Appalachian State topples Troy

The Troy football team lost its sixth game this season to Appalachian State 53-14 at home on Saturday, Oct. 18. A scoreless second half for the Trojans would allow the Mountaineers to light up the scoreboard.

Troy (1-6, 1-3 Sun Belt) would go up 7-0 after junior running back Brandon Burks scored on a five-yard touchdown run on its first possession of the game.

The Mountaineers (2-5, 1-2 Sun Belt) would respond, however, by scoring 24 unanswered points in the first half. Throughout the game, the Trojan defense was unable stop the explosiveness of the Appalachian State run game. Appalachian State dominated in this aspect by racking up a whopping 441 rushing yards.

It wasn’t until the 9:44 mark in the second quarter when the Trojans were able to score again. Senior wide receiver Chandler Worthy would run back a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. It would be Worthy’s second return for a touchdown this season.

The Trojan offense would give up a safety with one second left in the first half to make the score 26-14 at halftime.

In the second half, the Mountaineers would have three different players run for a total of four touchdowns. Sophomore running back Marcus Cox would lead the run game for Appalachian State, scoring three rushing touchdowns on 16 carries for 123 yards.

The Trojan offense was stagnant in the second half, and the defense remained unable to stop the run game. Appalachian State’s defense would shut out the Trojans, and would also intercept freshman quarterback Brandon Silvers twice to keep the Trojans out of the end zone.

For full coverage of the Appalachian State game, pick up a copy of the Tropolitan on Thursday, Oct. 23.