App State piles up 501 yards; cruises to victory over ODU

The driving rain that fell on Ballard Stadium on Saturday was nothing compared to the offensive deluge Appalachian State delivered.

Using a 28-point second quarter, App State rolled to a 49-0 victory over the Old Dominion Monarchs in a non-conference game, dominating in every phase of the game. The Mountaineers rebounded from a 41-10 loss to Clemson on Sept. 12, which ended a seven-game winning streak.

App State (2-1) piled up 501 yards on offense, and the defense forced four turnovers while holding ODU (2-2) to just 175 yards. It was the first shutout against the Monarchs since the football program returned in 2009.

ODU’s Ray Lawry, who entered the game as the nation’s fourth-leading rusher, was limited to 22 yards on eight carries.

From the opening kickoff, App State played like a team on fire.

Terrence Upshaw put App State ahead, 7-0, with a touchdown, and the Mountaineers never looked back with quarterback Taylor Lamb leading the charge.

Lamb, who threw three interceptions at Clemson, rebounded with an efficient performance, completing 11 of 15 passes for 187 yards and a career-high four touchdown passes in three quarters.

Most of those numbers were compiled in the second quarter, where he completed 5 of 7 passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns, including a 53-yard touchdown hookup to Bobo Beathard – the Mountaineers’ longest completion of the season.

App State got an emotional boost in the second quarter when Devan Stringer, playing three weeks after the death of his newborn daughter Noelle, picked up a fumble and sprinted 77 yards for a touchdown.

Lamb added a 41-yard touchdown pass to Shaedon Meadors and a 24-yard score, and Latrell Gibbs’ third interception of the season set up a 24-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Cox just before halftime.

Cox ran for 107 yards on 23 carries and Upshaw added 42 yards and a touchdown on 7 carries.

It was Cox’s sixth straight game with more than 100 yards, and his seventeenth at App State, moving him one behind Armanti Edwards for fourth all-time.

App State’s 35-0 halftime lead was its largest since a 56-21 victory over Chattanooga in 2006, and the first time ODU had been shut out in the first half.

It also was ODU’s worst home loss, eclipsing last year’s 56-14 beating at the hands of Marshall.

This story was originally published September 26, 2015 at 9:06 PM with the headline "App State piles up 501 yards; cruises to victory over ODU."