Trounced: Troy suffers worst home loss since 1961

TROY – Head coach Larry Blakeney hurried through his postgame duties so he could seek the solace of a family reunion.

At least one assistant coach carefully drove through a mass of fans outside Troy's football building, quickly fleeing the scene of the Trojans' latest shame.

"We got woodshedded," Blakeney said after Appalachian State's 53-14 victory, Troy's worst home loss in more than 50 years. "If you were here, you obviously noticed.

"We didn't coach good enough. We damn sure didn't play good enough."

There was little arguing that.

The Trojans, in a screen door v. flood effort, watched the Mountaineers gallop for 437 yards rushing. Two running backs had more than 100 and their quarterback finished with 98.

Even a nice play by Troy's defense turned into Appy State points.

Just before halftime, the Trojans recovered a fumble at the goal line. But linebacker Mark Wilson ran back into the end zone and was tackled for a safety.

"We just got whipped," Blakeney said. "If we're the right kind of people, this will motivate us.

"If not, more of these type things are ahead of us."

Troy (1-6, 1-2 Sun Belt) sparked hope with last weekend's home win over New Mexico State in its first game since Blakeney announced he was retiring at the end of the year.

Appy State (2-5, 1-2) snuffed out any glimmer.

"We worked hard. We just didn't play as well and execute," safety JaQuadrian Lewis said. "I say we just have to work even harder and get better.

"We have a game Friday (at South Alabama), so we have to flush it."

If there's one thing Troy has been good at this year, it's at rewriting school history.

Troy's 39-point home loss was its worst since 1961 when Samford beat the Trojans 81-0.

The 437 yards rushing were the second-most allowed by Troy in its Division I-A era. Florida International had 448 in 2010.

"We had a lot of misfits and a lot of miscues, and we got gashed because of it," Wilson said, critical of changes the Trojans made on their defensive front's gameplan.

"It was a coaches' decision."

Marcus Cox ran for 119 yards and three touchdowns for the Mountaineers, first-year members of the Sun Belt Conference. Backup Ricky Fergerson had 109 yards, including a 68-yard run that set up Appy State's last score.

"They had a good offense," Lewis said. "We had a couple of misfits and really hurt ourselves, not to take anything away from their offense.

"We just need to watch film, work harder and move on."