New Orleans Bowl 2018: Appalachian State downs Middle Tennessee
By Zach Bigalke
Sun Belt champion Appalachian State took down C-USA runner-up Middle Tennessee at the Superdome. Here’s what we learned in the New Orleans Bowl on Saturday.
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Appalachian State has gone bowling in each of their four seasons after completing their transition from the FCS ranks and becoming a full member of the FBS. The Mountaineers came to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on a three-game bowl winning streak, the first time a program had ever won its first three bowl games in their first three years of FBS existence.
On the first Saturday of the 2018-2019 bowl calendar, the Mountaineers went to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and dominated Middle Tennessee in a runaway 45-13 victory. With Scott Satterfield already departed to take over as head coach at Louisville, the Sun Belt champions played like a team with nothing to lose.
Middle Tennessee, meanwhile, was unable to get its offense going full bore against a stout Appalachian State defense. The Blue Raiders seemed to struggle with the pressure that came with the New Orleans Bowl serving as a swan song for Blue Raiders quarterback Brent Stockstill.
After showing early promise of turning into another close defensive contest like the Camellia Bowl that preceded it, the New Orleans Bowl devolved into a blowout. Let’s look at three things we learned from the big Appalachian State victory on Saturday.