Appalachian State (2-5, 1-2 Sun Belt), the former FCS power, ran for a season-best 441 yards on 54 carries and rolled up 551 total yards to snap its four-game losing streak and beat an FBS foe for the first time since its 2007 upset of Michigan. Aside from Cox, tailbacks Ricky Ferguson (10 carries, 107 yards) and Terrence Upshaw (11, 82) also topped 80 yards on the ground - as did quarterback Taylor Lamb (8, 98), who was 9-of-16 for 110 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Brandon Silvers was 20-of-30 for 156 yards with two interceptions while Brandon Burks ran for 42 yards and a TD on six carries for Troy (1-6, 1-2), which turned over the ball four times and committed 11 penalties for 89 yards. The 39-point loss was the Trojans’ worst home setback since an 80-0 drubbing by Samford in 1961.

Leading 26-14 at halftime, Appalachian State scored touchdowns on four of its first six second-half possessions, including 33- and 1-yard runs by Cox, to cap the rout. Silvers, meanwhile, was intercepted twice by Mountaineers cornerback Latrell Gibbs in the third quarter while wide receiver Kinderick Dent fumbled in the fourth as the Trojans were shut out in the final 30 minutes.

Burks capped Troy’s first possession with a 5-yard scoring run to give the hosts a 7-0 lead, but Appalachian State reeled off 24 straight points - including a 20-yard fumble return for a TD by defensive end Olawale Dada, to take a 24-7 lead with 9:56 remaining in the second quarter. The Trojans’ Chandler Worthy took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a score – his second touchdown return in as many games – but the Mountaineers closed out the half with a safety on an odd play in which Troy linebacker Mark Wilson snared Montez McGuire's fumble out of mid-air at the Trojans’ 1-yard line but was tackled in the end zone, resulting in a 26-14 halftime lead for the visitors.