POSTGAME NOTES: App State 47, Troy 10
App State still has not lost back-to-back games since 2017, when the Mountaineers fell on the road at UMass (Oct. 28) and ULM (Nov. 4).
The 37-point win was the Mountaineers' most lopsided Sun Belt victory since a 52-7 result against ULM on Oct. 19 last year.
App State's 61-14 record and 81.3 win percentage since the start of 2015 is No. 5 nationally behind just Clemson (77-6, 92.8%), Alabama (74-6, 92.5%), Ohio State (65-7, 90.3%) and Oklahoma (64-12, 84.2%).
App State is 48-6 in its last 54 games vs. Sun Belt teams since the 2014 FBS jump. Since 2014, the Mountaineers' 85.7 winning percentage (48-8 overall) against league foes is No. 4 nationally behind Ohio State (93.3%, 56-4), Clemson (91.8%, 56-5) and Alabama (91.8%, 56-5).
The Mountaineers' have started Sun Belt play 5-1 for the third straight year.
Zac Thomas (30-5 as a starter) is No. 2 in active FBS QB wins behind Clemson's Trevor Lawrence (32-1).
App State has won 19 of its last 20 games played in November or December.
With a 2-yard, third-quarter touchdown catch, defensive end/fullback
Caleb Spurlin became the only player in the country with multiple sacks and multiple touchdown catches this year.
OFFENSE
App State compiled a season-high 554 yards of total offense, including 275 rushing and 279 passing. One of the nation's top-15 teams in third-down conversion rate entering the game, App State converted 8 of 13 third downs in this one.
Entering the game, the Mountaineers ranked top 10 in the country with a per-game rushing average of 254.2 yards before racking up 275 against the Trojans.
Zac Thomas completed 22 of 29 passes for 279 yards and tied a career high with four touchdown passes, while not throwing an interception and taking just one sack (on an intentional grounding penalty). He moved into sole possession of third place in the school record books with 85 career touchdowns responsible for, surpassing Richie Williams' 81 from 2002-05. Thomas also moved past Steve Brown (1977-80) into fourth place in App State history with 6,565 career passing yards.
Senior WR
Malik Williams caught seven passes for a career-high 113 yards and a touchdown to lead all receivers in the game.
Senior WR
Thomas Hennigan caught six passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. He passed Andrew Peacock (2010-13) into fifth place in school history with 2,148 career receiving yards. The score was his 16th career TD catch, which ranks No. 7 in the App State record books.
Sophomore RB
Camerun Peoples tied his career long with a 63-yard run for the game's first score. He finished with 95 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Junior TE
Henry Pearson caught a 6-yard touchdown pass for his fourth career score and second this season.
True freshman
Christan Horn hauled in a career-long 54-yard catch and run in the third quarter for his third catch this season.
DEFENSE
App State has held eight of nine opponents to 21 points or less this season.
The Mountaineers' defense forced four straight three-and-outs to start the game and limited Troy to 3 of 14 on third downs overall.
Troy entered the game with the Sun Belt's No. 2 passing attack averaging 302 yards per outing, but App State's defense held the Trojans to a season-low 125 passing yards and just 231 total yards.
Junior CB
Steven Jones notched his first career interception and returned it 34 yards for a pick-six to give App State a 21-0 first-quarter lead. It was his second career touchdown. He scored on his own blocked punt against Gardner-Webb in 2018.
App State's defense now has 98 interceptions since 2015. The Mountaineers entered the weekend with a nation's best 97 during that span.
SPECIAL TEAMS
A week after being named Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week, senior K
Chandler Staton made both of his field-goal attempts (from 42 and 30 yards) and was 5 of 6 on PATs.
In the school record books, Staton is up to No. 5 in career points (324), tied for No. 3 in career field goals made (41) and No. 2 in career extra points made (201). He is second in Sun Belt history with 324 career points and needs just three points to overtake Arkansas State's Brian Davis for the Sun Belt career record.
