Appalachian State Mountaineers: Cox Goes Out On Top
The Appalachian State Mountaineers gave their all-time rusher a great send off in the Camelia Bowl.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers might have won the Camelia Bowl last Saturday, but they were not the real winners of the game. Nor was it the city of Montgomery, AL, who got to host the Mountaineers for the second year in a row. No, the real winner was senior running back Marcus Cox. Cox got to finish his career at App with a one hundred forty-three yard performance and reclaim his mantle as the top dog on offense.
Cox has been the key feature of the Mountaineers offense since before their jump to FBS. Cox ran for more than 1400 yards each year as a sophomore and junior in App’s two year transition into the big boy division. He was on pace to do something similar when injury got to him this year. Taken out of the Miami game, Cox would miss the next four games.
During his absence App found the next man up. Jalen Moore took over the primary running back duties. The result was that Moore had the nearly 1400 yard rushing season by the end of the year. Cox came back and was even productive, but he had lost his seat as the top weapon of the offense.
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After missing four games and having to settle for less carries (still a good number reflective of Appalachian’s ability to run the ball), Cox was sitting on 870 yards rushing when the regular season stopped. He owned the all-time record for rushing yards at App already, but he looked to fall just short of having another thousand yard season.
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Enter Toledo and the Camelia Bowl. Toledo offered an up and down game which would maximize the chances for the App offense. The App offense utilized a run heavy scheme that battered at Toledo. Moore had some trouble but Cox and quarterback Taylor Lamb both had big running days. Cox got the yards he needed and scored a touchdown to showcase his final game.
The game was still a close one though. Michael Rubino, who had begun the year by missing a kick to beat Tennessee, now nailed the game winner to end the season. Cox may be leaving, but he is leaving the offense in good hands.