Troy; 2018 Dollar General Bowl Champions

MOBILE, Ala. -- Troy's offense limped through November with a handful of injuries, and a subpar game against Appalachian State in the regular-season finale cost the Trojans a shot at winning the Sun Belt Conference title.

After a few weeks of rest, the Trojans were healthy for the Dollar General Bowl. It made all the difference.

Sawyer Smith threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns, B.J. Smith and Sidney Davis ran for touchdowns and Troy beat Buffalo 42-32 on Saturday night. Troy coach Neal Brown said the victory was gratifying, even if the win was slightly bittersweet.

"Being at full strength, I think it kind of gave you a glimpse at what we might have been," Brown said.

Troy (10-3) secured the hard-fought win on Davis' 20-yard touchdown run with 3:09 remaining, a play after Buffalo's Tyree Jackson fumbled to give the Trojans possession. It was the Bulls' third lost fumble.

The entertaining game had several big swings in momentum, especially during a strange third quarter that featured Buffalo scoring seven points despite not running an offensive play.

Troy took a 21-17 lead on Smith's 2-yard touchdown run with 9:47 left in the third and then immediately recovered an onside kick. The Trojans were driving for another score before a B.J. Smith fumble bounced into the hands of Buffalo's Tyrone Hill, who ran 93 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulls a 24-21 lead.

Troy jumped ahead 35-24 after two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter and held off Buffalo's final rally. Sawyer Smith's favorite target was Damion Willis, who caught 13 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns. The quarterback said even though the Trojans made a few mistakes in the second half, he could feel momentum building.

"I knew how the offense was playing and how good we could be in the second half," Smith said. "I really had no doubt."

Buffalo's Jackson threw for 274 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The quarterback said the Bulls made some uncharacteristic mistakes that caused a sour end to the season.

"As an offense, we pride ourselves on playing good football," Jackson said. "We've played good football all year, no penalties and winning the turnover battle. Today we struggled with that and put our defense in a tough situation."

Buffalo (10-4) took the early 7-0 lead on Jaret Patterson's 11-yard touchdown run less than two minutes into the game. The drive was helped by a spectacular 51-yard pass completion that bounced off K.J. Osborn's hands and pinballed between a few defenders before being caught by Antonio Nunn.

Troy bounced back quickly with its own huge gain through the air -- a 60-yard touchdown from Sawyer Smith to Tray Eafford.

The game stayed tight throughout the first half and Buffalo took a 17-14 lead late in the second quarter on Adam Mitcheson's 41-yard field goal. The Bulls had the halftime lead despite three turnovers, including two fumbles.

THE TAKEAWAY

Buffalo: It's a disappointing loss for the Bulls, who are still looking for their first bowl win in program history. Buffalo dominated at times, but the four turnovers proved to be tough to overcome.

Troy: The Trojans secured their third straight 10-win season, which is the longest such streak in program history. Sawyer Smith was excellent and Troy finally got its run game going in the second half. The Trojans were also able to capitalize on Buffalo's turnovers.

UP NEXT

The Bulls should return most of their offense next season, but must replace eight defensive starters. Buffalo opens at home against Robert Morris next season.

Troy has a few holes to fill, but should return another very good team next season. Troy opens at home against Campbell next season.

"We've got a chance to put another run together," Brown said. "We really do."

Appalachian State: 2017 Dollar General Bowl Champions

MOBILE, Ala. -- Appalachian State's improved defense was a huge reason the program closed the regular season on a three-game winning streak and won a share of the Sun Belt Conference title.

The Mountaineers saved the best for last in a Dollar General Bowl blowout.

Appalachian State's swarming, opportunistic defense was the catalyst for an impressive 34-0 victory over Toledo on Saturday night. The Rockets came into the game averaging nearly 40 points per game, but fell behind early and looked completely overmatched. They managed just 146 total yards while turning the ball over four times.

"When we get a little bit of a lead, that's when we're really dangerous," Appalachian State coach Scott Satterfield said. "Once we get that lead and our defense has their bearing straight, the other team starts forcing the ball down the field and that's when we get turnovers."

Appalachian State's defense had improved during the season's final few weeks, giving up just 10 points per game in wins over Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Louisiana-Lafayette. The performance against the Rockets was even better. Linebacker Anthony Flory led the Mountaineers with eight tackles and intercepted a pass in the first quarter that helped shift the momentum.

"The defense has just been really solid," Satterfield said. "They've tackled well over the last month and haven't given up the big play."

The Mountaineers' offense had a good night as well, especially on the ground. Jalin Moore, who was the game's Most Valuable Player, ran for 125 yards and a career-high three touchdowns to lead a running game that finished with 327 yards.

"It meant everything sending these guys out with a `W' like this," Moore said. "I stressed a lot about it. I knew what was at stake. I just tried to play a perfect game for myself and for my boys. It's kind of emotional."

Senior quarterback Taylor Lamb, who was starting his 49th straight game, threw for 131 yards.

Appalachian State (9-4) won its third straight bowl game since making the complete transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2015.

It was the second straight year the two programs had met in the postseason. Appalachian State beat Toledo in a hard-fought 31-28 victory in the Camellia Bowl in 2016 just a few hours up the interstate in Montgomery, Alabama.

The rematch in Mobile turned out to be a dud.

Toledo's Logan Woodside threw for 124 yards and three interceptions. He had just five interceptions through the season's first 13 games before Saturday.

"I feel like I let my team down a little bit," Woodside said. "Give App State a lot of credit, they had me force a couple balls downfield that were uncharacteristic of myself. But overall, you can't take away what we did this season."

THE TAKEAWAY

Appalachian State: It was an impressive performance for the Mountaineers, especially on defense. Even during the rare moments when Toledo would have some success on offense, Appalachian State always seemed to force a turnover at a crucial juncture.

Toledo: This was one to forget for the Rockets. The offense looked out of sync all night and Appalachian State's running game methodically picked apart Toledo's defense.

UP NEXT



Appalachian State: The Mountaineers lose several seniors, including their four-year starting quarterback. But Appalachian State has firmly established itself as one of the elite teams in the Sun Belt since making the transition from FCS to FBS and that's unlikely to change any time soon as long as coach Scott Satterfield is leading the way.

Toledo: The Rockets will have a lot of rebuilding to do, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Toledo will have to find a new quarterback and rebuild its offensive line, which will lose four starters. The good news is 38-year-old coach Jason Candle is coming back after leading the program to an 11-win season.

Troy: 2016 Dollar General Bowl Champions

MOBILE, Ala. -- Jordan Chunn had three short touchdown runs and Troy intercepted four passes in a 28-23 victory over Ohio in the Dollar General Bowl on Friday night.

The Trojans (10-3) finished off their first 10-win season since moving up to the FBS in 2001, thanks largely to a defense that came up with three big fourth-quarter stops. The first Sun Belt Conference team to crack the Top 25, Troy forced 18 turnovers in its last five games.

The Bobcats (8-6) settled for field goal attempts twice in the fourth quarter, making one, and got one more chance from their own 15 with 2:20 left and no timeouts. They managed one first down but Greg Windham couldn't throw for another one under heavy pressure.

Louie Zervos had made a 37-yard field goal with 4:01 left to cut Troy's lead to 28-23. They had first down from the 12 before a personal foul penalty against lineman Jake Pruehs.

Chunn found little room to run except near the goal line against the nation's sixth-ranked run defense. He had 56 yards on 20 carries.

Deondre Douglas gained 113 yards on six catches. Ohio's Jordan Reid had 12 catches for 162 yards.

Troy's fourth interception came courtesy of 315-pound defensive tackle Trevon Sanders. One play later, Chunn powered in for a touchdown and a 28-17 third-quarter lead.

THE TAKEAWAY

Ohio: Couldn't overcome the mistakes despite a number of big plays from Windham and Reid. Windham completed 23 of 47 passes and the offense gained just 78 yards on 30 rushes.

Troy: Converted three of Ohio's five turnovers into touchdowns. Was outgained 393-322.

PICK PARTY: Interceptions were on sale at Dollar General. Both teams had a pair in the first 9:17 of the game, and Windham was picked twice more.

CHUNN'S MARK

Chunn scored his school-record 35th career touchdown on Troy's opening drive, breaking a tie with Joe Jackson (1994-97) with a season left to play. He finished his junior year with 37.

UP NEXT

Ohio loses Windham and five starters on each side of the ball. Opens next season against Hampton.

Troy could have a stronger team next season. The Trojans return all but two offensive starters, including Chunn and Silvers. The defense gets seven starters back but loses Sun Belt defensive player of the year Rashad Dillard. The first game is a big one, at Boise State.