position | Player | Class | Team |
| Second Team Offense ||||
| QB | Dwight Dasher | JR | Middle Tennessee |
| RB | Frank Goodin | JR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| RB | Bobby Rainey | SO | Western Kentucky |
| WR | T. Y. Hilton | SO | Florida International |
| WR | Jamaal Jackson | JR | North Texas |
| TE | Ladarius Green | SO | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| OL | Derek Newton | JR | Arkansas State |
| OL | David Matlock | SR | Florida Atlantic |
| OL | Brad Serini | JR | Florida International |
| OL | Esteban Santiago | JR | North Texas |
| OL | Mark Fisher | JR | Middle Tennessee |
| Second Team Defense ||||
| DL | Bryan Hall | JR | Arkansas State |
| DL | Jamari Lattimore | JR | Middle Tennessee |
| DL | Cameron Sheffield | SR | Troy |
| DL | Kevin Dixon | SR | Troy |
| LB | Antwyne Zanders | SR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| LB | Danny Carmichael | SR | Middle Tennessee |
| LB | Cam Robinson | SR | Middle Tennessee |
| DB | Anthony Gaitor | JR | Florida International |
| DB | James Truxillo | SR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| DB | Courtland Fuller | SR | Troy |
| DB | Bryan Willis | FR | Troy |
| Second Team Special Teams ||||
| PK | Josh Arauco | SR | Arkansas State |
| P | Carlos Munera | SR | Florida International |
| RS | Jerrel Jernigan | JR | Troy |
| AP | Bobby Rainey | SO | Western Kentucky |

## Attendance

| Team | Stadium (capacity) | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Total | Average | % of Capacity |
| Arkansas State | ASU Stadium (30,964) | 21,056 | 23,631 | 18,779 | 16,215 | 8,754 | | 88,435 | 17,687 | 57.1 |
| Florida Atlantic | Lockhart Stadium (20,450) | 14,229 | 15,744 | 15,568 | 16,218 | 14,671 | | 76,460 | 15,286 | 74.7 |
| Florida International | FIU Stadium (20,000) | 11,047 | 10,142 | 8,593 | 11,128 | 10,108 | | 51,018 | 10,204 | 51.0 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field (31,000) | 41,357 | 16,431 | 12,141 | 21,135 | 8,689 | 12,245 | 111,998 | 18,666 | 60.2 |
| Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium (30,427) | 9,330 | 17,610 | 14,378 | 16,229 | 11,896 | | 69,443 | 13,889 | 45.6 |
| Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium (31,000) | 28,105 | 23,882 | 17,787 | 17,808 | 16,411 | 19,111 | 120,104 | 20,017 | 64.6 |
| North Texas | Fouts Field (30,000) | 16,674 | 22,346 | 23,319 | 11,214 | 12,167 | | 85,720 | 17,144 | 57.1 |
| Troy | Movie Gallery Stadium (30,000) | 21,182 | 17,108 | 20,032 | 17,106 | 16,638 | | 92,066 | 18,413 | 61.4 |
| Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (22,000) | 20,568 | 19,044 | 13,574 | 11,919 | 16,747 | 4,513 | 86,365 | 14,394 | 65.4 |