Just one year after needing a fourth quarter comeback and a game winning field goal to win the Camellia Bowl, the Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-3, 7-1 Sun Belt) held off the Toledo Rockets (9-4, 6-2 MAC) 31-28 to win their second straight Camellia Bowl Championship.
A game that the Mountaineers never trailing and were tied four times, App once again needed to rely on a kicker’s foot late in the game. Freshman Michael Rubino hit a 39 yard field goal to give App State the lead with 5:14 remaining.
The Rockets, who answered with their own score after every Mountaineer touchdown, drove down the field again for a field goal attempt, but chose to save a timeout and take a five-yard delay of game penalty leading to a missed 23 yard field goal attempt and sealing the win for App State.