Western Kentucky Football

Western Kentucky scored a 59-38 victory over Appalachian State in the 2021 Boca Raton Bowl on Saturday at FAU Stadium in Florida.

A shootout was expected between the Hilltoppers and Mountaineers, who combined to average 77.6 points per game during the regular season, and the offenses delivered in a game that featured 1,246 total yards and 13 touchdowns.

WKU quarterback Bailey Zappe stole the spotlight with 422 passing yards and six touchdowns en route to setting the new NCAA FBS single-season records in both categories. He finishes the 2021 season with 5,967 yards and 62 scores through the air.

Zappe captured the yards record in the second quarter:

And the touchdown mark in the third quarter:

Here's a look at some of the bowl game's other standout performers:

• Chase Brice (ASU QB): 317 passing yards, 4 TD
• Noah Whittington (WKU RB): 150 rushing yards, 1 TD
• Camerun Peoples (ASU RB): 101 rushing yards 
  
• Jerreth Sterns (WKU WR): 184 receiving yards, 3 TD
• Mitchell Tinsley (WKU WR): 103 receiving yards, 2 TD
  
• Christian Wells (ASU WR): 86 receiving yards, 1 TD
  

The sides traded scores at a rapid rate until it was 24-24 late in the second quarter.

Western Kentucky seized control with a 21-0 run spanning from late in the second quarter until midway through the third. An 86-yard touchdown run by Whittington shortly after halftime really helped turn the tide in favor of the Hilltoppers.

Appalachian State couldn't keep pace as its offense sputtered in the second half.

WKU, which started the season 1-4, finished the campaign by winning eight of its last nine games to post a 9-5 record. The Hilltoppers also improved their bowl record to 5-2 since 2014.

Zappe is a name to watch as the 2022 NFL draft moves closer. What he lacks in size (6'1''), he makes up for with arm talent, specifically his throwing accuracy, and the ability to command a fast-paced passing attack. He could be a developmental middle-round pick in April.

Meanwhile, Appalachian State wrapped up its season at 10-4 following back-to-back losses in the Sun Belt Championship Game and the bowl game. It's also the team's first bowl loss since moving to the FBS level in 2014 after six straight wins.

The Mountaineers have still won at least nine games in seven consecutive years while emerging as one of the nation's premier Group of Five programs.

Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe broke the NCAA FBS records for the most passing yards and most passing touchdowns in a single season during the Hilltoppers' Boca Raton Bowl matchup with Appalachian State on Saturday.

Zappe broke the yards record, which was previously held by Texas Tech's B.J. Symons, in the second quarter:

He followed it up with the new touchdown mark in the third quarter, passing LSU's Joe Burrow:

The 22-year-old Texas native arrived to WKU as a graduate transfer ahead of the 2021 season after four years at Houston Baptist, an FCS program.

Zappe proved a perfect fit for the Hilltoppers' fast-paced offensive attack. He entered the bowl game having completed 69.2 percent of his throws for 5,545 yards with 56 touchdowns and 11 interceptions across 13 games. He added three rushing scores.

Western Kentucky's offensive scheme is a variation of the Air Raid created by the program's first-year offensive coordinator, Zach Kittley, who's accepted the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Tech for next season.

Zappe told ESPN's David M. Hale ahead of the bowl game he expects the reworked system to catch on elsewhere in the years ahead.

"There's a misconception of the Air Raid," he said. "This is not that. [Kittley] has made his own wrinkles, and I'm sure 10 years from now, we'll be talking about coach Kittley's Air Raid tree."

The quarterback's success following the transfer has helped bolster his NFL outlook heading toward the 2022 draft. He's a bit undersized at 6'1'', but his arm talent makes him a potential middle-to-late-round selection come April.

He'll head to the next level with a resume that includes the 2021 Conference USA Player of the Year Award and now a place in college football's record book.