Appalachian State rolls past Middle Tennessee in New Orleans Bowl, 45-13

NEW ORLEANS – Appalachian State receiver Malik Williams passed for two touchdowns on trick plays, quarterback Zac Thomas caught a scoring pass and threw for three more, and the Mountaineers routed Middle Tennessee 45-13 in the New Orleans Bowl on Saturday night.

Camerun Peoples had a 63-yard touchdown run for the Mountaineers (11-2), who gave Appalachian State alum and former player Mark Ivey a victory in what might have been his only chance to coach his alma mater.

Taking over after Scott Satterfield left for Louisville, Ivey looked determined to make his lone game as interim coach a memorable one.

“I had a blast,” Ivey said, noting that one of his “core values” is to have fun amid all the hard work of preparing to play. “If you can’t make this fun, if you can’t love what you do, there’s no purpose of being here.”

Ivey even called for a surprise onside kick in the first half. And it might have worked if Clifton Duck had not snatched the high-bounding ball a yard before it had covered the mandatory 10 yards for a legal touch by the kicking team.

That was about the only thing Ivey tried that didn’t work, but Middle Tennessee (8-6) could not take advantage of it. Three plays later, Tae Hayes’ interception and 27-yard return set up Appalachian State on the Blue Raiders 41. That possession ended with Williams’ second TD passing after he’d taken a pitch from running back Darrynton Evans on a reverse and threw to Thomas, who’d sprinted to the end zone after initially handing off.

“Coach Ivey’s done a phenomenal job with this team,” Thomas said. “We owe a lot to that man.”

Williams’ first TD came after he caught a backward pass from Thomas near the right edge of the field and launched a 30-yard strike down the sidelined to Thomas Hennigan.

Thomas didn’t throw his first touchdown pass until the final minute of the first half, when he found Henry Pearson from a yard out. In the second half, he hit Corey Sutton for TDs of 17 and 11 yards. He finished 15 of 24 for 177 yards and was intercepted twice by safety Reed Blankenship.

Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill finished 25 of 37 for 330 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

“We couldn’t get open. We couldn’t protect. We couldn’t run the ball. For an offense, that’s tough sledding,” Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill said. “You’ve got to give them credit. They didn’t give us much breathing room.”