CHARLOTTE — Zac Thomas threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score and Appalachian State dominated Charlotte 45-9 on Saturday night in the first gridiron meeting of the in-state rivals.
The victory came a week after the Mountaineers lost to No. 10-ranked Penn State 45-38 in overtime.
Thomas’ 5-yard TD run put the Mountaineers up 10-0 on Charlotte and his TD passes to Corey Sutton and Dominique Heath made it 24-9 at halftime after the Mountaineers outgained the 49ers 250-104.
Thomas completed all 14 of his pass attempts and hit Sutton (155 yards on three receptions) on a 90-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter. Thomas Hennigan returned a punt 59 yards for a third-quarter score and Austin Exford recovered a fumble in the end zone for a score.
Charlotte’s Jonathan Cruz kicked second-quarter field goals of 46, 54 and 48 yards — the most field goals in a game for the 49ers — with the 54-yarder the longest by a freshman in school history.
