Last Updated on November 20, 2019 6:03 pm
BOONE, N.C. — A generational performance from
Appalachian State's Demetrius Taylor has earned him the title of Sun
Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
A junior defensive
end from Miami, Taylor has earned multiple national defensive player of
the week honors following App State's 34-31 win at North Carolina by
becoming the first FBS player in this millennium with 2.5 sacks, two
forced fumbles, a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception in
the same game.
With App State trailing 7-6 in the first quarter,
Taylor rushed around the end, knocked the ball loose with a blindside
sack, returned to his feet, scooped the ball up at the 20 and raced into
the end zone.
Five minutes later, Taylor fought off a low block
and returned to his feet in time to deflect a hard, low-release pass to
the left. He located the ball in time to intercept it near midfield and
gain 19 yards on a return to the UNC 26. That play set up another App
State touchdown.
Taylor forced another fumble on a sack later in
the game and also knocked down a red-zone throw help force a short
field goal during an afternoon in which he posted four total tackles.
The
last time an FBS player had 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble
return for a touchdown — without intercepting a pass like Taylor
did against UNC — was Georgia's Marcus Howard in the Sugar Bowl against
Hawaii at the end of the 2007 season. According to Sports Reference,
there isn't another player with those four statistical accomplishments
for the 2019 season to date, and only one FBS player in 2018 reached
those four statistical totals for the entire season.
Taylor
ranks in the top 10 nationally in forced fumbles per game (No. 1, 1.0),
tackles for loss per game (No. 4, 2.0) and sacks per game (No. 8, 1.17).
During App State's 3-0 start, he has compiled three forced fumbles, six
tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, one interception, one
pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.
