The 10 ten things you need to know about Appalachian State win over North Texas in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
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Myrtle Beach Bowl: Appalachian State 56, Tulane 28
10. North Texas QB Austin Aune was out due to COVID concerns. It was a late scratch, but Jason Bean is experienced enough to step in and be fine, but he got banged up early. He ended up completing 21-of-36 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns with a pick – he did what he could.
9. Appalachian State senior QB Zac Thomas went out in style. He only had to throw 16 times, he threw a touchdown pass and he ran for 35 yards. This game was all about the Mountaineer running game, but Thomas took advantage when he had his chances.
8. It also helped that the trick/funky things Appalachian State worked on, worked. Getting out to a 14-0 lead helped make everything else happen on the way to a 35-7 lead as big run after big run kicked in. The North Texas defense held up as well as it could, and then the dam broke.
🚨 Now THAT is how you start bowl season 🚨 pic.twitter.com/hGrzPVOkcW
— ESPN (@espn) December 21, 2020
7. The Mountaineer linebacking corps wasn’t perfect, but it came up with a whole lot of big plays. Nick Hampton and D’Marco Jackson combined for 19 tackles with two sacks and five tackles for loss, but …
6. North Texas still had its moments. The offense came up with almost 500 yards, there was and good balance to the attack, and the team kept things moving. It controlled the clock, Tre Siggers ran for 120 yards, Oscar Adaway ran for 97 yards, and the receiving corps and passing game wasn’t bad, but …
5. Not having Jaelon Darden didn’t help. The Mean Green was missing a 74-catch, 19-touchdown target after he chose to opt-out on the bowl game after declaring himself eligible for the NFL Draft. Austin Ogunmakin caught seven passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, but the UNT offense could’ve used a superstar playmaker to keep up the fight.
4. Speaking of fight, after a hit on QB Jason Bean as he was awkwardly sliding, the two teams got into a bit of a rumble. The two teams pushed and shoved as Bean was down, but nothing much came of it. It cranked up the intensity for a bit, but it didn’t help the North Texas defense against the run.
3. The North Texas defense came into the game with a whole slew of problems against the run, and they didn’t get any better. After allowing 927 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns over the previous three games, it got hit for 502 yards and six scores because …
2. The Appalachian State offensive line was dominant. The scheme worked, the backs got in space, and the coaching staff kept rolling with the same plays on both sides until North Texas could prove it could stop it – and it couldn’t. The backs were at the second and third level, made a guy miss, and then boom. Marcus Williams ran six times for 101 yards and a score, and …
1. It was the Camrun Peoples show. The entire Appalachian State running game worked, but it was Peoples who came up took over with bowl-record 319 yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries. Before this, he led the team with 807 yards and seven touchdowns on the year, but it wasn’t all him. That offensive line gave him big holes to rumble through.
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/b9ICkJRCqd
— App State Football (@AppState_FB) December 21, 2020
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