Camerun Peoples Sets Record as App State Beats North Texas in Myrtle Beach Bowl

Appalachian State ran roughshod over North Texas Monday at the 2020 Myrtle Beach Bowl.   

Quite literally. The Mountaineers rushed for 500 yards en route to a 56-28 victory over the Mean Green, led by a huge performance from star running back Camerun Peoples, who set both an Appalachian State single-game and FBS bowl record with 317 rushing yards all by himself. 

Appalachian State pulled out some tricks, too:

While the Mountaineers' dominance on the ground was the main storyline, the game was also a chippy affair, with one fight breaking out and a number of penalties and personal fouls between the two teams:

It was an excellent end to a solid season for the Mountaineers (9-3), while North Texas (4-6) will be disappointed it wasn't able to finish at the .500 mark.

Key Stats

Camerun Peoples, Appalachian State: 317 rushing yards, five touchdowns

Marcus Williams Jr., Appalachian State: Six rushes for 101 yards and a score

Zac Thomas, Appalachian State: 8-of-16 for 114 yards and a score; four rushes for 35 yards

Jason Bean, North Texas: 21-of-36 for 251 yards, two touchdowns and an interception; 13 rushes for 10 yards

Tre Siggers, North Texas: 17 carries for 120 yards

Austin Ogunmakin, North Texas: Seven catches for 131 yards and a score

The Peoples' Champion

How incredible was Peoples on Monday?

Well, he broke the record for the most rushing yards in an FBS bowl game, previously held by Georgia Tech's P.J. Daniels in the 2004 Humanitarian Bowl (311 yards). 

Oh, and his five rushing touchdowns tied a bowl record too. 

Just a sophomore, the future is bright for Peoples, who absolutely will be the centerpiece of App State's offense next season. 

Austin Ogunmakin Showed Out

There weren't many bright spots for North Texas in the blowout loss, but the sophomore wideout was one of them, having easily his best game of the season. 

The hope for the Mean Green will be Ogunmakin and sophomore quarterback Austin Aune—who didn't make the trip with the team for Monday's game—forming a dangerous pair in the 2021 season. The Mean Green have a major vacancy at wide receiver to fill, with star Jaelon Darden (74 receptions for 1,190 yards and 19 touchdowns this season) off to the NFL.

Players like Ogunmakin and sophomore Deonte Simpson will have the chance to become the top option next season. Ogunmakin made an early case to be that guy with his showing Monday.

What's Next?

The offseason.