APPALACHIAN STATE BRINGS SOLID RUSHING ATTACK TO CAMELLIA BOWL

Appalachian State has a simple but successful philosophy.

“Overall, our formula is run the ball and play defense,” ASU head coach Scott Satterfield said.

The Mountaineers led the Sun Belt Conference in rushing offense and defensive passing efficiency this season. ASU led the league and ranked third nationally with 20 interceptions this season. That combination led ASU to the 2016 Sun Belt Conference championship and the school’s second straight bowl appearance.

Appalachian State also played one of the toughest non-conference schedules among the Group of Five teams this season. ASU opened the season at Tennessee and later hosted Miami, the biggest game in the history Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone.

“I think our non-conference schedule was one of the hardest in the Group of Five,” Satterfield said. “We played Tennessee and Miami. We played an Akron team, who at the time was an outstanding team until the quarterback got hurt. Old Dominion finished 9-3.

“I think that our non-conference teams really helped us and prepared us for our conference schedule. We went through our conference almost undefeated. We were 50 seconds away from being undefeated in our conference, but we ended up winning it and our non-conference schedule was huge for us and we knew it would help us throughout the season.”

ASU placed 12 players on the All-Sun Belt Conference squad, including sophomore running back Jalin Moore, who was named Offensive Player of the Year, and freshman cornerback Clifton Duck, who was tabbed Freshman of the Year.

APPALACHIAN STATE OFFENSE:
• Appalachian State leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks 13th in the NCAA with 247.1 rushing yards per game this season. ASU topped the 200-yard mark seven times this season, including a season-high 429 yards against UL Monroe on Nov. 19.

• Senior running back Marcus Cox is the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,960 career yards. Cox has 979 career rushing attempts for 4,960 yards and 51 touchdowns in 44 career games. Cox has 136 rushing attempts for 872 yards and eight touchdowns this season. He needs 128 rushing yards in the Camellia Bowl to become the only player in ASU history with four straight 1,000-yard seasons.

• Sophomore running back Jalin Moore was the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Moore had 221 rushing attempts for 1,367 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He led the Sun Belt Conference with 1,367 rushing yards and 113.9 rushing yards per game. He was second in the league with 10 touchdowns. Moore has 320 career rushing attempts for 2,098 yards and 15 touchdowns in his 23-game career.

• Appalachian State ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference in total offense (431.1), scoring offense (29.1) and red zone offense (88.4 percent) this season.

• Junior quarterback Taylor Lamb has completed 183-of-293 passes (.625) passes for 2,162 yards with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was third in the Sun Belt Conference in passing efficiency (134.7) and completion percentage.

• Senior center Parker Collins, junior right guard Robert Gossett and Moore were First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selections. Junior right tackle Beau Nunn, senior wide receiver Sheadon Meadors and Cox were second team all-conference picks. Freshman left tackle Victor Johnson made the All-Newcomer Team.