Appalachian State vs. Toledo: Score and Reaction for 2016 Camellia Bowl

A missed Jameson Vest field goal with 2:06 left in the game delivered Appalachian State a 31-28 victory over Toledo in the Camellia Bowl from the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. 

Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb put up one of the finest outings of his career, recording 245 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

The Mountaineers had to contend with Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside, who led the nation with 43 touchdowns while setting program records with 3,882 yards and a 69.1 percent completion rate. 

They looked like they had what it took considering the Mountaineers allowed just 10 passing touchdowns all season and ranked third in the nation with 20 interceptions. 

On Saturday night, they limited Woodside to 247 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

It was the defenses that dominated the game's first 20 minutes, as both teams could only come up with one touchdown apiece. 

On its first drive of the game, Appalachian State drove 72 yards in less than four minutes to grab the lead when Jalin Moore recorded an 11-yard touchdown run, via Kirk Nawrotzky of NBC 24:

Toledo came up with an answer on its next drive, though, when Woodside hit Michael Roberts for a 15-yard pass. The score was set up by a 58-yard completion from Woodside to Corey Jones as Toledo flexed its passing muscles momentarily. 

While the offense couldn't muster much else in the next 15 minutes, Appalachian State's Marcus Cox became just the 22nd runner in FBS history to rush for 5,000 career yards, via App State Athletics:

Cox put the Mountaineers back into the lead with 6:03 left in the half with a 13-yard scoring run, but Toledo's Kareem Hunt came up with a rebuttal three minutes later with a 26-yard score of his own to keep the game tied going into halftime. 

The run made him Toledo's all-time leading rusher on his way to a 120-yard outing while impressing ESPN's Max Bretos in the process:

"

Kareem Hunt is a real good, NFL caliber runner. #Toledo

— Maximiliano Bretos (@mbretosESPN) December 17, 2016"

Defenses were not as stout in the second half as the third quarter ended with four straight touchdowns, two from each team, in an eight-minute span.

After a Lamb 13-yard touchdown put Appalachian State in the lead, Woodside hit Cody Thompson with a four-yard pass for Toledo to tie it right back up. 

But on the ensuing kickoff, Darrynton Evans streaked 94 yards to put the Mountaineers right back on top, via App State Athletics:

Toledo punched right back with a five-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with a one-yard score from Hunt to send the game into the fourth quarter tied at 28. 

The offensive well went dry in the fourth quarter with neither team able to generate much in nearly 10 minutes. But with 5:14 left, Michael Rubino's 39-yard field goal put Appalachian State up three in what turned out to be the game-winner. 

Using Hunt, who rushed for 41 yards in its final drive, Toledo drove down to the Mountaineers 8-yard line with 2:06 left but were stymied in the red zone, forcing them to attempt a 30-yard field goal after a delay of game penalty. Those five yards could have played a big factor as Vest pulled his effort wide right. 

Appalachian State was playing in just its second bowl game ever after it moved up from the FCS to the Sun Belt Conference in 2014. Last season, it also won the Camellia Bowl against Ohio and can now add another one in 2016 to the trophy case. 

Postgame Reaction

Pulling out close games on a big stage was uplifting for Appalachian State head coach Scott Satterfield, via John Zenor of the Associated Press (h/t  the Salt Lake Tribune):

"

We have so much fight and so much integrity in our football team. They do things right on and off the field. You can't win close games like this if you don't do things right on and off the field.

"

A lot of that had to do with the play of his quarterback, who explained why he was able to have such a solid night via Zenor: "All 11 guys on defense went to Marcus," Lamb said. "I just went around the edge and there was nobody in sight."

For Toledo head coach Jason Candle, there were no regrets about the call to go for the game-tying field goal in the final minutes, via Zenor: "If we had to go out and do it again, I'd kick the field goal again. I trust in our kicker and I trust in our protection. That was not the reason why we lost the game."

Regardless, it is something that will leave a bad taste in Toledo mouths heading into the winter as the program will look to continue making bowl appearances a regular occurrence. 

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.