Chase Brice went 19-25 for 293 yards and threw for one touchdown, Camerun Peoples ran for two scores, and App State took advantage of a strong second half to beat the Elon Phoenix 44-10, in front of a sellout crowd at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Saturday. The Mountaineers improve to a 2-1 record on the season while Elon falls to 1-2.
Saturday's game featured "The Rock"'s first sellout crowd in 651 days (the 2019 Sun Belt Championship game against Louisana).
Super senior Corey Sutton led the Mountaineers in receiving yards with 128, off of seven catches. Super senior Malik Williams contributed with 123 receiving yards off of four catches and also scored a touchdown.
On defense, senior linebacker D'Marco Jackson made his presence known on the field once again, piling up thirteen tackles (four and a half for loss) along with three sacks.
Elon's senior quarterback Davis Cheek completed 22 of 36 passes for 225 yards and had one interception. Freshman running back McKinley Witherspoon scored their only touchdown.
The Mountaineers struggled offensively in the first half, as they turned the ball over on their opening possession and only led Elon 13-3 at halftime. The tide of the game turned, however, in the third quarter after T.D. Roof intercepted Davis Cheek's pass returning it 90 yards to the Elon 10 yard line.
Two plays later, Camerun Peoples scored off of a one-yard touchdown run and App State found themselves with a commanding 27-3 lead. The Mountaineers would score thirty-one points in the second half alone.
Elon returns home to host William & Mary next Saturday while App State will host the Marshall Thundering Herd for a much-anticipated revenge game this Thursday.