Ohio Bobcats vs Appalachian State Mountaineers Match Player Stats On Dec 19, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Dec 19, 2015

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Appalachian State rallied for 21 points in less than two minutes in the fourth quarter and then had to rally again with a last-minute drive for a 31-29 win over Ohio on Saturday night at the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.

Zach Matics, who missed two field goal attempts in the first quarter, drilled a 23-yard field goal as time expired.

Appalachian State (11-3) restored order after dominating the first quarter, only to watch Ohio score 17 straight points to grab the lead.

Ohio, which had managed just 43 yards on its first five possessions, drove 45 yards to a 36-yard field goal by Josiah Yazdani on its sixth possession of the first half before getting some help from Appalachian State.

On the Mountaineers' next play from scrimmage, Ohio middle linebacker Quentin Poling made his team-leading fourth interception count by returning quarterback Taylor Lamb's pass 20 yards for a touchdown to give the Bobcats a 10-7 lead.

Five plays later, center Jesse Chapman snapped the ball to Lamb as if the Mountaineers quarterback was under center while in shotgun formation. Ohio defensive tackle Tony Porter recovered the fumble and two plays later running back A.J. Ouellette ran the final 7 yards for a 17-7 halftime lead.

The Mountaineers saw the nightmare continue in the third quarter when Ohio linebacker Jovon Johnson pried the ball out of receiver Ike Lewis' hands and ran 45 yards for a touchdown and a 24-7 lead.

But Appalachian State withstood the shock and responded with a rally of its own, driving 97 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Lamb, which scored the game's first touchdown on a 21-yard run, hit tight end Barrett Burns with a 17-yard pass and then used an interception by defensive back Latrell Gibbs to set up a 26-yard touchdown run by running back Marcus Cox.

Two plays later, a bad pass by Ohio quarterback J.D. Sprague was intercepted by defensive back Mondo Williams, leading to an 8-yard pass from Lamb to Burns to give the sophomore quarterback his 31th passing touchdown of the year, breaking the school record held by two-time national FCS player of the year Armanti Edwards.

Johnson came up with the play of the game for the Bobcats (8-5), dropping Tae Hayes in the end zone for a safety with 6:10 left. That led to Yazdani's 21-yard field goal with 1:47 left, giving Ohio a 29-28 lead.

Cox had his 22nd career 100-yard game, setting a bowl record with 162 yards on 24 carries. He received the Bart Starr Most Valuable Player Award but was not on the field during the final drive because of an injury.